**Course Title:** Building Cross-Platform Mobile Applications with Ionic **Section Title:** Working with Ionic Components **Topic:** Implementing navigation using Ionic Router **Introduction** In mobile applications, navigation plays a crucial role in providing a seamless user experience. Ionic Router is a built-in navigation system in Ionic Framework that allows you to navigate between pages and manage the application's state. In this topic, we will explore how to implement navigation using Ionic Router and understand its key concepts. **What is Ionic Router?** Ionic Router is a client-side router that enables you to handle navigation between pages in your Ionic application. It is based on the Angular Router, but it has some unique features and configurations that are specific to Ionic. **Key Concepts** Before we dive into implementing navigation with Ionic Router, let's cover some key concepts: * **Routes**: A route is a mapping between a URL and a page in your application. Routes define the navigational structure of your application. * **Pages**: A page is a component that represents a single screen in your application. * **Navigation Stack**: The navigation stack is a data structure that keeps track of the pages in your application and their relationships. **Configuring Ionic Router** To configure Ionic Router, you need to create a routing configuration module in your application. This module defines the routes and pages in your application. Create a new file called `app-routing.module.ts` and add the following code: ```typescript import { NgModule } from '@angular/core'; import { RouterModule, Routes } from '@angular/router'; import { HomePage } from './home/home.page'; import { AboutPage } from './about/about.page'; const routes: Routes = [ { path: 'home', component: HomePage }, { path: 'about', component: AboutPage }, { path: '', redirectTo: 'home', pathMatch: 'full' } ]; @NgModule({ imports: [RouterModule.forRoot(routes)], exports: [RouterModule] }) export class AppRoutingModule {} ``` In this example, we define two routes: `home` and `about`. We also define a default route that redirects to the `home` page. **Navigating Between Pages** To navigate between pages, you can use the `NavController` component. This component provides methods for navigating between pages, such as `push`, `pop`, and `setRoot`. For example, to navigate from the `HomePage` to the `AboutPage`, you can use the following code: ```typescript import { Component } from '@angular/core'; import { NavController } from '@ionic/angular'; @Component({ selector: 'app-home', template: '<button (click)="navigateToAboutPage()">About</button>' }) export class HomePage { constructor(private navCtrl: NavController) {} navigateToAboutPage() { this.navCtrl.navigateForward('/about'); } } ``` **Parameters and Query Parameters** You can pass parameters and query parameters between pages using the `NavController` component. For example, to pass a parameter from the `HomePage` to the `AboutPage`, you can use the following code: ```typescript import { Component } from '@angular/core'; import { NavController, NavParams } from '@ionic/angular'; @Component({ selector: 'app-home', template: '<button (click)="navigateToAboutPage()">About</button>' }) export class HomePage { constructor(private navCtrl: NavController) {} navigateToAboutPage() { this.navCtrl.navigateForward('/about', { queryParams: { title: 'About Page' } }); } } import { Component } from '@angular/core'; import { NavController, NavParams } from '@ionic/angular'; @Component({ selector: 'app-about', template: '<h1>{{ title }}</h1>' }) export class AboutPage { constructor(private navCtrl: NavController, private navParams: NavParams) { console.log(navParams.get('queryParams')); } } ``` **Conclusion** Implementing navigation using Ionic Router is a straightforward process that involves configuring routes and pages, and navigating between them using the `NavController` component. By understanding key concepts such as routes, pages, and navigation stack, you can build complex navigation structures in your Ionic application. **Practical Takeaways** * Create a routing configuration module to define routes and pages in your application. * Use the `NavController` component to navigate between pages. * Pass parameters and query parameters between pages using the `NavController` component. **What's Next?** In the next topic, we will explore state management concepts in mobile apps. We will discuss how to manage the application's state using services and observable patterns. **External Links** * Ionic Router Documentation: [https://ionicframework.com/docs/angular/navigation](https://ionicframework.com/docs/angular/navigation) * Angular Router Documentation: [https://angular.io/guide/router](https://angular.io/guide/router) **Comments and Feedback** We appreciate your feedback and comments. If you have any questions or need further clarification on any of the concepts discussed in this topic, please leave a comment below.