Understanding the Link Component Issue in React Router v6.3 Form Submission

Learn why the ` Link ` component is not functioning properly during form submission in ReactJS v18 and how to resolve it with effective solutions.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/73488378/ asked by the user 'Common Man' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/6374612/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73492252/ provided by the user 'Drew Reese' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8690857/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Why is <Link> Not Working in Form Submission in ReactJS v18 and React Router DOM v6.3?

When building applications using ReactJS and React Router DOM, developers often encounter issues related to navigation and form submissions. One common problem arises when trying to use the <Link> component within a form. You might be wondering: Why does the <Link> not trigger form submission events? This guide will explore this issue in depth and provide you with clear solutions to resolve it.

Understanding the Problem

If you're using React Router's <Link> component around a button in a form, you may notice that when clicking the button, the form's submission event isn't fired. Instead of carrying out the desired action (such as adding or updating a contact), the navigation occurs, stopping any further processing before your form handler can execute. This is caused by the event propagation from the button click leading the <Link> component to handle the navigation immediately.

Symptoms of the Issue:

Clicking the button navigates to the specified path immediately without executing the form’s onSubmit handler.

Commenting out the <Link> component allows the form's event handler to execute as expected.

Solutions to Resolve the Issue

Let's explore two effective approaches to resolve this issue so that both your form submission and navigation can work seamlessly together.

1. Using stopPropagation on the Button Click Event

The first solution involves adding an onClick event handler to the button that will call stopPropagation to prevent the event from bubbling up to the <Link> component.

Example Implementation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This prevents the click event from triggering the navigation, allowing the form submission to complete.

2. Using preventDefault on the Link Click Event

Another way to tackle this issue is to prevent the default action of the <Link> component by adding an onClick handler to it. This will prevent immediate navigation and allow the form’s submission logic to run first.

Example Implementation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this case, after the form handler runs, you can use the useNavigate hook from React Router to programmatically navigate to the desired path.

Example of Using useNavigate

If you decide to use the navigation programmatically post form submission, here’s an example of how it works within your component:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Using the <Link> component within form submissions can lead to unexpected behavior in your React application. Understanding how event propagation works, and how to use stopPropagation and preventDefault effectively will allow you to fix these issues. By following the solutions provided in this guide, you can ensure both your forms and navigation work as desired.

This not only enhances the user experience but also maintains the logic of your application effectively. Happy coding!

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