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Is there any way to get the previous URL in JavaScript? Something like this:
alert("previous url is: " + window.history.previous.href);
Is there something like that? Or should I just store it in a cookie? I only need to know so I can do transitions from the previous URL to the current URL without anchors and all that.
document.referrer
in many cases will get you the URL of the last page the user visited, if they got to the current page by clicking a link (versus typing directly into the address bar, or I believe in some cases, by submitting a form?). Specified by DOM Level 2. More here.
window.history allows navigation, but not access to URLs in the session for security and privacy reasons. If more detailed URL history was available, then every site you visit could see all the other sites you'd been to.
If you're dealing with state moving around your own site, then it's possibly less fragile and certainly more useful to use one of the normal session management techniques: cookie data, URL params, or server side session info.
If you want to go to the previous page without knowing the url, you could use the new History api.
history.back(); //Go to the previous page
history.forward(); //Go to the next page in the stack
history.go(index); //Where index could be 1, -1, 56, etc.
But you can't manipulate the content of the history stack on browser that doesn't support the HTML5 History API
For more information see the doc
If you are writing a web app or single page application (SPA) where routing takes place in the app/browser rather than a round-trip to the server, you can do the following:
window.history.pushState({ prevUrl: window.location.href }, null, "/new/path/in/your/app")
Then, in your new route, you can do the following to retrieve the previous URL:
window.history.state.prevUrl // your previous url
document.referrer is not the same as the actual URL in all situations.
I have an application where I need to establish a frameset with 2 frames. One frame is known, the other is the page I am linking from. It would seem that document.referrer would be ideal because you would not have to pass the actual file name to the frameset document.
However, if you later change the bottom frame page and then use history.back() it does not load the original page into the bottom frame, instead it reloads document.referrer and as a result the frameset is gone and you are back to the original starting window.
Took me a little while to understand this. So in the history array, document.referrer is not only a URL, it is apparently the referrer window specification as well. At least, that is the best way I can understand it at this time.
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write(document.referrer);
</script>
document.referrer serves your purpose, but it doesn't work for Internet Explorer versions earlier than IE9.
It will work for other popular browsers, like Chrome, Mozilla, Opera, Safari etc.
If anyone is coming from React-world, I ended up solving my use-case using a combination of history-library, useEffect and localStorage
When user selects new project:
function selectProject(customer_id: string, project_id: string){
const projectUrl = `/customer/${customer_id}/project/${project_id}`
localStorage.setItem("selected-project", projectUrl)
history.push(projectUrl)
}
When user comes back from another website. If there's something in localStorage, send him there.
useEffect(() => {
const projectUrl = localStorage.getItem("selected-project")
if (projectUrl) {
history.push(projectUrl)
}
}, [history])
When user has exited a project, empty localStorage
const selectProject = () => {
localStorage.removeItem("selected-project")
history.push("/")
}
I had the same issue on a SPA Single Page App, the easiest way I solved this issue was with local storage as follows:
I stored the url I needed in local storage
useEffect(() => {
const pathname = window.location.href; //this gives me current Url
localstorage.setItem('pageUrl',JSON.stringify(pathname))
}, []);
On the next screen (or few screens later) I fetched the url can replaced it as follows
useEffect(() => {
const pathname = localstorage.getItem('pageUrl');
return pathname ? JSON.parse(pathname) : ''
window.location.href = pathname; //this takes prevUrl from local storage and sets it
}, []);
Those of you using Node.js and Express can set a session cookie that will remember the current page URL, thus allowing you to check the referrer on the next page load. Here's an example that uses the express-session middleware:
//Add me after the express-session middleware
app.use((req, res, next) => {
req.session.referrer = req.protocol + '://' + req.get('host') + req.originalUrl;
next();
});
You can then check for the existance of a referrer cookie like so:
if ( req.session.referrer ) console.log(req.session.referrer);
Do not assume that a referrer cookie always exists with this method as it will not be available on instances where the previous URL was another website, the session was cleaned or was just created (first-time website load).
Wokaround that work even if document.referrer is empty:
let previousUrl = null;
if(document.referrer){
previousUrl = document.referrer;
sessionStorage.setItem("isTrickApplied",false);
}else{
let isTrickApplied= sessionStorage.getItem("isTrickApplied");
if(isTrickApplied){
previousUrl = sessionStorage.getItem("prev");
sessionStorage.setItem("isTrickApplied",false);
}else{
history.back(); //Go to the previous page
sessionStorage.setItem("prev",window.location.href);
sessionStorage.setItem("isTrickApplied",true);
history.forward(); //Go to the next page in the stack
}
}
I want my website page to reload once when it has already opened for the first time. I wrote this function in my javascript file for that...
var i;
$(document).ready(function(){
for ( i=0;i<1;i++){
if(i===0){
location.reload();
break;
}
}
});
But the page keeps reloading again and again as if the above function was a recursive one.
How do I do this?
P.S I'm doing it because of this issue.
<script type='text/javascript'>
(function() {
if( window.localStorage ) {
if( !localStorage.getItem('firstLoad') ) {
localStorage['firstLoad'] = true;
window.location.reload();
} else
localStorage.removeItem('firstLoad');
}
})();
</script>
Here is what's happening:
The page loads for the first time, jQuery calls any handlers on the document.ready event
The page reloads
The document.ready call is made again
repeat
Out of curiosity, why would you want to do that? And why do you have a for loop that will run for one iteration?
Also, to answer your question as far as I know the only way to make sure the page doesn't reload is use a cookie that lasts for about 5 seconds. Then, on document.ready check for that cookie and if it exists then don't reload.
You must either set a cookie (or use javascript's localStorage), or use xhr to retrieve a value held on a remote server.
If you want to use cookies, it's as simple as
document.cookie = "username=John Doe";
where the document.cookie is a query string of the form (x=y;a=b;n=z)
If you want the page to reload every time the user vists, be sure to unset the cookie once you've done any necessary processing when a page reload has been set.
$( window ).load(function() {
if (window.location.href.indexOf('reload')==-1) {
window.location.replace(window.location.href+'?reload');
}
});
Code is ok. But if the page is opened from another page with a link to an id (.../page.html#aa) the code only works with firefox. With other browsers reload the page without going to id. (Sorry for my english).
I found the solution with this code. It is assumed that the page is refreshed no earlier than one hour. Otherwise, add minutes to the oggindex variable.
<script>
var pagina = window.location.href;
var d = new Date();
var oggiindex = d.getMonth().toString()+'-'+d.getDate().toString()+'-'+d.getHours().toString();
if (localStorage.ieriindex != oggiindex)
{
localStorage.setItem("ieriindex", oggiindex);
window.location.replace(pagina);
}
</script>
Yours code executed each time $(document).ready(), so it's not surprise that your loop is infinity - each load finished as ready state.
If you give more detailed requirements we can solve it with no using window object as data holder. It's bad way but you can set it for test.
Window object stores variables not depend on reload because it's higher then document.
Let's try:
if( window.firstLoad == undefined ){
// yours code without any loop
// plus:
window.firstLoad = false;
}
You can make it with localStorage API.
Check this link also, it's giving more information about window object variables:
Storing a variable in the JavaScript 'window' object is a proper way to use that object?
Why does local storage not work?
I have recently decided on a small website I am working on that I want to try having switchable themes. I want the themes to persist past the session and I am not at the point of logins yet, so I am looking in to local storage.
The console log here confirms the function is being run, but no storage is created for the page.
var main = function() {
$('#theme1').click (function () {
localStorage.setItem("theme", "1");
console.log("click");
});
}
$(document).ready(main);
I have also tried localStorage.theme = "1"; to no avail.
I am on the latest Chrome, but despite it being obvious that html 5 is supported I have checked on the w3 website w3schools.com/html5_webstorage and running the code through their "Try it Yourself" system works.
Please refer the image for check/verify the localstorage works or not. also u wrote code for click event... click that even and then see in console. one more thing in console log
var main = function() {
$('#theme1').click (function () {
localStorage.setItem("theme", "1");
console.log(localStorage.getItem('theme'));
});
}
$(document).ready(main);
vote if u like...
Reading local storage on loading the page has worked.
I used the developer window console to run localStorage.theme = "1" as per Dan Prince's comment, and it looked like it was not working for a simple reason. You have to leave the local storage view and go back in to see changes, it does not refresh.
How I was viewing the local storage initially is clicking the icon to the left of the address in the address bar which shows cookies, local storage and connection information. This does instantly update and persist with local storage set from w3schools.org but does not read the local storage from my page for some reason.
I have a JQUERY function as follows
this.getURL = function()
{
var name = getName();
alert("Menu.aspx?name"+name);
//window.location = "Menu.aspx?name"+name;
}
When I alert the URL I am attempting to go to, it is correct. However, when I call window.location on that string, the page just refreshes without going anywhere.
I have similar code where I have used window.location and it works. I typed in the url into my browser and it works as well.
At worst (even if the URL was wrong), I was hoping that it would just redirect me to some URL. However, I can't get it to do anything other than refresh the current page.
Also to clarify, the page which calls this function is not Menu.aspx
Thanks in advance.
If you're using a relative path try setting window.location.pathname, otherwise set window.location.href for a full path.
You may also want to try self.location.href
In my experience, it's been difficult to get redirects like this to work right. I've had to use window.location.replace(<url>). If you're just changing an anchor tag, it's even more difficult. You have to do the following to get it to work in all browsers:
window.location.replace(<url>);
window.location=<url>;
window.open(<url>,'_self');
window.location.reload();
My Case: localStorage with key + value that should be deleted when browser is closed and not single tab.
Please see my code if its proper and what can be improved:
//create localStorage key + value if not exist
if (localStorage) {
localStorage.myPageDataArr = {
"name" => "Dan",
"lastname" => "Bonny"
};
}
//when browser closed - psedocode
$(window).unload(function() {
localStorage.myPageDataArr = undefined;
});
should be done like that and not with delete operator:
localStorage.removeItem(key);
Use with window global keyword:-
window.localStorage.removeItem('keyName');
You should use the sessionStorage instead if you want the key to be deleted when the browser close.
You can make use of the beforeunload event in JavaScript.
Using vanilla JavaScript you could do something like:
window.onbeforeunload = function() {
localStorage.removeItem(key);
return '';
};
That will delete the key before the browser window/tab is closed and prompts you to confirm the close window/tab action. I hope that solves your problem.
NOTE: The onbeforeunload method should return a string.
localStorage.removeItem(key); //item
localStorage.clear(); //all items
There is a very specific use case in which any suggestion to use sessionStorage instead of localStorage does not really help.
The use-case would be something as simple as having something stored while you have at least one tab opened, but invalidate it if you close the last tab remaining.
If you need your values to be saved cross-tab and window, sessionStorage does not help you unless you complicate your life with listeners, like I have tried.
In the meantime localStorage would be perfect for this, but it does the job 'too well', since your data will be waiting there even after a restart of the browser.
I ended up using a custom code and logic that takes advantage of both.
I'd rather explain then give code. First store what you need to in localStorage, then also in localStorage create a counter that will contain the number of tabs that you have opened.
This will be increased every time the page loads and decreased every time the page unloads. You can have your pick here of the events to use, I'd suggest 'load' and 'unload'.
At the time you unload, you need to do the cleanup tasks that you'd like to when the counter reaches 0, meaning you're closing the last tab.
Here comes the tricky part: I haven't found a reliable and generic way to tell the difference between a page reload or navigation inside the page and the closing of the tab.
So If the data you store is not something that you can rebuild on load after checking that this is your first tab, then you cannot remove it at every refresh.
Instead you need to store a flag in sessionStorage at every load before increasing the tab counter.
Before storing this value, you can make a check to see if it already has a value and if it doesn't,
this means you're loading into this session for the first time, meaning that you can do the cleanup at load if this value is not set and the counter is 0.
use sessionStorage
The sessionStorage object is equal to the localStorage object, except that it stores the data for only one session. The data is deleted when the user closes the browser window.
The following example counts the number of times a user has clicked a button, in the current session:
Example
if (sessionStorage.clickcount) {
sessionStorage.clickcount = Number(sessionStorage.clickcount) + 1;
} else {
sessionStorage.clickcount = 1;
}
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "You have clicked the button " +
sessionStorage.clickcount + " time(s) in this session.";
Try using
$(window).unload(function(){
localStorage.clear();
});
Hope this works for you
There are five methods to choose from:
setItem(): Add key and value to localStorage
getItem(): Retrieve a value by the key from localStorage
removeItem(): Remove an item by key from localStorage
clear(): Clear all localStorage
key(): Passed a number to retrieve nth key of a localStorage
You can use clear(), this method when invoked clears the entire storage of all records for that domain. It does not receive any parameters.
window.localStorage.clear();
for (let i = 0; i < localStorage.length; i++) {
if (localStorage.key(i).indexOf('the-name-to-delete') > -1) {
arr.push(localStorage.key(i));
}
}
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
localStorage.removeItem(arr[i]);
}
8.5 years in and the original question was never actually answered.
when browser is closed and not single tab.
This basic code snippet will give you the best of both worlds. Storage that persists only as long as the browser session (like sessionStorage), but is also shareable between tabs (localStorage).
It does this purely through localStorage.
function cleanup(){
// place whatever cleanup logic you want here, for example:
// window.localStorage.removeItem('my-item')
}
function tabOpened(){
const tabs = JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem('tabs'))
if (tabs === null) {
window.localStorage.setItem('tabs', 1)
} else {
window.localStorage.setItem('tabs', ++tabs)
}
}
function tabClosed(){
const tabs = JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem('tabs'))
if (tabs === 1) {
// last tab closed, perform cleanup.
window.localStorage.removeItem('tabs')
cleanup()
} else {
window.localStorage.setItem('tabs', --tabs)
}
}
window.onload = function () {
tabOpened();
}
window.onbeforeunload = function () {
tabClosed();
}
why not used sessionStorage?
"The sessionStorage object is equal to the localStorage object, except that it stores the data for only one session. The data is deleted when the user closes the browser window."
http://www.w3schools.com/html/html5_webstorage.asp
Although, some users already answered this question already, I am giving an example of application settings to solve this problem.
I had the same issue. I am using https://github.com/grevory/angular-local-storage module in my angularjs application. If you configure your app as follows, it will save variable in session storage instead of local storage. Therefore, if you close the browser or close the tab, session storage will be removed automatically. You do not need to do anything.
app.config(function (localStorageServiceProvider) {
localStorageServiceProvider
.setPrefix('myApp')
.setStorageType('sessionStorage')
});
Hope it will help.
Here's a simple test to see if you have browser support when working with local storage:
if(typeof(Storage)!=="undefined") {
console.log("localStorage and sessionStorage support!");
console.log("About to save:");
console.log(localStorage);
localStorage["somekey"] = 'hello';
console.log("Key saved:");
console.log(localStorage);
localStorage.removeItem("somekey"); //<--- key deleted here
console.log("key deleted:");
console.log(localStorage);
console.log("DONE ===");
} else {
console.log("Sorry! No web storage support..");
}
It worked for me as expected (I use Google Chrome).
Adapted from: http://www.w3schools.com/html/html5_webstorage.asp.
I don't think the solution presented here is 100% correct because window.onbeforeunload event is called not only when browser/Tab is closed(WHICH IS REQUIRED), but also on all other several events. (WHICH MIGHT NOT BE REQUIRED)
See this link for more information on list of events that can fire window.onbeforeunload:-
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536907(VS.85).aspx
After looking at this question 6 years after it was asked, I found that there still is no sufficient answer to this question; which should achieve all of the following:
Clear Local Storage after closing the browser (or all tabs of the domain)
Preserve Local Storage across tabs, if at least one tab remains active
Preserve Local Storage when reloading a single tab
Execute this piece of javascript at the start of each page load in order to achieve the above:
((nm,tm) => {
const
l = localStorage,
s = sessionStorage,
tabid = s.getItem(tm) || (newid => s.setItem(tm, newid) || newid)((Math.random() * 1e8).toFixed()),
update = set => {
let cur = JSON.parse(l.getItem(nm) || '{}');
if (set && typeof cur[tabid] == 'undefined' && !Object.values(cur).reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0)) {
l.clear();
cur = {};
}
cur[tabid] = set;
l.setItem(nm, JSON.stringify(cur));
};
update(1);
window.onbeforeunload = () => update(0);
})('tabs','tabid');
Edit: The basic idea here is the following:
When starting from scratch, the session storage is assigned a random id in a key called tabid
The local storage is then set with a key called tabs containing a object those key tabid is set to 1.
When the tab is unloaded, the local storage's tabs is updated to an object containing tabid set to 0.
If the tab is reloaded, it's first unloaded, and resumed. Since the session storage's key tabid exists, and so does the local storage tabs key with a sub-key of tabid the local storage is not cleared.
When the browser is unloaded, all session storage will be cleared. When resuming the session storage tabid won't exists anymore and a new tabid will be generated. Since the local storage does not have a sub-key for this tabid, nor any other tabid (all session were closed), it's cleared.
Upon a new created tab, a new tabid is generated in session storage, but since at least one tabs[tabid] exists, the local storage is not cleared
This will do the trick for objects.
localStorage.removeItem('key');
Or
localStorage.setItem('key', 0 );
You can simply use sessionStorage. Because sessionStorage allow to clear all key value when browser window will be closed .
See there : SessionStorage- MDN
This is an old question, but it seems none of the answer above are perfect.
In the case you want to store authentication or any sensitive information that are destructed only when the browser is closed, you can rely on sessionStorage and localStorage for cross-tab message passing.
Basically, the idea is:
You bootstrap from no previous tab opened, thus both your localStorage and sessionStorage are empty (if not, you can clear the localStorage). You'll have to register a message event listener on the localStorage.
The user authenticate/create a sensitive info on this tab (or any other tab opened on your domain).
You update the sessionStorage to store the sensitive information, and use the localStorage to store this information, then delete it (you don't care about timing here, since the event was queued when the data changed). Any other tab opened at that time will be called back on the message event, and will update their sessionStorage with the sensitive information.
If the user open a new tab on your domain, its sessionStorage will be empty. The code will have to set a key in the localStorage (for exemple: req). Any(all) other tab will be called back in the message event, see that key, and can answer with the sensitive information from their sessionStorage (like in 3), if they have such.
Please notice that this scheme does not depend on window.onbeforeunload event which is fragile (since the browser can be closed/crashed without these events being fired). Also, the time the sensitive information is stored on the localStorage is very small (since you rely on transcients change detection for cross tab message event) so it's unlikely that such sensitive information leaks on the user's hard drive.
Here's a demo of this concept: http://jsfiddle.net/oypdwxz7/2/
There are no such the way to detect browser close so probably you can't delete localStorage on browser close but there are another way to handle the things you can uses sessionCookies as it will destroy after browser close.This is I implemented in my project.
if(localStorage.getItem("visit") === null) {
localStorage.setItem('visit', window.location.hostname);
console.log(localStorage.getItem('visit'));
}
else if(localStorage.getItem('visit') == 'localhost'){
console.log(localStorage.getItem('visit'));
}
else {
console.log(localStorage.getItem('visit'));
}
$(document).ready(function(){
$("#clickme").click(function(){
localStorage.setItem('visit', '0');
});
});
window.localStorage.removeItem('visit');
window.addEventListener('beforeunload', (event) => {
localStorage.setItem("new_qus_id", $('.responseId').attr('id'));
var new_qus_no = localStorage.getItem('new_qus_id');
console.log(new_qus_no);
});
if (localStorage.getItem('new_qus_id') != '') {
var question_id = localStorage.getItem('new_qus_id');
} else {
var question_id = "<?php echo $question_id ; ?>";
}
you can try following code to delete local storage:
delete localStorage.myPageDataArr;