Create a Multi-Page Application with React Router, Implementing Navigation and Route Management (Lab Topic)

Overview

In this lab topic, you will create a multi-page application using React Router, implementing navigation and route management. You will learn how to use React Router to create routes, navigate between routes, and manage route parameters. This topic builds upon the previous topics on React Router, covering the essential concepts and techniques for building a robust and scalable single-page application (SPA).

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with React Router and its concepts
• Understanding of React components and state management
• Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Step 1: Setting up the Application

Create a new React application using Create React App:

npx create-react-app my-app

Replace my-app with the name of your application.

Step 2: Installing React Router

Install React Router using npm:

npm install react-router-dom

Step 3: Creating Routes

Create a new file called Routes.js in the src directory:

// src/Routes.js
import { BrowserRouter, Route, Switch } from 'react-router-dom';
import Home from './Home';
import About from './About';
import Contact from './Contact';

function App() {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <Switch>
        <Route path="/" exact component={Home} />
        <Route path="/about" component={About} />
        <Route path="/contact" component={Contact} />
      </Switch>
    </BrowserRouter>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example, we define three routes: /, /about, and /contact. The Switch component ensures that only one route is rendered at a time.

Step 4: Creating Components

Create three new files called Home.js, About.js, and Contact.js in the src directory:

// src/Home.js
import React from 'react';

const Home = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <p>This is a sample home page.</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Home;

// src/About.js
import React from 'react';

const About = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>About Us</h1>
      <p>This is a sample about page.</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default About;

// src/Contact.js
import React from 'react';

const Contact = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Get in Touch</h1>
      <p>This is a sample contact page.</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Contact;

Step 5: Implementing Navigation

Update the App.js file to include a navigation bar:

// src/App.js
import React from 'react';
import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
import Routes from './Routes';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <nav>
        <ul>
          <li>
            <Link to="/">Home</Link>
          </li>
          <li>
            <Link to="/about">About</Link>
          </li>
          <li>
            <Link to="/contact">Contact</Link>
          </li>
        </ul>
      </nav>
      <Routes />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example, we use the Link component from react-router-dom to create links between routes.

Step 6: Testing the Application

Start the application using npm start and navigate to different routes using the navigation bar. Verify that each route is rendered correctly.

Key Concepts

• Using React Router to create routes and manage navigation
• Understanding the Switch component for rendering multiple routes
• Creating and linking components using Link from react-router-dom
• Using BrowserRouter for client-side routing

Practical Takeaways

• Use react-router-dom for client-side routing and navigation
• Use BrowserRouter for creating routes and managing navigation
• Create separate components for each route and link them using Link from react-router-dom
• Use Switch to ensure that only one route is rendered at a time

Additional Resources

• React Router documentation: <https://reactrouter.com/&gt;
• React Router API documentation: <https://reactrouter.com/api&gt;

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Note: This is just a sample course material and may need to be adapted to fit the specific needs and requirements of your course.