Shopify Save Bar Blues: Taming the Browser Back Button

The Case of the Disappearing Save Bar: A Community Fix

Hey everyone! Ever run into a situation where your Shopify app's contextual save bar seems to have a mind of its own, especially when users hit that browser back button? It's a surprisingly common issue, and I recently saw a great discussion about it in the Shopify Community that I wanted to share some insights from. The original poster, doabledanny, was wrestling with this exact problem and it sparked some helpful responses.

The Problem: Save Bar vs. Browser History

The core issue, as doabledanny pointed out, is that the ui-save-bar, which is designed to prevent users from losing unsaved changes, sometimes fails to intercept the browser's back button. This is particularly tricky when navigating within an iframe using React Router. Here's the scenario:

1. A user navigates to a page within your Shopify app using a React Router link.
2. They make changes that trigger the ui-save-bar to appear.
3. Instead of using in-app navigation, they click the browser's back button.
4. Boom! They're taken back to the previous page, but the save bar remains stuck at the top, potentially confusing the user and losing their unsaved work.

doabledanny also mentioned that the beforeunload and popstate events, which you might think would help, don't seem to behave as expected within the iframe context. Frustrating, right?

The Solution: React Router to the Rescue

Thankfully, davemaverick chimed in with a key suggestion: leveraging React Router's own navigation tools. The idea is to use useNavigate or useHistory (depending on your React Router version) to detect when the user is trying to navigate back. Here's how you can approach it:

1. Import the necessary hooks:

   import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'; // Or useHistory from 'react-router-dom' in older versions
   

2. Get the navigation function:

   const navigate = useNavigate(); // Or const history = useHistory();
   

3. Intercept the back button: Instead of relying solely on the browser's back button, create your own "back" button or function within your component.
4. Handle navigation:

   const handleBack = () => {
     if (/* Condition to check if there are unsaved changes */) {
      // Show a confirmation dialog or message
      const c you sure you want to leave? You have unsaved changes.");
      if (confirmed) {
       navigate(-1); // Or history.goBack();
      }
     } else {
      navigate(-1); // Or history.goBack();
     }
   };
   

   Replace /* Condition to check if there are unsaved changes */ with your actual logic to determine if the user has unsaved data. This could involve checking the state of your form or comparing the current data to the initially loaded data.

Why This Works

By using React Router's navigation, you gain more control over the navigation process within your app. You can effectively intercept the user's intent to go back, check for unsaved changes, and display a warning message if necessary. This prevents the browser from blindly navigating away and leaving the save bar in a confused state.

Important Considerations

• User Experience: Make sure your confirmation message is clear and concise. You don't want to frustrate users with overly aggressive warnings.
• Accessibility: Ensure your custom back button is accessible to users with disabilities. Use appropriate ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation.
• Iframe Context: Remember that iframes can introduce complexities. Test your solution thoroughly within the iframe environment to ensure it's working as expected.

This approach, combining the community's insights with a bit of React Router magic, should give you a solid handle on managing the browser back button and preventing those pesky save bar issues. Big thanks to doabledanny for raising the question and davemaverick for providing the crucial piece of the puzzle!

It's these kinds of community discussions that really highlight the power of shared knowledge. When we all chip in and share our experiences, we can tackle even the most complex Shopify development challenges. Keep those questions coming!