How/when to use ng-click to call a route?

244
votes

Suppose you are using routes:

// bootstrap
myApp.config(['$routeProvider', '$locationProvider', function ($routeProvider, $locationProvider) {

    $routeProvider.when('/home', {
        templateUrl: 'partials/home.html',
        controller: 'HomeCtrl'
    });
    $routeProvider.when('/about', {
        templateUrl: 'partials/about.html',
        controller: 'AboutCtrl'
    });
...

And in your html, you want to navigate to the about page when a button is clicked. One way would be 

<a href="#/about">

... but it seems ng-click would be useful here too.

  1. Is that assumption correct? That ng-click be used instead of anchor?
  2. If so, how would that work? IE:

<div ng-click="/about">

8
angularjsroutesangularjs-routingangularjs-ng-clickangularjs-ng-route
possible duplicate of How do I switch views in AngularJS from a controller function? – Blazemonger
ui-sref See this answer: stackoverflow.com/a/21105057/2539811 – Vincil Bishop

8 Answers

432
votes

Routes monitor the $location service and respond to changes in URL (typically through the hash). To "activate" a route, you simply change the URL. The easiest way to do that is with anchor tags.

<a href="#/home">Go Home</a>
<a href="#/about">Go to About</a>

Nothing more complicated is needed. If, however, you must do this from code, the proper way is by using the $location service:

$scope.go = function ( path ) {
  $location.path( path );
};

Which, for example, a button could trigger:

<button ng-click="go('/home')"></button>
83
votes

Here's a great tip that nobody mentioned. In the controller that the function is within, you need to include the location provider:

app.controller('SlideController', ['$scope', '$location',function($scope, $location){ 
$scope.goNext = function (hash) { 
$location.path(hash);
 }

;]);

 <!--the code to call it from within the partial:---> <div ng-click='goNext("/page2")'>next page</div>
33
votes

Using a custom attribute (implemented with a directive) is perhaps the cleanest way. Here's my version, based on @Josh and @sean's suggestions.

angular.module('mymodule', [])

// Click to navigate
// similar to <a href="#/partial"> but hash is not required, 
// e.g. <div click-link="/partial">
.directive('clickLink', ['$location', function($location) {
    return {
        link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
            element.on('click', function() {
                scope.$apply(function() {
                    $location.path(attrs.clickLink);
                });
            });
        }
    }
}]);

It has some useful features, but I'm new to Angular so there's probably room for improvement.

4
votes

Remember that if you use ng-click for routing you will not be able to right-click the element and choose 'open in new tab' or ctrl clicking the link. I try to use ng-href when in comes to navigation. ng-click is better to use on buttons for operations or visual effects like collapse. But About I would not recommend. If you change the route you might need to change in a lot of placed in the application. Have a method returning the link. ex: About. This method you place in a utility

1
votes

I used ng-click directive to call a function, while requesting route templateUrl, to decide which <div> has to be show or hide inside route templateUrl page or for different scenarios.

AngularJS 1.6.9

Lets see an example, when in routing page, I need either the add <div> or the edit <div>, which I control using the parent controller models $scope.addProduct and $scope.editProduct boolean.

RoutingTesting.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Testing</title>
    <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script>
    <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular-route.min.js"></script>
    <script>
        var app = angular.module("MyApp", ["ngRoute"]);

        app.config(function($routeProvider){
            $routeProvider
                .when("/TestingPage", {
                    templateUrl: "TestingPage.html"
                });
        });

        app.controller("HomeController", function($scope, $location){

            $scope.init = function(){
                $scope.addProduct = false;
                $scope.editProduct = false;
            }

            $scope.productOperation = function(operationType, productId){
                $scope.addProduct = false;
                $scope.editProduct = false;

                if(operationType === "add"){
                    $scope.addProduct = true;
                    console.log("Add productOperation requested...");
                }else if(operationType === "edit"){
                    $scope.editProduct = true;
                    console.log("Edit productOperation requested : " + productId);
                }

                //*************** VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ***************
                //comment this $location.path("..."); line, when using <a> anchor tags,
                //only useful when <a> below given are commented, and using <input> controls
                $location.path("TestingPage");
            };

        });
    </script>
</head>
<body ng-app="MyApp" ng-controller="HomeController">

    <div ng-init="init()">

        <!-- Either use <a>anchor tag or input type=button -->

        <!--<a href="#!TestingPage" ng-click="productOperation('add', -1)">Add Product</a>-->
        <!--<br><br>-->
        <!--<a href="#!TestingPage" ng-click="productOperation('edit', 10)">Edit Product</a>-->

        <input type="button" ng-click="productOperation('add', -1)" value="Add Product"/>
        <br><br>
        <input type="button" ng-click="productOperation('edit', 10)" value="Edit Product"/>
        <pre>addProduct : {{addProduct}}</pre>
        <pre>editProduct : {{editProduct}}</pre>
        <ng-view></ng-view>

    </div>

</body>
</html>

TestingPage.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Title</title>
    <style>
        .productOperation{
            position:fixed;
            top: 50%;
            left: 50%;
            width:30em;
            height:18em;
            margin-left: -15em; /*set to a negative number 1/2 of your width*/
            margin-top: -9em; /*set to a negative number 1/2 of your height*/
            border: 1px solid #ccc;
            background: yellow;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>

<div class="productOperation" >

    <div ng-show="addProduct">
        <h2 >Add Product enabled</h2>
    </div>

    <div ng-show="editProduct">
        <h2>Edit Product enabled</h2>
    </div>

</div>

</body>
</html>

both pages - RoutingTesting.html(parent), TestingPage.html(routing page) are in the same directory,

Hope this will help someone.

1
votes

Another solution but without using ng-click which still works even for other tags than <a>:

<tr [routerLink]="['/about']">

This way you can also pass parameters to your route: https://stackoverflow.com/a/40045556/838494

(This is my first day with angular. Gentle feedback is welcome)

0
votes

You can use:

<a ng-href="#/about">About</a>

If you want some dynamic variable inside href you can do like this way:

<a ng-href="{{link + 123}}">Link to 123</a>

Where link is Angular scope variable.

0
votes

just do it as follows in your html write:

<button ng-click="going()">goto</button>

And in your controller, add $state as follows: 

.controller('homeCTRL', function($scope, **$state**) {

$scope.going = function(){

$state.go('your route');

}

})