useRef

Allows you to create a mutable reference to a value or a DOM element that persists across re-renders.

Useful for:

  • Accessing and manipulating DOM elements directly: You can create a that points to a specific element in the DOM, enabling you to interact with it using imperative calls instead of relying solely on the declarative approach of rendering components.
  • Storing persistent values: useRef provides a way to store values that need to remain the same during re-renders. This is beneficial for scenarios like tracking previous values, managing timers, or storing references to external libraries.
  • Working with values that don't trigger re-renders: If a value doesn't affect the component's rendering, useRef is a good choice to avoid unnecessary re-renders due to state updates.

Example

import { useRef } from "kaioken"

function App() {
  const inputRef = useRef(null) // Create a ref for the input element

  const handleClick = () => {
    inputRef.current?.focus() // Access and focus the input element using the ref
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <input ref={inputRef} type="text" />
      <button onclick={handleClick}>Focus Input</button>
    </div>
  )
}

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