# Previous Screen: system.nav.goBack()

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [July 1, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655 "2014-07-01T22:07:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Paullys50](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paullys50/32/3324_2.png) [@Paullys50](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Paullys50)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655/1 "2014-07-01T22:07:25Z")

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So I need to create a previous screen button. Simple enough I used the scripting options, set it to “go back” thus using the system.nav.goback() script function.

But it doesn’t seem to work. v7.6.6, I assume I’m doing something wrong, yet it seems pretty obvious?

I have two docked windows, North (header) which contains my tab strips for window navigation, South (footer) which houses my “previous” button. “Main” windows appear between.

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**Author:** ![adamaustin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@adamaustin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/adamaustin)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655/2 "2014-07-02T16:04:19Z")

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OK, perhaps unrelated, but a similar problem is occurring for me:

I have a Header Docked Window.  
Header has a button to swapTo the Alarm Summary (Main Window with a goBack button).  
Below it is the First Main Window (maximized).  
Main has a button to swapTo an Easy Chart (Main Window with a goBack button).

I click the Easy Chart button.  
Then I click the Alarm Summary button.  
Then I click the goBack button.

Now I am back at the First Main Window.

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**Author:** ![onestank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ba9def/32.png) [@onestank](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/onestank)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655/3 "2014-07-02T21:22:08Z")

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this is how we do it.

[code]window = system.nav.goBack()

if window is None: # No window change. Disable back functionality  
system.tag.write("[Client]Window History/canGoBack",0)  
else: # Successful window change. Enable forward functionality  
system.tag.write("[Client]Window History/canGoForward",1)[/code]

This seems to work flawlessly. Hope it helps.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paullys50](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paullys50/32/3324_2.png) [@Paullys50](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Paullys50)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/previous-screen-system-nav-goback/8655/4 "2014-07-11T13:15:34Z")

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Just an update, the problem was that none of my main windows were set to “Start Maximized”. The previous/forward commands relay on tracking the “maximized” window, because I didn’t have this checked none of my windows were detected.

I unchecked this feature while designing my windows for 1920 x 1080 resolutions, I kept getting scroll bars and turned off this feature in an effort to sort through that. Turns out that was never the issue and I never re-checked it.

Thanks to IA tech support!!!