react-router go back a page how do you configure history?

When working with React and React Router, it is common to encounter situations where you need to programmatically navigate between pages or go back to the previous page. React Router provides a simple way to achieve this using the history object.

The history object is a part of React Router and allows you to manipulate the browser history. By default, React Router provides a BrowserRouter component that automatically creates a history object for you. However, in some cases, you may need to configure the history object manually.

Configuring History in React Router

To configure the history object in React Router, you can make use of the createBrowserHistory function from the history package. This function creates a new history object that you can use to navigate or go back to a previous page.

First, you need to install the history package by running the following command:

npm install history

Once the package is installed, you can import the createBrowserHistory function and use it to create a history object:

import { createBrowserHistory } from 'history';

const history = createBrowserHistory();

Now that you have the history object, you can pass it to the Router component as a prop:

import { Router } from 'react-router-dom';

ReactDOM.render(
  
    
  ,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

With the history object configured, you can now use it to navigate or go back to a previous page. To go back to the previous page, you can call the goBack method on the history object:

import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';

const MyComponent = () => {
  const history = useHistory();

  const goBack = () => {
    history.goBack();
  };

  return (
    Go Back
  );
};

This code snippet demonstrates how to use the goBack method from the history object to go back to the previous page when a button is clicked.

Alternative Solution: Using the useHistory Hook

If you are using functional components in React, you can also make use of the useHistory hook provided by React Router. This hook gives you access to the history object without the need to pass it as a prop to the Router component.

import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';

const MyComponent = () => {
  const history = useHistory();

  const goBack = () => {
    history.goBack();
  };

  return (
    Go Back
  );
};

By using the useHistory hook, you can directly access the history object within your functional component and use the goBack method to navigate back to the previous page.

By configuring the history object in React Router, you can easily navigate between pages or go back to the previous page. Whether you choose to manually configure the history object or use the useHistory hook, React Router provides a flexible solution for handling navigation in your React applications.