Check out my React hooks introduction first, if you’re new to them.
One React hook I sometimes use is useRef
.
import React, { useRef } from 'react'
This hook allows us to access a DOM element imperatively.
Here’s an example, where I log to the console the value of the DOM reference of the span element that contains the count value:
import React, { useState, useRef } from 'react'
const Counter = () => {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0)
const counterEl = useRef(null)
const increment = () => {
setCount(count + 1)
console.log(counterEl)
}
return (
<>
Count: <span ref={counterEl}>{count}</span>
<button onClick={increment}>+</button>
</>
)
}
ReactDOM.render(<Counter />, document.getElementById('app'))
Notice the const counterEl = useRef(null)
line, and the <span ref={counterEl}>{count}</span>
. This is what sets the link.
Now we can access the DOM reference by accessing counterEl.current
.
See it on Codepen:
See the Pen React useRef hook by Flavio Copes (@flaviocopes) on CodePen.
Download my free React Handbook
More react tutorials:
- A React simple app example: fetch GitHub users information via API
- Build a simple counter with React
- VS Code setup for React development
- How to pass props to a child component via React Router
- Create an app with Electron and React
- Tutorial: create a Spreadsheet using React
- The roadmap to learn React
- Learn how to use Redux
- Getting started with JSX
- Styled Components
- Introduction to Redux Saga
- Introduction to React Router
- Introduction to React
- React Components
- The Virtual DOM
- React Events
- The React State
- React Props
- The React Fragment
- The React Context API
- React PropTypes
- React concepts: declarative
- React: How to show a different component on click
- How to loop inside React JSX
- Props vs State in React
- Should you use jQuery or React?
- How much JavaScript you need to know to use React?
- Introduction to Gatsby
- How to reference a DOM element in React
- Unidirectional Data Flow in React
- React Higher Order Components
- React Lifecycle Events
- React Concept: Immutability
- React Concept: Purity
- Introduction to React Hooks
- Introduction to create-react-app
- React Concept: Composition
- React: Presentational vs Container Components
- Code Splitting in React
- Server Side Rendering with React
- How to install React
- CSS in React
- Using SASS in React
- Handling Forms in React
- React StrictMode
- React Portals
- React Render Props
- Testing React components
- How to pass a parameter to event handlers in React
- How to handle errors in React
- How to return multiple elements in JSX
- Conditional rendering in React
- React, how to transfer props to child components
- How to get the value of an input element in React
- How to use the useState React hook
- How to use the useCallback React hook
- How to use the useEffect React hook
- How to use the useMemo React hook
- How to use the useRef React hook
- How to use the useContext React hook
- How to use the useReducer React hook
- How to connect your React app to a backend on the same origin
- The Reach Router Tutorial
- How to use the React Developer Tools
- How to learn React
- How to debug a React application
- How to render HTML in React
- How to fix the `dangerouslySetInnerHTML` did not match error in React
- How I fixed an issue with a React login form state and Browser autofill
- How to configure HTTPS in a React app on localhost
- How to fix the "cannot update a component while rendering a different component" error in React
- Can I use React hooks inside a conditional?
- Using useState with an object: how to update
- How to move around blocks of code with React and Tailwind