How to paginate results in Supabase?

 

Step 1: Set Up Supabase Project

 

Before paginating, ensure you have a Supabase project set up. You can create one through the Supabase dashboard by signing up or logging in.

 

Step 2: Integrate Supabase into Your Application

 

Install the Supabase client in your project. If you're using Node.js, run:

npm install @supabase/supabase-js

Then, import and initialize Supabase with your API URL and anon key:

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabaseUrl = 'https://your-supabase-url.supabase.co';
const supabaseAnonKey = 'your-anon-key';

const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseAnonKey);

 

Step 3: Understand the Basics of Pagination

 

Pagination typically involves selecting a limited number of records from a database and providing a mechanism to fetch additional records (e.g., "next" and "previous" buttons). Supabase, being a wrapper around PostgreSQL, supports this seamlessly.

 

Step 4: Implement Basic Pagination Using Supabase

 

You can paginate using the range method, which takes two arguments: the starting index and the ending index.

For example, to fetch the first 10 records:

const { data, error } = await supabase
  .from('your_table_name')
  .select('\*')
  .range(0, 9);

If there's an error:

if (error) {
  console.error(error);
} else {
  console.log(data);
}

 

Step 5: Implementing Next and Previous Pagination

 

To fetch the next set of records (e.g., records 11 to 20), adjust the range:

const { data, error } = await supabase
  .from('your_table_name')
  .select('\*')
  .range(10, 19);

Maintain a current page index to easily switch between different ranges. Increment or decrement the starting index by the number of records per page to navigate pages.

 

Step 6: Handle Edge Cases

 

Consider edge cases such as when the user navigates beyond available pages. Use the length of the data returned to handle such cases. If no data is returned, you might be at the end of your dataset.

 

Step 7: Advanced Pagination Techniques

 

If you have complicated queries or performance concerns, consider using keyset pagination, especially for large datasets. For keyset pagination, use identifiers to fetch the next batch:

// Assume you have an `id` column for keyset pagination
const { data, error } = await supabase
  .from('your_table_name')
  .select('\*')
  .order('id', { ascending: true })
  .limit(10)
  .gt('id', lastFetchedId);

Where lastFetchedId is the id of the last record fetched in the previous batch.

 

Step 8: Test Your Pagination

 

With your pagination logic set up, thoroughly test it. Ensure that navigation works smoothly and any errors are appropriately handled. Validate that the next and previous operations return the expected records.

 

Step 9: Optimize for User Experience

 

Enhance the user experience by adding loading indicators, disabling navigation buttons when there are no more records, and providing clear feedback when navigating through pages. Additionally, consider caching the results of previous pages if back navigation is frequent.