Скачать или смотреть Extending the Current URL on a Button Click in HTML

Discover how to properly extend your URL using a button click in HTML without specifying the full path. Learn about relative paths and practical tips for navigating your web app.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68648800/ asked by the user 'domen hočevar' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/16591587/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68663137/ provided by the user 'Quentin' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/19068/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Understanding URL Navigation in HTML

When creating dynamic web applications, you often find yourself needing to navigate between different pages based on user actions. A common requirement might be to extend the current URL when a button is clicked. For instance, if you are on the URL localhost:3000/index/a and you want to go to localhost:3000/index/a/b, how do you achieve this with HTML?

The Issue at Hand

Let’s break down the scenario. Suppose you have a button on your page that is constructed like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

By clicking this button, you might assume it would take you to localhost:3000/index/a/b. However, instead, you land on localhost:3000/index/b. Why is this happening?

The Problem with Relative Paths

The reason for this behavior lies in the nature of how relative paths work in URLs. When using a relative link like ./b, the browser appends the /b to the last segment of the current path. Because localhost:3000/index/a does not end with a /, the browser ignores the a and jumps directly to localhost:3000/index/b instead.

The Solution: Understanding URL Structure

So, how do you navigate correctly without hardcoding the entire path or relying on absolute addresses? Unfortunately, in HTML, there's no way to directly append to the entire path without explicitly specifying the preceding segments.

Options Available

Absolute Path: You can provide the complete URL, such as onclick="javascript:window.location.href='localhost:3000/index/a/b'", but this is not always desirable since it hardcodes the path.

Specify the Path: Although it might seem cumbersome, specifying relative paths like onclick="./a/b" directly tells the browser how to navigate accurately.

Design Your URL Structure Wisely: If possible, consider designing your URLs to end with a trailing slash, such as localhost:3000/index/a/. This way, the relative paths behave more predictably, and you can simply use onclick="./b" to navigate to localhost:3000/index/a/b.

Utilizing JavaScript (Optional)

If you're comfortable using JavaScript, you can dynamically build the URL. For instance:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While this method works effectively, it introduces a dependency on JavaScript, which may not always be advantageous depending on your target audience.

Conclusion: Navigating Your Web Application

To summarize, while there’s no straightforward way to extend your current URL with purely HTML, understanding relative paths and making thoughtful decisions about your URL structure can lead to optimal navigation in your web applications. Always consider how you design your URLs to improve user experience and make navigational behavior more intuitive.

By implementing these guidelines, you can create smoother transitions between pages in your applications, enhancing overall user engagement. Happy coding!