Thanks to several frameworks like Angular, creating SPAs is now feasible. Since it lets users move between several views without refreshing the whole page, the Routing function in Angular is regarded as one of the better ones. This article will help you to apply routes and navigation in your Angular application. This information will surely be useful whether your project requires Angular developers or you presently use an Angular development business.
What is Routing in Angular?
Using Angular routing allows you to link several URLs to several components. This clarifies your application’s transitions. It also lets users develop Single Page Applications (SPAs), wherein they may engage with the program without having to reload the page. Anyone desiring to use an AngularJS developer to create advanced web apps or study AngularJS web development should know how to apply Angular routing.
Setting Up Angular Routing
Make sure Angular is installed already and a project is generated before beginning. The command creates a fresh Angular application right away.
ng new angular-routing-demo
cd angular-routing-demo
Now that your app is created, use these steps to configure the routing.
1. Installing Angular Router
Although Angular’s router comes prepackaged, you will need to import it. To begin, you should install @angular/router:
npm install @angular/router@latest
Navigate to app.module.ts after that and include the recently created RouterModule and Routes from @angular/router:
import { NgModule } from ‘@angular/core’;
import { BrowserModule } from ‘@angular/platform-browser’;
import { RouterModule, Routes } from ‘@angular/router’;
import { AppComponent } from ‘./app.component’;
@NgModule({
declarations: [AppComponent],
imports: [BrowserModule, RouterModule.forRoot([])],
providers: [],
bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule {}
2. Setting Up Routes
Mapping a URL to a component defines a route in Angular. Let’s create two simple components: Home and About.
To create the components, run the following commands in the terminal:
ng generate component home
ng generate component about
You now have to map your paths in app.module.ts.
import { HomeComponent } from ‘./home/home.component’;
import { AboutComponent } from ‘./about/about.component’;
const appRoutes: Routes = [
{path: ”, component: HomeComponent},
{path: ‘about’, component: AboutComponent }
];
Lastly, you have to modify the imports and use the RouterModule for import, which contains appRoutes as follows:
imports: [BrowserModule, RouterModule.forRoot(appRoutes)]
3. Incorporating RouterOutlet
The routed components will be located where the RouterOutlet directive is placed. Insert the following into your app.component.html file:
<div>
<nav>
<a routerLink=”/”>Home</a>
<a routerLink=”/about”>About</a>
</nav>
<router-outlet></router-outlet>
</div>
Navigation between routes is made possible by the routerLink directive.
4. Automating Navigation
There might be instances when you will need to navigate to routes using your code. This is helpful when you want to perform navigation after an event takes place, like after a form submission.
Add the Router service to your component, then call its method to navigate():
import { Router } from ‘@angular/router’;
constructor(private rou: Router) {}
navigateToAbout() {
this.rou.navigate([‘/about’]);
}
5. Dealing with Route Parameters
In Angular, one may transmit parameters from one path to another. Suppose you want a user profile page that gets the user ID via URL. Change the route this way:
{ path: ‘profile/:id’, component: ProfileComponent }
In your component, the parameter can be extracted with ActivatedRoute.
import { ActivatedRoute } from ‘@angular/router’;
constructor(private route: ActivatedRoute) {}
ngOnInit() {
let userId = this.route.snapshot.paramMap.get(‘id’);
console.log(‘User ID: ‘, userId);
}
6. Moving User’s Routes
In case you want to redirect a user from the page, the redirectTo property can be used:
{ path: ”, redirectTo: ‘/home’, pathMatch: ‘full’ }
As a result, this guarantees that when users try to access the root URL, they will be automatically redirected to /home.
Optimal Strategies for Angular Routing
Some of these pointers might help improve your routing:
1. Lazy Loading
If your application is of a large scale, lazy loading modules might be a great option. This will improve performance by helping to load modules required at a given location.
Load Children: () => import(’./about/about.module’). Path: ‘about’.then(m => m. AboutModule) }
{ path: ‘about’, loadChildren: () => import(’./about/about.module‘).then(m => m.AboutModule) }
2. Route Guards
Guard your routes with route guards for better access management. An example would be preventing users without proper authorization from accessing some pages.
{ profile’, component: ProfileComponent, canActivate: [AuthGuard] }
3. Error Handling
Proactively protect invalid routes by configuring their error-handling logic. In this scenario, we can use a custom component such as Page Not Found.
{ path: ‘**’, component: NotFoundComponent }
With this configuration, all undefined routes will be intercepted by the NotFoundComponent – this ensures that no matter what’s input, a NotFoundComponent is always displayed.
Mobile Navigation Considerations
You must make sure that your routing works on mobile devices as well. Mobile UI designers ensure that your navigation is touch-responsive while providing a user-friendly experience.
1. Responsive Design
Make sure that your routing system is usable from devices with all screen sizes available. This also includes mobile-friendly navigation systems that adapt to the user’s device.
2. Hamburger Menu
A hamburger menu is a popular UI element on mobile devices that makes it easier to store menus in a compact space.
Final Summary Thoughts: Getting Grasp on Angular Routing
Building applications that have automation and sophisticated interfaces requires you to learn how to implement routing and navigation within Angular. This is important not just with an Angular application development company, but even when building your application independently, as having knowledge of routing guarantees ease of navigation for users.
For features such as lazy loading, route guards, or error handling, using AngularJS web development services or hiring dedicated Angular developers will undoubtedly enhance the performance of your application. With a solid routing foundation, you are empowered to create robust, maintainable applications that meet user expectations.