Why is replaceState() more appropriate than pushState() in the 'Load More' button handler?
// Initial load
let currentPage = 1;
loadProducts(currentPage);
// User clicks "Load More"
document.getElementById('loadMore').addEventListener('click', function() {
currentPage++;
loadProducts(currentPage);
// Update URL to reflect current page
const url = new URL(window.location);
url.searchParams.set('page', currentPage);
history.replaceState({page: currentPage}, '', url);
});
// On page load, check for page parameter
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
const url = new URL(window.location);
const pageParam = url.searchParams.get('page');
if (pageParam) {
currentPage = parseInt(pageParam, 10);
loadProducts(currentPage);
}
});
replaceState() is more appropriate for pagination because: 1) Pagination changes (loading more items) typically don't represent distinct application states that users would navigate back through individually, 2) Using pushState() would create a new history entry for each 'Load More' click, cluttering the browser history, 3) This would require many back button clicks to navigate to previous pages, creating a poor user experience, 4) replaceState() updates the URL to be shareable and bookmarkable without affecting navigation history, 5) It allows users to refresh the page and maintain their pagination position, 6) It preserves a clean browser history focused on significant navigation points rather than incremental data loading, 7) This approach properly balances URL updateability with sensible history management, 8) It follows the principle that history entries should represent meaningful navigation states, not minor UI interactions.