Altering URL/query string without page reloading using jquery/javascript

JavaScript
1

Is it possible to alter the query string of the current URL without triggering a page load.

eg. Say you have AJAX pagination, allowing people to change pages without the whole page reloading, just the content of the paginated area. However in case somebody bookmarked the page, they would really only be bookmarking the page 1 - even if they were on page 10.

So, what I was wondering is if it is possible when a user clicks Next, Previous, or Page 10, 15 etc, to alter (with javascript/jQuery) the URL (shown in the browser navigation bar) so that it reflects the page number they are on.

I am sure something like this is possible, either that or it is a damn fast connection. When I browse photos in somebody’s photo album in Facebook, the photo loads with AJAX, yet the URL query string changes to reflect the current photo. And all this happens without any obvious full page reload. It appears that the URL/query string is being updated using Javascript while the photo changes using AJAX.

2

Yes, you can update the document fragment (the part after the #) without reloading the page by assigning a string to location.hash

3

Thanks for that. Anyway of modifying what is after the questionmark, without cause page reload?

Cheers

4

No. You can modify the document fragment without a page reload, but you cannot modify the querystring without it reloading.

5

Thanks for your prompt response. Looks like hash is where it has to be.