How to trigger browser's back event/function using JavaScript?

javascript browser browser-history dom-events
Rutwick Gangurde picture Rutwick Gangurde · Nov 8, 2011 · Viewed 26.9k times · Source

I want to trigger the browser's back functionality through a hyperlink in my page template, using JavaScript (or PHP if possible). Does anyone know how to implement this?

EDIT
Found the solution using JavaScript. Here is the link if anyone needs it.
And here's the code: 

<a href="#" onclick="history.back();return false;">Go back</a>

Answer

Alan picture Alan · Nov 8, 2011

history.back() should do the trick.

window.history.back() documentation at MDN

As an aside, it's bad user experience if you do this unexpectedly on the user. For example, I enter in an invalid credit card number, and you take me back one page, instead of letting me fix the mistake.

So while it's possible to use javascript to manipulate the history stack, it's better to only do so if it makes sense in the context current users actions.

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