'Wrapping a react-router Link in an html button

Using suggested method: This is the result: A link in the button, Code in between comment lines

I was wondering if there is a way to wrap a Link element from 'react-router' in an HTML button tag using react.

I currently have Link components to navigate pages in my app, but I would like to map that functionality to my HTML buttons.

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htmlreactjsbuttonhyperlinkrouter


Solution 1:[1]

LinkButton component - a solution for React Router v4

First, a note about many other answers to this question.

?? Nesting <button> and <a> is not valid html. ??

Any answer here which suggests nesting a html button in a React Router Link component (or vice-versa) will render in a web browser, but it is not semantic, accessible, or valid html:

<a stuff-here><button>label text</button></a>
<button><a stuff-here>label text</a></button>

?Click to validate this markup with validator.w3.org ?

This can lead to layout/styling issues as buttons are not typically placed inside links.

Using an html <button> tag with React Router <Link> component.

If you only want an html button tag…

<button>label text</button>

…then, here's the right way to get a button that works like React Router’s Link component…

Use React Router’s withRouter HOC to pass these props to your component:

  • history
  • location
  • match
  • staticContext

LinkButton component

Here’s a LinkButton component for you to copy/pasta:

// file: /components/LinkButton.jsx
import React from 'react'
import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
import { withRouter } from 'react-router'

const LinkButton = (props) => {
  const {
    history,
    location,
    match,
    staticContext,
    to,
    onClick,
    // ? filtering out props that `button` doesn’t know what to do with.
    ...rest
  } = props
  return (
    <button
      {...rest} // `children` is just another prop!
      onClick={(event) => {
        onClick && onClick(event)
        history.push(to)
      }}
    />
  )
}

LinkButton.propTypes = {
  to: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
  children: PropTypes.node.isRequired
}

export default withRouter(LinkButton)

Then import the component:

import LinkButton from '/components/LinkButton'

Use the component:

<LinkButton to='/path/to/page'>Push My Buttons!</LinkButton>

If you need an onClick method:

<LinkButton
  to='/path/to/page'
  onClick={(event) => {
    console.log('custom event here!', event)
  }}
>Push My Buttons!</LinkButton>

Update: If you're looking for another fun option made available after the above was written, check out this useRouter hook.

Solution 2:[2]

Why not just decorate link tag with the same css as a button. 

<Link 
 className="btn btn-pink"
 role="button"
 to="/"
 onClick={this.handleClick()}
> 
 Button1
</Link>

Solution 3:[3]

If you are using react-router-dom and material-ui you can use ...

import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
import Button from '@material-ui/core/Button';

<Button component={Link} to="/open-collective">
  Link
</Button>

You can read more here.

Solution 4:[4]

You can use useHistory hook since react-router v5.1.0.

The useHistory hook gives you access to the history instance that you may use to navigate.

import React from 'react'
import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom'

export default function SomeComponent() {
  const { push } = useHistory()
  ...
  <button
    type="button"
    onClick={() => push('/some-link')}
  >
    Some link
  </button>
  ...
}

NOTE: be aware that this approach answers the question but is not accessible like @ziz194 says in their comment

this is not accessible though, as the button will not be a tag and thus it doesn't have link behaviours, like opening the link in a new page. It is also not optimal for screen readers.

CONCLUSION: The better way to handle this is to use an <a> tag and style it.

Solution 5:[5]

Update for React Router version 6:

The various answers here are like a timeline of react-router's evolution ?

Using the latest hooks from react-router v6, this can now be done easily with the useNavigate hook.

import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'      

function MyLinkButton() {
  const navigate = useNavigate()
  return (
      <button onClick={() => navigate("/home")}>
        Go Home
      </button>
  );
}

Solution 6:[6]

I use Router and < Button/>. No < Link/>

<Button onClick={()=> {this.props.history.replace('/mypage')}}>
   HERE
</Button>

Solution 7:[7]

For anyone looking for a solution using React 16.8+ (hooks) and React Router 5:

You can change the route using a button with the following code:

<button onClick={() => props.history.push("path")}>

React Router provides some props to your components, including the push() function on history which works pretty much like the < Link to='path' > element.

You don't need to wrap your components with the Higher Order Component "withRouter" to get access to those props.

Solution 8:[8]

With styled components this can be easily achieved

First Design a styled button

import styled from "styled-components";
import {Link} from "react-router-dom";

const Button = styled.button`
  background: white;
  color:red;
  font-size: 1em;
  margin: 1em;
  padding: 0.25em 1em;
  border: 2px solid red;
  border-radius: 3px;
`
render(
    <Button as={Link} to="/home"> Text Goes Here </Button>
);

check styled component's home for more

Solution 9:[9]

?? No, Nesting an html button in an html a (or vice-versa) is not valid html

Solution 10:[10]

<Button component={Link} to="/dashboard" type="button">
    Click Me!
</Button>

Solution 11:[11]

Many of the solutions have focused on complicating things.

Using withRouter is a really long solution for something as simple as a button that links to somewhere else in the App.

If you are going for S.P.A. (single page application), the easiest answer I have found is to use with the button's equivalent className.

This ensures you are maintaining shared state / context without reloading your entire app as is done with 

import { NavLink } from 'react-router-dom'; // 14.6K (gzipped: 5.2 K)

// Where link.{something} is the imported data
<NavLink className={`bx--btn bx--btn--primary ${link.className}`} to={link.href} activeClassName={'active'}>
    {link.label}
</NavLink>

// Simplified version:
<NavLink className={'bx--btn bx--btn--primary'} to={'/myLocalPath'}>
    Button without using withRouter
</NavLink>

Solution 12:[12]

I recommend that you utilize the component prop on the Link component. Using this, you can have effectively any component behave as an a component from the perspective of React Rotuer. For instance, you can create your own "Button" component and then utilize this.


const MyButton = () => {
    return <button>Do something with props, etc.</button>
}

<Link to="/somewhere" component={MyButton}>Potentially pass in text here</Link>

Solution 13:[13]

Using react-router-dom and a function

In react, you can use react-router-dom by applying the useHistory call...

- Firstly

import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';

- Secondly Inside your function...write a function to handle the button click

const handleButtonClick = () => {
    history.push('/YourPageLink')
  }

- Lastly

<button onClick={handleButtonClick} className="CSS">
   Button Text
</button>

Solution 14:[14]

As I searched through answers everyone was talking about the old versions of react-router-dom, so this might be useful answer for those who want to use the hooks in functional components. As in the new version few hooks are changed and even the withRouter is not applicable you need to make a custom HOC.

we can achieve it through functional components you can use your button and then describe onClick event to trigger to the next page through useNavigate hook.

React-Router-Dom version 6

this is only possible in functional components as i am using hooks, if you want to use on class components then you can make hoc.

import {Link, useNavigate} from 'react-router-dom';
function Home() {
you can pass your state like so:  navigate('/show',{state});
const toShowInfoPage=()=>{
navigate('/show');

  }


return(
<>


 /*you can use button as well or anything 
of your choice, but remember 
you have to pass the onClick event.
    */
 <a 
onClick={()=>{toShowInfoPage()}} 
style={{textDecoration:'none',
paddingRight:'20px',
color:'#187bcd',
cursor:'pointer'}}>


</>

)



}

To access useNavigate() with a class component you must either convert to a function component, or roll your own custom withRouter Higher Order Component to inject the "route props" like the withRouter HOC from react-router-dom v5.x did.

This is just a general idea. if you want to useNavigate Here's an example custom withRouter HOC:

const withRouter = WrappedComponent => props => {
  const params = useParams();
  // etc... other react-router-dom v6 hooks

  return (
    <WrappedComponent
      {...props}
      params={params}
      // etc...
    />
  );
};

And decorate the component with the new HOC.

export default withRouter(Post);

This will inject a props for the class component.

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