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

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

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

Behaviour

• Locale stripping: Removes the leading locale segment (e.g. /en-GB/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

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

• useLocale — current locale + locale switcher
• getPathWithoutLocale — the underlying utility used by this hook