How can I use multiple refs for an array of elements with hooks?

Using Multiple Refs for an Array of Elements with Hooks

🤔 Have you ever wondered how to use multiple refs for an array of elements with React Hooks? Well, you're not alone! Many developers have faced this issue and struggled to find an easy solution. But fret not, I'm here to guide you through it step by step! 🚀

The Problem

In React, using a single ref for a single element is straightforward. You simply create a ref using the useRef hook, attach it to the desired element, and voila! But when it comes to working with an array of elements, things get a bit trickier. You can't simply use the same ref for multiple elements, right? Let's see how the solution to this problem unfolds. 😏

The Solution

The solution lies in creating an array of refs, where each ref corresponds to an element in the array. This way, you can individually handle each element separately. Here's how you can do it:

1. Import the necessary hooks from the React library:

   const { useRef, useState, useEffect } = React;

2. Begin by creating a functional component, let's call it App:

   const App = () => { // Step 3 and 4 will go here };

3. Declare two new state variables: elRefs and elWidths. The elRefs array will store the refs for each element, while elWidths will store the width of each element:

   const [elRefs, setElRefs] = useState([]); const [elWidths, setElWidths] = useState([]);

4. In the useEffect hook, initialize the elRefs array with refs for each element and set the elWidths array to match the number of elements, but with all widths initially set to 0:

   useEffect(() => { setElRefs((refs) => Array(3) // Replace 3 with the actual number of elements in your array .fill() .map((_, i) => refs[i] || React.createRef()) ); setElWidths(Array(3).fill(0)); // Replace 3 with the actual number of elements in your array }, []);

   💡 In this example, we assume you have three elements in your array. Replace the 3 with the actual number of elements in your case.

5. For each element in your array, render a <div> element and attach the corresponding ref from the elRefs array:

   return ( <div> {[1, 2, 3].map((el, index) => ( <div key={index} ref={elRefs[index]} style={{ width: `${el * 100}px` }} > Width is: {elWidths[index]}px </div> ))} </div> );

   💡 Remember to replace [1, 2, 3] with your actual array.

6. Update the useEffect hook to calculate and update the width of each element when the component mounts or whenever the elRefs array changes:

   useEffect(() => { elRefs.forEach((ref, index) => { setElWidths((widths) => widths.map((_, i) => (i === index ? ref.current.offsetWidth : widths[i])) ); }); }, [elRefs]);

   💡 The elRefs array is added as a dependency to the useEffect hook to trigger the recalculation of widths whenever it changes.

7. Finally, render the App component within the root element of your HTML document:

   ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById("root"));

✨ And there you have it! By following these steps, you can easily use multiple refs for an array of elements with React Hooks. 🎉

Conclusion

Using multiple refs for an array of elements might have seemed challenging at first, but with the right approach, it can be easily accomplished. By creating an array of refs and managing their state, you can handle each element individually and perform actions specific to each one.

If you found this guide helpful, don't forget to share it with other developers who might be struggling with the same issue. And also, let me know in the comments how you used this solution in your own projects! I'm excited to see the creative ways you implement it! 🙌

Happy coding! 💻🚀