How to Reference a DOM Element in React

Learn the best way to reference a DOM element in React

React is an excellent framework for abstracting the DOM when building applications. However, there may be situations where you need to access the actual DOM element represented by a React component. This could be because you need to integrate a library that interacts directly with the DOM, call a DOM API, or focus on a specific element.

To begin, it’s important to ensure that you have explored all other options before resorting to accessing the DOM directly. It’s always best to follow good practices and utilize React’s abstraction as much as possible.

You can reference a DOM element in React by assigning its reference to a component property using the ref attribute. Here’s an example of how it can be done:

ref={el => this.someProperty = el}

To provide some context, let’s imagine you want to reference a button element:

<button ref={el => (this.button = el)} />

In this case, button refers to a property of the component, and you can use it within your component’s lifecycle methods or other methods to interact with the DOM:

class SomeComponent extends Component {
 render() {
 return <button ref={el => (this.button = el)} />
 }
}

If you are working with a function component, the process is similar, but without the use of this (since it does not point to the component instance). Instead, you can use a property:

function SomeComponent() {
 let button
 return <button ref={el => (button = el)} />
}

By following these steps, you can easily reference a DOM element within your React components. Remember to only access the DOM directly when absolutely necessary and explore other options provided by React first.