# Router options

You can configure your router instance by passing options to the constructor or by using `.setOption(optName, optValue)`.

```javascript
var router = createRouter([], {
    allowNotFound: false,
    autoCleanUp: true,
    defaultRoute: 'home',
    defaultParams: {},
    queryParams: {
        arrayFormat: 'default',
        nullFormat: 'default',
        booleanFormat: 'default'
    },
    queryParamsMode: 'default',
    trailingSlashMode: 'default',
    strictTrailingSlash: false,
    caseSensitive: false,
    urlParamsEncoding: 'default'
})
```

## Default route

When your router instance starts, it will navigate to a default route if such route is defined and if it cannot match the URL against a known route:

* `defaultRoute`: the default route.
* `defaultParams`: the default route params (defaults to `{}`)

See [navigation guide](https://github.com/router5/router5/tree/1cc1c6969a96918deb28e45b8c5b2d6aa19d0a19/docs/navigation.html) for more information.

## Allow not found

There are two ways to deal with not found routes: the first one is to configure a `defaultRoute` (and `defaultParams`), the second one is to allow those not found routes to create a new routing state. Set `allowNotFound` to true and the router will emit a state value for unmatched paths.

For example, if you try to match `/hello-world` and you don't have this route defined, the router will emit the following state:

```javascript
import { constants } from 'router5';

const state = {
    name: constants.UNKNOWN_ROUTE
    params: { path: '/hello-world' },
    path: '/hello-world'
}
```

## URL parameters encoding and decoding

Option `urlParamsEncoding` controls the encoding and decoding of URL parameters, when matching and building paths. It supports the following values:

* `'default'`: `encodeURIComponent` and `decodeURIComponent` are used but some characters to encode and decode URL parameters, but some characters are preserved when encoding (sub-delimiters:`+`,`:`,`'`,`!`,`,`,`;`,`*`).
* `'uriComponent'`: use `encodeURIComponent` and `decodeURIComponent` for encoding and decoding URL parameters.
* `'uri'`: use `encodeURI` and `decodeURI` for encoding and decoding URL parameters.
* `'none'`: no encoding or decoding is performed
* `'legacy'`: the approach for version 5.x and below (no longer recommended to use)

## Query parameters mode

Option `queryParamsMode` can take the following values:

* `'default'`: a path will match with any query parameters added, but when building, extra parameters won't appear in the returned path.
* `'strict'`: a path with query parameters which were not listed in node definition will cause a match to be unsuccessful. When building, extra parameters won't appear in the returned path.
* `'loose'`: a path will match with any query parameters added, and when building, extra parameters will appear in the returned path.

## Query parameters formatting

You can specify how array, boolean and null values are formatted in query parameters, and how they are matched.

* `arrayFormat`: Specifies how arrays should be stringified
  * `'none'` (default): no brackets or indexes are added to query parameter names (`'role=member&role=admin'`)
  * `'brackets`: brackets are added to query parameter names (`'role[]=member&role[]=admin'`)
  * `'index'`: brackets and indexes are added to query parameter names (`'role[0]=member&role[1]=admin'`)
* `booleanFormat`: specifies how boolean values are stringified and parsed
  * `'none'` (default): booleans are stringified to strings (`'istrue=true&isfalse=false'`)
  * `'empty-true'`: same as `'none'` except true values are stringified without value (`'istrue&isfalse=false'`). If you choose this boolean format, make sure to change the value of `'nullFormat'`.
  * `'string'`: same as `'none'` but `'true'` and `'false'` are parsed as booleans
  * `'unicode'`: `true` and `false` are displayed with unicode characters, and parsed as booleans (`'istrue=✓&isfalse=✗'`)
* `nullFormat`: specifies how null values are stringified and parsed
  * `'default'` (default): null values are stringified without equal sign and value (`'isnull'`)
  * `'string'`: null values are stringified to `'null'` (`'isnull=null'`) and parsed as null values
  * `'hidden'`: null values are not stringified

## Trailing slash mode

Option `trailingSlashMode` can take the following values:

* `'default'`: building follows path definitions
* `'never'`: when building, trailing slash is removed
* `'always'`: when building, trailing slash is added

## Strict trailing slash

By default, the router is not in "strict match" mode. If you want trailing slashes to not be optional, you can set `strictTrailingSlash` to \`true\`\`.

## Automatic clean up

If `autoCleanUp` is set to true, the router will automatically clear `canDeactivate` functions / booleans when their associated segment becomes inactive.

## Case sensitivity

By default, matching of routes is case insensitive. You can set `caseSensitive` to `true` if you want to change that behaviour.


---

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