# Pagination (Cursors)

In the realm of GraphQL, once you've grasped connections, nodes, and edges, understanding cursors and pageInfo becomes a breeze. This page delves into the mechanics and importance of these components in pagination.

**1. Cursors: The Heart of Pagination**

**Cursor**: A unique identifier for a specific record in a dataset. In GraphQL, it's usually an encoded string representing a specific position in a dataset.

**Why Use Cursors?**

* **Precision**: Cursors point to specific positions in a list, allowing for precise data retrieval.
* **Efficiency**: Avoids issues like duplicate or skipped records that might occur in real-time data updates with offset-based pagination.
* **Flexibility**: Supports seamless integrations like infinite scrolling.

**2. PageInfo: The Guide to Navigation**

**PageInfo**: A set of fields providing metadata about the current page of results. It tells you where you are and whether there's more data to fetch.

**Typical Fields**:

* **hasNextPage**: A boolean indicating if there are more items after the current set.
* **hasPreviousPage**: A boolean showing if there are items preceding the current set.
* **startCursor**: The cursor for the first item in the current set.
* **endCursor**: The cursor for the last item in the current set.

**3. Using Cursors and PageInfo Together**

Combining cursors with pageInfo provides a robust pagination experience. For instance, by using the `endCursor` from pageInfo and the `after` argument in a query, you can fetch the next set of records seamlessly.

**4. Sample Query with Cursors and PageInfo**

```graphql
{
  units(first: 5, after: "current_cursor_value") {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        name
      }
      cursor
    }
    pageInfo {
      hasNextPage
      endCursor
    }
  }
}
```

Here,

* The `after` argument uses a cursor to determine the starting point for fetching the next 5 properties.
* `pageInfo` provides the `endCursor`, which you can use for subsequent queries.

**5. Best Practices**

* Always use cursors as provided; decoding or modifying them manually can lead to unexpected results.
* Rely on `pageInfo` for navigation cues, especially to determine if more data fetching is necessary.