Angular sidebar routing Archives

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Let me paint a picture: I’m driving a campervan on a cross-country road trip. The main highway is my primary route, and it gets me from city to city—just like a primary route in Angular gets me from one main component to another. But here’s the thing: I’ve got a trusty sidecar attached to my campervan, loaded with extra gear and snacks. This sidecar is my auxiliary route.

Here’s why it matters. While my main highway handles the big travel plans, sometimes I need to pull over and grab a snack or check a map without disrupting the main flow of my trip. Similarly, in Angular, auxiliary routes let me load additional content alongside the main route—think of showing a side menu, a chat window, or notifications—without interfering with the primary component.

So, when I roll into a campsite (a page in Angular), I park my campervan in the main lot (the primary route). My sidecar, however, slides into a little nook off to the side (the auxiliary outlet). It’s separate but connected, always ready to serve its purpose.

Thanks to auxiliary routes, my road trip—and my app—stays flexible and organized. I can focus on the main adventure while keeping the extras handy. Isn’t that neat?

Part 2: Auxiliary Routes in Angular – The Code Behind the Campervan

Let’s bring the campervan and sidecar analogy into the world of Angular. Imagine we’re building a travel app, and we want the main page to show trip details (our campervan on the main highway) while also displaying a side menu for additional tools (our trusty sidecar).

In Angular, auxiliary routes make this possible. Here’s how we set it up.

1. Define the Routes

const routes: Routes = [
  {
    path: 'trip',
    component: TripDetailsComponent, // Main route
  },
  {
    path: 'trip(sidebar:tools)',
    component: ToolsSidebarComponent, // Auxiliary route
    outlet: 'sidebar', // Define this as the 'sidecar'
  },
];

Here, TripDetailsComponent is the campervan traveling on the main highway (path: 'trip'). Meanwhile, ToolsSidebarComponent is the sidecar, defined using an auxiliary route with an outlet name, sidebar.

2. Set Up the Auxiliary Outlet

In your HTML, you’ll need to create a dedicated space for the sidecar to park:

<router-outlet></router-outlet> <!-- Main highway -->
<router-outlet name="sidebar"></router-outlet> <!-- Sidecar -->

The unnamed <router-outlet> is for primary routes, while the name="sidebar" outlet is specifically for auxiliary routes.

3. Navigate to an Auxiliary Route

To activate the sidecar, we need to tell Angular to use both the main route and the auxiliary route simultaneously:

this.router.navigate([
  { outlets: { primary: ['trip'], sidebar: ['tools'] } }
]);

Here, primary refers to the main highway, and sidebar points to the sidecar. This allows both the trip details and the tools menu to appear side by side.

Key Takeaways

Auxiliary Routes let you display additional content (like a side menu or chat window) alongside the primary content without disrupting the main workflow.
Named Outlets are like designated parking spots for auxiliary routes. Use them to define where the auxiliary components should appear in your app.
Router Navigation combines primary and auxiliary routes seamlessly, keeping your app organized and flexible.

Final Thoughts

Auxiliary routes are a powerful tool for building Angular applications that feel dynamic and user-friendly. They keep the main focus on the core functionality (your campervan’s highway journey) while allowing secondary features (your sidecar) to shine without interruption.

Tag: Angular sidebar routing

What Are Auxiliary Routes in Angular and How Do They Work?