Author:
    Aymeric PINEAU
    Creation:2026-06-22Last update:2026-06-22

    Preact Integration: usePathname Hook Documentation

    The usePathname hook returns the current browser pathname with the locale segment stripped. It is useful for building locale-aware navigation — for example, determining which nav item is active — without having to manually remove the locale prefix.

    Importing usePathname in Preact

    typescript
    import { usePathname } from "preact-intlayer";

    Overview

    usePathname reads window.location.pathname, strips the locale prefix via getPathWithoutLocale, and re-renders the component whenever the browser fires a popstate event (back/forward navigation). It returns an empty string during server-side rendering.

    Usage

    src/components/NavItem.tsx
    import type { FunctionComponent } from "preact";
import { usePathname } from "preact-intlayer";

type NavItemProps = {
  href: string;
  label: string;
};

const NavItem: FunctionComponent<NavItemProps> = ({ href, label }) => {
  const pathname = usePathname();
  const isActive = pathname === href;

  return (
    <a href={href} aria-current={isActive ? "page" : undefined}>
      {label}
    </a>
  );
};

export default NavItem;

    Return Value

    Type Description
    string The current pathname without the locale prefix. Empty string during server-side rendering.

    Behavior

    • Locale stripping: Removes the leading locale segment (e.g. /en/dashboard → /dashboard).
    • Reactive: Updates automatically on popstate events (browser back / forward navigation).
    • SSR-safe: Returns "" when window is not available.
    • Cleanup: The popstate listener is removed automatically when the component unmounts.

    Example

    src/components/Sidebar.tsx
    import type { FunctionComponent } from "preact";
import { usePathname } from "preact-intlayer";

const links = [
  { href: "/dashboard", label: "Dashboard" },
  { href: "/settings", label: "Settings" },
];

const Sidebar: FunctionComponent = () => {
  const pathname = usePathname();

  return (
    <nav>
      {links.map(({ href, label }) => (
        <a
          key={href}
          href={href}
          style={{ fontWeight: pathname === href ? "bold" : "normal" }}
        >
          {label}
        </a>
      ))}
    </nav>
  );
};

export default Sidebar;

    Related

    preact-intlayerangular-intlayer