Single Page Applications

SPA Implementation Guide

Understanding the challenge

Single Page Applications (SPAs) built with React, Vue, Angular, or other frameworks present unique challenges for TermsFeed Cookie Consent because:

1. No page refresh. The page doesn't reload like classic webpages.
2. Dynamic content. Content loads dynamically without triggering DOMContentLoaded again.
3. Route changes. Navigation happens via JavaScript, not traditional page loads.
4. State management. Consent state must persist across route changes.

Solution: Reload on navigation

Problem

"I have a React SPA and the cookie banner only shows on the first page load. When users navigate to other pages, the banner doesn't appear again if they didn't make a choice. Also, if they accept cookies on one page, scripts don't load on subsequent pages until a full refresh."

Solution

When implementing TermsFeed Cookie Consent in an SPA, you need to:

1. Initialize consent on first load.
2. Detect route changes.
3. Reload banner if needed.
4. Re-check consent state.

React Implementation

Step 1: Create a Cookie Consent component

// CookieConsent.js
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

const CookieConsent = () => {
    const location = useLocation();

    useEffect(() => {
        // Load TermsFeed script if not already loaded
        if (!window.cookieconsent) {
            const script = document.createElement('script');
            script.src = '//www.termsfeed.com/public/cookie-consent/4.2.0/cookie-consent.js';
            script.charset = 'UTF-8';
            script.onload = () => initializeCookieConsent();
            document.head.appendChild(script);
        } else {
            // Script already loaded, just check if banner needs to be shown
            checkBannerState();
        }
    }, []); // Run once on mount

    useEffect(() => {
        // Check banner state on route change
        if (window.cookieconsent) {
            checkBannerState();
        }
    }, [location]); // Run on every route change

    const initializeCookieConsent = () => {
        if (window.cookieconsent && typeof window.cookieconsent.run === 'function') {
            window.cookieconsent.run({
                "notice_banner_type": "headline",
                "consent_type": "express",
                "palette": "light",
                "language": "en",
                "website_name": "My SPA",
                "website_privacy_policy_url": "https://mysite.com/privacy",
                "open_preferences_center_selector": "#changePreferences",
                "page_load_consent_levels": ["strictly-necessary"],
                "callbacks": {
                    "scripts_specific_loaded": (level) => {
                        console.log("Scripts loaded for: " + level);
                        // Re-initialize any components that need tracking
                        if (level === 'tracking') {
                            reinitializeAnalytics();
                        }
                    }
                }
            });
        }
    };

    const checkBannerState = () => {
        // Check if user has already made a consent choice
        const consentCookie = getCookie('cookie_consent_level');
        if (!consentCookie) {
            // No consent yet, banner should be visible
            // No action needed - banner will show automatically
        }
    };

    const getCookie = (name) => {
        const value = ; ${document.cookie};
        const parts = value.split(; ${name}=);
        if (parts.length === 2) return parts.pop().split(';').shift();
    };

    const reinitializeAnalytics = () => {
        // Re-run any analytics initialization needed
        if (window.gtag) {
            window.gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX', {
                'page_path': location.pathname
            });
        }
    };

    return null; // This component doesn't render anything
};

export default CookieConsent;

Step 2: Add to App component

// App.js
import React from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter as Router, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';
import CookieConsent from './components/CookieConsent';
import Home from './pages/Home';
import About from './pages/About';

function App() {
    return (
        <Router>
            <CookieConsent />
            <Routes>
                <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
                <Route path="/about" element={<About />} />
            </Routes>

            {/ Preferences button /}
            <button id="changePreferences" style={{
                position: 'fixed',
                bottom: '20px',
                right: '20px',
                zIndex: 9999
            }}>
                Cookie Settings
            </button>

            <noscript>
                Free cookie consent management tool by <a href="https://www.termsfeed.com/">TermsFeed</a>
            </noscript>
        </Router>
    );
}

export default App;

Vue.js Implementation

Step 1: Create the Cookie Consent plugin

// plugins/cookieConsent.js
export default {
    install(app, options) {
        // Load script
        const loadCookieConsent = () => {
            if (window.cookieconsent) return Promise.resolve();

            return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
                const script = document.createElement('script');
                script.src = '//www.termsfeed.com/public/cookie-consent/4.2.0/cookie-consent.js';
                script.charset = 'UTF-8';
                script.onload = () => resolve();
                script.onerror = () => reject();
                document.head.appendChild(script);
            });
        };

        // Initialize
        const initCookieConsent = () => {
            if (window.cookieconsent && typeof window.cookieconsent.run === 'function') {
                window.cookieconsent.run({
                    "notice_banner_type": "headline",
                    "consent_type": "express",
                    "palette": "light",
                    "language": "en",
                    "website_name": options.websiteName || "My Vue SPA",
                    "website_privacy_policy_url": options.privacyUrl || "#",
                    "open_preferences_center_selector": "#changePreferences",
                    "page_load_consent_levels": ["strictly-necessary"]
                });
            }
        };

        // Make available globally
        app.config.globalProperties.$cookieConsent = {
            load: loadCookieConsent,
            init: initCookieConsent
        };

        // Auto-initialize on mount
        if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
            loadCookieConsent().then(() => {
                document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initCookieConsent);
            });
        }
    }
};

Step 2: Use in Main App

// main.js
import { createApp } from 'vue';
import { createRouter, createWebHistory } from 'vue-router';
import App from './App.vue';
import cookieConsentPlugin from './plugins/cookieConsent';

const router = createRouter({
    history: createWebHistory(),
    routes: [
        { path: '/', component: () => import('./views/Home.vue') },
        { path: '/about', component: () => import('./views/About.vue') }
    ]
});

const app = createApp(App);

app.use(router);
app.use(cookieConsentPlugin, {
    websiteName: 'My Vue App',
    privacyUrl: 'https://mysite.com/privacy'
});

app.mount('#app');

Step 3: Create the App component

<!-- App.vue -->
<template>
    <div id="app">
        <router-view />

        <button id="changePreferences" class="cookie-settings-btn">
            Cookie Settings
        </button>

        <noscript>
            Free cookie consent management tool by
            <a href="https://www.termsfeed.com/">TermsFeed</a>
        </noscript>
    </div>
</template>

<script>
export default {
    name: 'App',
    mounted() {
        // Watch for route changes
        this.$router.afterEach((to, from) => {
            // Check if consent banner needs to be re-shown
            this.checkConsentState();
        });
    },
    methods: {
        checkConsentState() {
            const consentCookie = document.cookie
                .split('; ')
                .find(row => row.startsWith('cookie_consent_level='));

            if (!consentCookie) {
                console.log('No consent given yet');
            }
        }
    }
};
</script>

<style>
.cookie-settings-btn {
    position: fixed;
    bottom: 20px;
    right: 20px;
    z-index: 9999;
    padding: 10px 20px;
    background: #007bff;
    color: white;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 5px;
    cursor: pointer;
}
</style>

Angular Implementation

Step 1: Create the Cookie Consent service

// services/cookie-consent.service.ts
import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
import { Router, NavigationEnd } from '@angular/router';
import { filter } from 'rxjs/operators';

declare global {
    interface Window {
        cookieconsent: any;
    }
}

@Injectable({
    providedIn: 'root'
})
export class CookieConsentService {
    private scriptLoaded = false;

    constructor(private router: Router) {}

    initialize(): Promise<void> {
        return this.loadScript().then(() => {
            this.initializeConsent();
            this.watchRouteChanges();
        });
    }

    private loadScript(): Promise<void> {
        if (this.scriptLoaded || window.cookieconsent) {
            return Promise.resolve();
        }

        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            const script = document.createElement('script');
            script.src = '//www.termsfeed.com/public/cookie-consent/4.2.0/cookie-consent.js';
            script.charset = 'UTF-8';
            script.onload = () => {
                this.scriptLoaded = true;
                resolve();
            };
            script.onerror = () => reject();
            document.head.appendChild(script);
        });
    }

    private initializeConsent(): void {
        if (window.cookieconsent && typeof window.cookieconsent.run === 'function') {
            window.cookieconsent.run({
                notice_banner_type: 'headline',
                consent_type: 'express',
                palette: 'light',
                language: 'en',
                website_name: 'My Angular App',
                website_privacy_policy_url: 'https://mysite.com/privacy',
                open_preferences_center_selector: '#changePreferences',
                page_load_consent_levels: ['strictly-necessary'],
                callbacks: {
                    scripts_specific_loaded: (level: string) => {
                        console.log('Scripts loaded for:', level);
                        this.handleConsentUpdate(level);
                    }
                }
            });
        }
    }

    private watchRouteChanges(): void {
        this.router.events.pipe(
            filter(event => event instanceof NavigationEnd)
        ).subscribe(() => {
            // Check consent state on route change
            this.checkConsentState();
        });
    }

    private checkConsentState(): void {
        const consentCookie = this.getCookie('cookie_consent_level');
        if (!consentCookie) {
            console.log('No consent given yet');
        }
    }

    private handleConsentUpdate(level: string): void {
        // Handle consent updates
        if (level === 'tracking') {
            this.initializeAnalytics();
        }
    }

    private initializeAnalytics(): void {
        // Re-initialize analytics on consent
        if ((window as any).gtag) {
            (window as any).gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX', {
                page_path: this.router.url
            });
        }
    }

    private getCookie(name: string): string | null {
        const value = ; ${document.cookie};
        const parts = value.split(; ${name}=);
        if (parts.length === 2) {
            return parts.pop()?.split(';').shift() || null;
        }
        return null;
    }

    openPreferences(): void {
        if (window.cookieconsent && typeof window.cookieconsent.openPreferencesCenter === 'function') {
            window.cookieconsent.openPreferencesCenter();
        }
    }
}

Step 2: Initialize in App Component

// app.component.ts
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { CookieConsentService } from './services/cookie-consent.service';

@Component({
    selector: 'app-root',
    template: 
        <router-outlet></router-outlet>

        <button id="changePreferences" class="cookie-settings-btn">
            Cookie Settings
        </button>

        <noscript>
            Free cookie consent management tool by
            <a href="https://www.termsfeed.com/">TermsFeed</a>
        </noscript>
    ,
    styles: [
        .cookie-settings-btn {
            position: fixed;
            bottom: 20px;
            right: 20px;
            z-index: 9999;
            padding: 10px 20px;
            background: #007bff;
            color: white;
            border: none;
            border-radius: 5px;
            cursor: pointer;
        }
    ]
})
export class AppComponent implements OnInit {
    constructor(private cookieConsentService: CookieConsentService) {}

    ngOnInit(): void {
        this.cookieConsentService.initialize().catch(error => {
            console.error('Failed to initialize cookie consent:', error);
        });
    }
}

Common SPA and Cookie Consent Issues

Issue 1: Banner doesn't reappear on navigation

Problem

User navigates without making choice, banner disappears.

Solution

Check if consent was given on route change.

// Check if consent was given on route change
router.afterEach(() => {
    const hasConsent = getCookie('cookie_consent_level');
    if (!hasConsent) {
        // Banner should be visible - it will show automatically
        // No manual action needed if properly configured
    }
});

Issue 2: Scripts don't load after consent on new routes

Problem

"User accepts cookies, navigates to another page in my React app, but Google Analytics doesn't track the new page view."

Solution

Use callbacks to track page view on every route change.

// In your callback
"callbacks": {
    "scripts_specific_loaded": (level) => {
        if (level === 'tracking' && window.gtag) {
            // Track page view on every route change
            router.afterEach((to) => {
                gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX', {
                    'page_path': to.path
                });
            });
        }
    }
}

Issue 3: Multiple banner instances appear

Problem

Banner appears multiple times when navigating quickly.

Solution

Use a guard to prevent multiple initializations

// Use a guard to prevent multiple initializations
let isInitialized = false;

const initCookieConsent = () => {
    if (isInitialized) return;
    isInitialized = true;

    cookieconsent.run({ / config / });
};

Open Preferences Center programmatically

For SPAs, you may want to open preferences without a static button:

// Method 1: Using the openPreferencesCenter() method
const openPreferences = () => {
    if (window.cookieconsent && typeof window.cookieconsent.openPreferencesCenter === 'function') {
        window.cookieconsent.openPreferencesCenter();
    } else {
        console.error('Cookie consent not initialized');
    }
};

// In React
<button onClick={openPreferences}>Change Cookie Settings</button>

// In Vue
<button @click="openPreferences">Change Cookie Settings</button>

// In Angular
<button (click)="openPreferences()">Change Cookie Settings</button>