Next.js 13: Customizing Next.js layouts based on route hierarchy

Question

I am working on a Next.js 13 project where I have a route named problems/[slug]. On the first level of this route (e.g., problems/react), I have a sidebar and a content section, which I am displaying using a layout.tsx.

However, on the next nested level of the route (e.g., /problems/react/test-problem), I want to use a different layout instead of the original one. Is there a way to achieve this?

Note: I am looking for an app directory-based approach

Answer 1

In Next.js 13, you can use the usePathname hook to determine which page you are on and then logically show or hide it:

const pathname = usePathname(); const show_Navbar_Sidebar = pathname === '/about' || pathname === '/signup' ? false : true;

Answer 2

You can keep the structure of the pages folder as shown below

pages/
    problems/
      [slug]/
        - index.js      // will match for /problems/[:slug] 
        - [problem].js   // will match for /problems/[:slug]/[:problem]

If you need multiple layouts, you can add a property getLayout to your page, allowing you to return a React component for the layout. This allows you to define the layout on a per-page basis. Since we're returning a function, we can have complex nested layouts if desired.

// pages/problems/[slug]/index.js

import StandardLayout from '../components/StandardLayout'

export default function ProblemMainPage() {
  return (
    /** Your content */
  )
}

ProblemMainPage.getLayout = function getLayout(page) {
  return (
    <StandardLayout>
      {page}
    </StandardLayout>
  )
}

// pages/problems/[slug]/[problem].js

import AnotherLayout from '../components/AnotherLayout'

export default function ProblemDetail() {
  return (
    /** Your content */
  )
}

ProblemDetail.getLayout = function getLayout(page) {
  return (
    <AnotherLayout>
      {page}
    </AnotherLayout>
  )
}

Update your pages/_app.js file

// pages/_app.js

export default function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  // Use the layout defined at the page level, if available
  const getLayout = Component.getLayout || ((page) => page)

  return getLayout(<Component {...pageProps} />)
}

Learn more about it on Next.js documentation here

Answer 3

Referring to my comment on the post, there should be no issue in what you're trying to do.

You can create a component called <ParentLayout /> and use it as the layout for problems/react, and use a different component <ChildLayout /> for problems/react/test-problem.

Import the appropriate components into the respective files, and use them.

Answer 4

To achieve different layouts for different levels of your Next.js 13 project using the app directory-based approach, you can follow the steps outlined in the blog post you provided. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Organize Routes without Affecting the URL Path: Create a group to keep related routes together without affecting the URL path. For example, you can create a group for the "problems" section:

app
|-- (problems)
|   |-- [slug]
|   |   |-- layout.js
|   |   |-- index.js
|   |   |-- test-problem
|   |   |   |-- layout.js
|   |   |   |-- index.js
|   |   |   |-- other-components.js

In this example, the "problems" folder is wrapped in parentheses, indicating it's a route group. The "layout.js" file inside the "problems" folder will serve as the layout for the "problems" section.

2. Creating Multiple Root Layouts: If you want to create multiple root layouts for different sections of your application, you can remove the top-level "layout.js" file and add a "layout.js" file inside each route group. This is useful for creating sections with completely different UI or experiences.

For example:

app
|-- (marketing)
|   |-- layout.js
|   |-- index.js
|   |-- about.js
|   |-- contact.js
|-- (shop)
|   |-- layout.js
|   |-- index.js
|   |-- products.js
|   |-- cart.js
|-- homepage.js

In this example, we have two route groups, one for the "marketing" section and another for the "shop" section. Each group has its own "layout.js" file, defining different root layouts for each section.

3. Opting Specific Segments into a Layout: To opt specific routes into a layout, you can create a new route group and move the routes that share the same layout into that group.

For example, in the "shop" section, you can have the following structure:

app
|-- (shop)
|   |-- layout.js
|   |-- index.js
|   |-- account.js
|   |-- cart.js
|   |-- checkout.js

In this example, the "account" and "cart" routes share the same layout, while "checkout" doesn't. By grouping "account" and "cart" together, you can apply the "layout.js" only to those routes.

Remember that routes inside a route group should not resolve to the same URL path as other routes, as route groups don't affect the URL structure.

By following these conventions and creating route groups with specific layouts, you can achieve different layouts for different levels of your Next.js 13 project based on the app directory-based approach. This will help you organize your routes and project files effectively without impacting the URL structure.

You can read more about route groups here: https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/routing/route-groups