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How do I get the previous page with javascript on phonegap?

I want to go back (window.history.back()) only if I come from one specific html file, otherwise I want to go to another html page when back button is pressed. So I want to know which one is the previous page on history.

I have been googling for a while and I didn't find an answer that suits for me.

RiaD
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Monica
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1 Answers1

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If you want something built in you can use document.referrer to get the previous URL. But it might not be reliable for your needs. More info here, here and here

Another VERY simple option is to store the current page name in the session storage, read it and then decide what to do next.

//retrieve the previous page
var previouspage = window.sessionStorage.getItem("page"):
// if thee is no previous page you are on the first page
if (previousPage == undefined){
 //do something if you want, this means it's the first page the user is seeing
 }
//get current page address
var currentPage = window.location.href;
//store it
window.sessionStorage.setItem("page",currentPage); 
//check if the previous page is the one you wanted.
if (previousPage == "the_page_you_wanted"){
 // do something.
 }

LocalStorage vs SessionStorage

General Grievance
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caiocpricci2
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    thanks, that was really helpful, I also thought of using localStorage, but I think it's very similar to sessionStorage, isn't it? – Monica May 20 '13 at 13:36
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    Don't use localstorage here. LocalStorage will keep your data stored when your app stops running, opposed to SessionStorage that will be cleared once you exit the app. This will prevent you from getting wrong results in case the user closed the app "the_page_you_wanted". – caiocpricci2 May 20 '13 at 13:39