[Bug] Unexpected aborted transitions following call to RouterService.transitionTo()

[mgallag]

🐞 Describe the Bug

Initiating a transition using <LinkTo> or any deprecated transition method after calling RouterService.transitionTo() causes an aborted transition which triggers a full route refresh.

Precondition:

• Parent/child routes with navigation between child routes.
• Parent route must define a queryParams object. The actual query param value is left undefined.

🔬 Minimal Reproduction

Repro with tests: https://github.com/mgallag/repro-transition-abort

1. Visit /parent/child-a/
2. Click on Transition: "via Service" button
3. Click on any of the other transition buttons or links.

😕 Actual Behavior

• App transitions between parent.child-a, parent.child-b, and parent.child-c
• The transition between parent.child-b and parent.child-c is aborted and a full route transition of parent.child-c is performed.
• The parent route's model hook is called twice

🤔 Expected Behavior

• App transitions between parent.child-a, parent.child-b, and parent.child-c
• Transitions are between child routes only.
• The parent route's model hook is only ever called once

🌍 Environment

• Ember: 4.2.0
• Node.js/npm: 14.19.1
• OS: Mac OS 11.6.4
• Browser: Chrome 99.0.4844.74

➕ Additional Context

• This issue requires that a queryParams object is defined on a router but the query param value is left undefined.
• If a query param value is specified in the URL the issue does not occur
• This issue requires that a RouterService initiated transition is followed by any other method of transitioning between child routes.
• If transitions are exclusively initiated by RouterService the issue does not occur
• If transitions are never initiated by the RouterService the issue does not occur

[mgallag]

Potentially related issues: https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js/issues/19611, https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js/issues/16349

[RobbieTheWagner]

Would it be possible to introduce a param to stop this behavior? The refresh method allows us to pass a route name in and only refresh that model and descendants, not parents. https://api.emberjs.com/ember/4.4/classes/RouterService/methods/transitionTo?anchor=refresh

[dwickern]

This is caused by https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js/issues/19493. The router redirects to the new query params which aborts the original transition.

I applied my workaround to your repro and all tests pass. Upgrading to ember 4.4 should also fix it.

[nickschot]

I don't know when this came back (or if it was ever truly fixed), but I just ran into this issue with ember-source 5.6, also related to https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js/issues/20512 . Either using a LinkTo, the private -routing service's transitionTo method or removing the default query parameter value appears to "fix" the issue. None are true solutions I think.