Enhancing Course Discovery: Query Parameters & User Experience

Hey everyone! Let's dive into a neat little enhancement we're going to make to our course search functionality. The goal here is to make it super easy for all users, whether they're signed in or not, to browse and search for courses without any unnecessary hurdles. Right now, there's a slight hiccup where signed-in users have a different experience compared to those who aren't logged in. We're going to level the playing field and ensure everyone gets the same awesome access. This change is all about improving the user experience and making our platform more intuitive. We are aiming to create a seamless journey for our users. By using a query parameter, we can make this process a lot smoother. I know it sounds a little techy, but trust me, it's all about making things better for our users.

The Problem: Uneven Course Access

So, here's the deal, guys. Currently, when a signed-in user clicks the "Courses" button, they sometimes hit a snag where they might be prompted to select a term before they can actually browse the courses. This isn't ideal. On the flip side, non-signed-in users can breeze right through and view all the courses without any term selection roadblocks. We want to give everyone the same freedom. Think of it like this: imagine walking into a bookstore. Non-signed-in users can browse all the shelves right away, while signed-in users might have to tell the clerk what kind of books they're interested in before they can even start looking. We want everyone to have the same great experience. This is why we need to change how we handle the course browsing flow. It is important to remove the barriers.

The Goal: Universal Course Browsing

Our mission is straightforward: We want everyone to have the ability to view and search all courses effortlessly, no matter their login status. This means ensuring that signed-in users can bypass the term selection step when they first hit the course search page. The main goal is to create a frictionless experience. We want to make it easy for users to find the courses they need. By modifying the way the "Courses" button works, we can remove this barrier and enhance the overall user experience.

The Solution: Query Parameters to the Rescue

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of how we're going to solve this. We're going to use a clever little trick called a query parameter. Think of a query parameter as a special tag that we add to a web address. It's like adding a note to the address that tells the website something extra. Here's how it's going to work:

Step 1: Adding the Query Parameter

When a user clicks on the "Courses" button in the header, we'll add a query parameter to the URL that points to the course search page. This parameter will act like a signal, letting the search page know that the user came from the "Courses" button and should bypass the term selection process. It's like sending a secret message along with the user's request.

Step 2: Detecting the Flag in courseSearch.jsx

Next, we need to modify our courseSearch.jsx component. This is where the magic happens. We'll update this component to read the query parameter from the URL. If the parameter is present (meaning the user clicked the "Courses" button), we'll know to hide certain features of the classItem component. This will be an important step for providing the desired user experience. We will use the query parameter as a guide to render the correct view for the user.

Step 3: Hiding Components

Instead of hiding elements based on whether a user is logged in, we'll now hide them based on the presence of the query parameter. This ensures that the "back" and "add" buttons in the classItem component are hidden for users who click the "Courses" button, allowing them to browse courses freely without any unnecessary actions. Hiding the buttons is part of providing a streamlined experience.

By following these steps, we'll create a seamless and consistent experience for all users, regardless of their login status. This ensures that users can easily browse and search for courses. This will also enhance the usability of the platform.

Implementation Details: Code Snippets & Examples

Let's get into some code! Don't worry, I'll keep it simple and easy to follow. This will provide a clearer understanding of the changes we're making. The changes aren't complex, and the logic is easy to grasp.

Adding the Query Parameter in the Header

Here's how you might modify the "Courses" button's onClick event in your header component (e.g., Header.jsx) to include the query parameter:

// Assuming you have a route for the course search page, e.g., '/courses'
const handleCoursesClick = () => {
  window.location.href = '/courses?fromCoursesButton=true';
};

<button onClick={handleCoursesClick}>Courses</button>

In this example, when the "Courses" button is clicked, we're adding ?fromCoursesButton=true to the URL. This is our query parameter, and it's telling the course search page that the user came from the header's "Courses" button. This is pretty straightforward, right? We just need to modify the button's navigation behavior to include this query parameter. This query parameter is crucial for this functionality.

Detecting the Query Parameter in courseSearch.jsx

Now, let's look at how we can read this query parameter in courseSearch.jsx.

import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

function CourseSearch() {
  const location = useLocation();
  const [hideButtons, setHideButtons] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
    const fromCoursesButton = params.get('fromCoursesButton');
    if (fromCoursesButton === 'true') {
      setHideButtons(true);
    }
  }, [location.search]);

  // ... rest of your component ...

  return (
    <div>
      {/* ... your course search content ... */}
      {hideButtons && (
        <div>{/* Hide back and add buttons here */}</div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

export default CourseSearch;

In this code:

• We're using useLocation from react-router-dom to get the current URL's information.
• We use URLSearchParams to parse the query parameters from the URL's search string (location.search).
• We check if the fromCoursesButton parameter is present and equals `