AngularJS ui router passing data between states without URL

Solution 1:

We can use params, new feature of the UI-Router:

API Reference / ui.router.state / $stateProvider

params A map which optionally configures parameters declared in the url, or defines additional non-url parameters. For each parameter being configured, add a configuration object keyed to the name of the parameter.

See the part: "...or defines additional non-url parameters..."

So the state def would be:

$stateProvider
  .state('home', {
    url: "/home",
    templateUrl: 'tpl.html',
    params: { hiddenOne: null, }
  })

Few examples form the doc mentioned above:

// define a parameter's default value
params: {
  param1: { value: "defaultValue" }
}
// shorthand default values
params: {
  param1: "defaultValue",
  param2: "param2Default"
}

// param will be array []
params: {
  param1: { array: true }
}

// handling the default value in url:
params: {
  param1: {
    value: "defaultId",
    squash: true
} }
// squash "defaultValue" to "~"
params: {
  param1: {
    value: "defaultValue",
    squash: "~"
  } }

EXTEND - working example: http://plnkr.co/edit/inFhDmP42AQyeUBmyIVl?p=info

Here is an example of a state definition:

 $stateProvider
  .state('home', {
      url: "/home",
      params : { veryLongParamHome: null, },
      ...
  })
  .state('parent', {
      url: "/parent",
      params : { veryLongParamParent: null, },
      ...
  })
  .state('parent.child', { 
      url: "/child",
      params : { veryLongParamChild: null, },
      ...
  })

This could be a call using ui-sref:

<a ui-sref="home({veryLongParamHome:'Home--f8d218ae-d998-4aa4-94ee-f27144a21238'
  })">home</a>

<a ui-sref="parent({ 
    veryLongParamParent:'Parent--2852f22c-dc85-41af-9064-d365bc4fc822'
  })">parent</a>

<a ui-sref="parent.child({
    veryLongParamParent:'Parent--0b2a585f-fcef-4462-b656-544e4575fca5',  
    veryLongParamChild:'Child--f8d218ae-d998-4aa4-94ee-f27144a61238'
  })">parent.child</a>

Check the example here

Solution 2:

The params object is included in $stateParams, but won't be part of the url.

1) In the route configuration:

$stateProvider.state('edit_user', {
    url: '/users/:user_id/edit',
    templateUrl: 'views/editUser.html',
    controller: 'editUserCtrl',
    params: {
        paramOne: { objectProperty: "defaultValueOne" },  //default value
        paramTwo: "defaultValueTwo"
    }
});

2) In the controller:

.controller('editUserCtrl', function ($stateParams, $scope) {       
    $scope.paramOne = $stateParams.paramOne;
    $scope.paramTwo = $stateParams.paramTwo;
});

3A) Changing the State from a controller

$state.go("edit_user", {
    user_id: 1,                
    paramOne: { objectProperty: "test_not_default1" },
    paramTwo: "from controller"
});

3B) Changing the State in html

<div ui-sref="edit_user({ user_id: 3, paramOne: { objectProperty: 'from_html1' }, paramTwo: 'fromhtml2' })"></div>

Example Plunker