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How do i use HTML5 history api. I did go through the https://developer.mozilla.org/en/DOM/Manipulating_the_browser_history. That confused me. All that i want is to change the url on ajax calls so that when user hits the back button he gets the previous state.

Also i wnat to know of any pit falls of this . When to use and when not to use. How best to use with jquery

Josh Lee
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aWebDeveloper
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2 Answers2

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Here are the best resources which I've come across (including the one you already mentioned, and a working code example):

In regards to pitfalls give the "Intelligent State Handling" link a good read. In regards to backwards compatibility there is History.js which fixes the browsers bugs and provides an optional HTML4 hash fallback.

µBio
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balupton
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I think the free online book Dive into HTML5 is generally an excellent source for a description of the new features of HTLM5. It has a chapter about the new history element, Manipulating History for Fun & Profit.

The executive summary is that it is not just a online-liner to make this work correctly. When you fake loading a new page using AJAX you also have to fake loading the previous page when the user clicks on the back button.

µBio
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Jan Aagaard
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