Pagination divides content into separate pages, typically used when displaying large amounts of information on a website or application. It allows users to easily navigate the content by breaking it into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Pagination is commonly used in various contexts, such as search results, online forums, shops, and news websites. It can be implemented in different ways, depending on the specific needs of the application.
Pagination includes the following elements:
Page links: Navigation links that allow users to move between pages. These links can be represented as numbers, previous/next buttons, or a combination.
Current page indicator: A visual indicator showing the user which page they are viewing.
Total pages: The total number of pages available.
Rows per page: A way for the user to select how many rows should be displayed per page
Pagination can be handled on the client side or the server side. Client-side pagination is when all the data is loaded to the browser, and then pagination is applied on the browser, this is useful when the dataset is small, or the data is already loaded. On the other hand, server-side pagination is when the data is loaded from the server as the user navigates through the pages, this is useful when the dataset is large and it’s only feasible to load some of the data simultaneously.
When implementing pagination, it’s important to consider the user experience and accessibility, as well as the application’s performance. For example, it’s important to provide clear and intuitive navigation and to ensure that the pagination controls are accessible to keyboard users and users with assistive technology. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that the pagination keeps up the application’s performance by loading too much data at once.
Also, See: Open Source