Refs in React are used primarily to access and interact with DOM nodes or React components directly from within the functional logic of a React application. Here are the key uses and functionalities of refs in React:
Accessing DOM Elements: Refs provide a way to directly access a DOM element in React components. This is particularly useful for managing focus, media playback, or triggering animations directly in the DOM[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
Integrating with Third-Party DOM Libraries: When using third-party libraries that interact with the DOM, refs can be essential for integrating these libraries within your React components. This is because many of these libraries require direct DOM manipulation to function correctly[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
Manipulating React Components: Beyond DOM elements, refs can also be used to access and manage React components themselves. This can be useful for managing component state or behavior from a parent component without relying on props or re-rendering[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
Non-Reactive Updates: Since updating a ref does not trigger a component re-render, they are useful for storing values that can change without needing to re-render the component. This is particularly useful for values that need to persist across renders but do not directly influence the output[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
Forwarding Refs: Refs can be passed to child components using the forwardRef API in React. This is useful when a child component needs to be accessed directly from a parent component[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
Callback Refs: This approach involves defining a ref using a callback function. This function is executed when the...
