Easily update the title of a webpage in the browser's history using JavaScript

Question

Easily update the title of a webpage in the browser's history using JavaScript

Is it feasible to use JavaScript to modify the title of a page in the browser history even after the page has finished loading? This functionality should work consistently across different browsers, including those that do not support the HTML5 History API. My main focus is on Chrome.

I have experimented with various methods, but I haven't found a reliable solution yet. The last attempt involved using history.js:

<html>
    <head>
        <title>Standard title</title>
        <script src="https://rawgit.com/browserstate/history.js/master/scripts/bundled-uncompressed/html4%2Bhtml5/native.history.js"></script>
    </head>
    <body>
        <script>
            window.setTimeout(function(){
                document.title = "My custom title";
                History.replaceState({}, "My custom title", window.location.href);
            }, 3000);
        </script>
    </body>
</html>

If I load this page in Chrome within 3 seconds of its initial load, I see the title as Standard title, but after 3 seconds, it changes to My custom title.

The reason behind this requirement is that I am working on a JavaScript-only application (Angular 1) that operates in multiple environments (dev, test, production). I want to display a title like MyApp (<environmentName>), without building separate app versions for each environment. Instead, the app retrieves environment information from the backend through AJAX and updates the page title accordingly. Although the title updates successfully, the browser history still reflects the original "standard" title.

Is there a solution to update both the displayed title and the title in the browser history simultaneously?

javascript angularjs google-chrome browser-history

Answer 1

Answer №1

Simply put: It appears that Chrome does not allow for multiple title records to be kept for the same URL.

Important Note: I came across this question with no prior knowledge on the topic. However, the clarity and intrigue compelled me to conduct an experiment:

Initially, it is evident that the history records (specifically, the page titles) displayed in the history tab may not always be accurate (due to a possible bug or caching issue).

I decided to delve into the database file containing Chrome's history using DB Browser for SQLite.

To my surprise, Chrome only retains the most recent version of the title for each URL. Upon executing

History.replaceState({}, "My custom title", window.location.href);

, the title successfully updates in the database.

However, it is worth noting that @Bekim's method did not result in a change to the title within the database.

Answer 2

Simply put: It appears that Chrome does not allow for multiple title records to be kept for the same URL.

Important Note: I came across this question with no prior knowledge on the topic. However, the clarity and intrigue compelled me to conduct an experiment:

Initially, it is evident that the history records (specifically, the page titles) displayed in the history tab may not always be accurate (due to a possible bug or caching issue).

I decided to delve into the database file containing Chrome's history using DB Browser for SQLite.

To my surprise, Chrome only retains the most recent version of the title for each URL. Upon executing

History.replaceState({}, "My custom title", window.location.href);

, the title successfully updates in the database.

However, it is worth noting that @Bekim's method did not result in a change to the title within the database.

Answer 3

Answer №2

The current issue lies in the fact that most browsers disregard the second parameter of the replaceState() function, which is the title parameter. On the other hand, the third parameter in the pushState function, namely url, is acknowledged. However, this does not seem to be functional with the replaceState method, as per my tests on Chrome and Edge.

To address this from the client side, there are a couple of potential workarounds you could consider:

history.pushState({}, "", "my-custom-appendix");
history.pushState({}, "#my-custom-appendix");

In Chrome, this will generate additional entries with titles like http://myurl/my-custom-appendix or http://myurl/#my-custom-appendix. This seems to be the closest alternative available for clients, although it results in added history entries in the browser -- each visit to your app will display the following entries in chronological order:

Standard Title

Even if the second parameter is set to a non-empty string, the URL appears as the title (as observed on my end).

For a more reliable solution, incorporating a basic server-side preprocessor like PHP may prove to be beneficial.

Answer 4

The current issue lies in the fact that most browsers disregard the second parameter of the replaceState() function, which is the title parameter. On the other hand, the third parameter in the pushState function, namely url, is acknowledged. However, this does not seem to be functional with the replaceState method, as per my tests on Chrome and Edge.

To address this from the client side, there are a couple of potential workarounds you could consider:

history.pushState({}, "", "my-custom-appendix");
history.pushState({}, "#my-custom-appendix");

In Chrome, this will generate additional entries with titles like http://myurl/my-custom-appendix or http://myurl/#my-custom-appendix. This seems to be the closest alternative available for clients, although it results in added history entries in the browser -- each visit to your app will display the following entries in chronological order:

Standard Title

Even if the second parameter is set to a non-empty string, the URL appears as the title (as observed on my end).

For a more reliable solution, incorporating a basic server-side preprocessor like PHP may prove to be beneficial.

Answer 5

Answer №3

When working with AngularJS, you can:

Implement a run method after defining the module:

.run(function ($rootScope) {

$rootScope.$on('$stateChangeSuccess', function (evt, toState) {
    window.document.title = toState.title + ' - example.com';
});

});

To customize your state, use the following code:

.state('productDetail', {

    title: 'Details of selected product',
    url: '/Detail.html',
    templateUrl: '/product-details.html',
    controller: 'ProductDetailsCtrl'

  })

.state('categoryManager',{

    title: 'Category Manager',
    url: '/category-Manager.html',
    templateUrl: 'categoryManager.html',
    controller: 'categoryManagerCtrl'
   
  });

This will dynamically update the page title based on your state.

Answer 6

When working with AngularJS, you can:

Implement a run method after defining the module:

.run(function ($rootScope) {

$rootScope.$on('$stateChangeSuccess', function (evt, toState) {
    window.document.title = toState.title + ' - example.com';
});

});

To customize your state, use the following code:

.state('productDetail', {

    title: 'Details of selected product',
    url: '/Detail.html',
    templateUrl: '/product-details.html',
    controller: 'ProductDetailsCtrl'

  })

.state('categoryManager',{

    title: 'Category Manager',
    url: '/category-Manager.html',
    templateUrl: 'categoryManager.html',
    controller: 'categoryManagerCtrl'
   
  });

This will dynamically update the page title based on your state.

Answer 7

Answer №4

That's seriously the simplest thing ever

document.title = "My Application " +environmentName;

The history will automatically update with the new document title.

In order to test it out positively, just follow these few steps.

Step 1: Copy and paste the code below into your console and run it:

name = '{ "location": ["http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12689408/how-can-jquery-window-location-hash-replace","http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12978739-is-there-a-javascript-api-to-browser-history-information-limited-to-current-dom","http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24653265/angular-browser-history-back-without-reload-previous-page"],"title" : ["Page 1", "Page 2", "Page 3"]}';

    document.title = "Starting Point";

Step 2: Copy and Paste the following code into your console and run it 3 times

nm = JSON.parse(name);
location = nm.location[0];

Step 3: Once the location has loaded, run the following code

nm = JSON.parse(name);
document.title = nm.title[0];

each time incrementing the array index as follows:

location = nm.location[1];
document.title = nm.title[1];

(the max index is 3, for example number 2)
Then click and hold the Back Button to see the latest History entries, all correctly updated in order to show the new document title.

Warning: If the script stops running after you've gone back to a certain history entry, the page title will revert back to the original hard-coded title. However, since this history control names are generated by the script on all pages, they will still display the live document titles accurately. This can be confusing when returning to the hard-coded page in history and thinking something went wrong!

Figure 1.: Final Result of the Demo Code performed in a separate / new window. https://i.stack.imgur.com/0U7CK.png

https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihmUw.png

Answer 8

That's seriously the simplest thing ever

document.title = "My Application " +environmentName;

The history will automatically update with the new document title.

In order to test it out positively, just follow these few steps.

Step 1: Copy and paste the code below into your console and run it:

name = '{ "location": ["http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12689408/how-can-jquery-window-location-hash-replace","http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12978739-is-there-a-javascript-api-to-browser-history-information-limited-to-current-dom","http://stackoverflow.com/questions/24653265/angular-browser-history-back-without-reload-previous-page"],"title" : ["Page 1", "Page 2", "Page 3"]}';

    document.title = "Starting Point";

Step 2: Copy and Paste the following code into your console and run it 3 times

nm = JSON.parse(name);
location = nm.location[0];

Step 3: Once the location has loaded, run the following code

nm = JSON.parse(name);
document.title = nm.title[0];

each time incrementing the array index as follows:

location = nm.location[1];
document.title = nm.title[1];

(the max index is 3, for example number 2)
Then click and hold the Back Button to see the latest History entries, all correctly updated in order to show the new document title.

Warning: If the script stops running after you've gone back to a certain history entry, the page title will revert back to the original hard-coded title. However, since this history control names are generated by the script on all pages, they will still display the live document titles accurately. This can be confusing when returning to the hard-coded page in history and thinking something went wrong!

Figure 1.: Final Result of the Demo Code performed in a separate / new window. https://i.stack.imgur.com/0U7CK.png

https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihmUw.png

Answer 9

Answer №5

Firefox 52. Simple:

document.title = 'CoolCmd';

For Chrome 57, a little trick is needed. This method also applies to Firefox 52 without adding unnecessary entries to the browser history.

// HACK Do not change the order of these two lines!
history.replaceState(null, '');
document.title = 'CoolCmd';

In MS Edge 14.14393, changing the document title in the history is restricted. It does not record addresses specified by history.pushState()! LOL

I have not yet tested Safari...

Answer 10

Firefox 52. Simple:

document.title = 'CoolCmd';

For Chrome 57, a little trick is needed. This method also applies to Firefox 52 without adding unnecessary entries to the browser history.

// HACK Do not change the order of these two lines!
history.replaceState(null, '');
document.title = 'CoolCmd';

In MS Edge 14.14393, changing the document title in the history is restricted. It does not record addresses specified by history.pushState()! LOL

I have not yet tested Safari...

Answer 11

Answer №6

If you want to display the correct title on a document while it is still loading, you can utilize the document.write() function. However, this method would involve making a synchronous request to the server:

<head>
  <script>
  (function () {
    // Retrieve title using a synchronous request.
    var title = "Value fetched from server";
    document.write("<title>"+ title + "</title>");
  })();
  </script>
</head>

By implementing the above snippet, the page will be displayed with the "Value fetched from server" title in the browser's history.

Answer 12

If you want to display the correct title on a document while it is still loading, you can utilize the document.write() function. However, this method would involve making a synchronous request to the server:

<head>
  <script>
  (function () {
    // Retrieve title using a synchronous request.
    var title = "Value fetched from server";
    document.write("<title>"+ title + "</title>");
  })();
  </script>
</head>

By implementing the above snippet, the page will be displayed with the "Value fetched from server" title in the browser's history.

Easily update the title of a webpage in the browser's history using JavaScript

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

Answer №6

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