How to use useRef() hook. In ReactJS
- Create a ref variable using React.useRef()
- Use the element’s ref attribute to attach the ref variable
- The benefit of using useRef() over createRef() is that it’s handy for keeping any mutable value around similar to how you’d use instance fields in classes.
- useRef() also takes an initial value.
Example: Below is the code example of the useRef().
Javascript
// Importing everything as Reactimport * as React from "react";const App = () => { // Creating textInputRef variable with initialValue "null" const textInputRef = React.useRef(null); // This method will be used to focus textInput const textInputFocusHandler = () => { // Focusing input element textInputRef.current.focus(); }; return ( <div> {/** Attaching ref variable using element's ref attribute */} <input ref={textInputRef} type="text" placeholder="Enter something" /> {/** Attaching textInputFocusHandler method to button click */} <button onClick={textInputFocusHandler}> Click me to focus input </button> </div> );};export default App; |
Step to Run Application: Run the application using the following command from the root directory of the project:
npm start
Output:
How to create refs in React JS?
React JS, a powerful and declarative JavaScript library for building user interfaces, provides a feature known as “refs” that allows developers to interact with the underlying DOM elements directly.
Refs are generally used for the following purposes:
- Managing focus, text selection, or media playback.
- Triggering imperative animations.
- Integrating with third-party DOM libraries.
Note: You should avoid using refs for anything that can be done declaratively.
The following examples are based on only Functional-Components:
Table of Content
- Using React.createRef()
- Using useRef() hook
- Using callback ref()
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