Is it safe to use ref.current as useEffect's dependency when ref points to a DOM element?

Question

I'm aware that ref is a mutable container so it should not be listed in useEffect's dependencies, however ref.current could be a changing value.

When a ref is used to store a DOM element like <div ref={ref}>, and when I develop a custom hook that relies on that element, to suppose ref.current can change over time if a component returns conditionally like:

const Foo = ({inline}) => {
  const ref = useRef(null);
  return inline ? <span ref={ref} /> : <div ref={ref} />;
};

Is it safe that my custom effect receiving a ref object and use ref.current as a dependency?

const useFoo = ref => {
  useEffect(
    () => {
      const element = ref.current;
      // Maybe observe the resize of element
    },
    [ref.current]
  );
};

I've read this comment saying ref should be used in useEffect, but I can't figure out any case where ref.current is changed but an effect will not trigger.

As that issue suggested, I should use a callback ref, but a ref as argument is very friendly to integrate multiple hooks:

const ref = useRef(null);
useFoo(ref);
useBar(ref);

While callback refs are harder to use since users are enforced to compose them:

const fooRef = useFoo();
const barRef = useBar();
const ref = element => {
  fooRef(element);
  barRef(element);
};

<div ref={ref} />

This is why I'm asking whether it is safe to use ref.current in useEffect.

Answer 1

It isn't safe because mutating the reference won't trigger a render, therefore, won't trigger the useEffect.

React Hook useEffect has an unnecessary dependency: 'ref.current'. Either exclude it or remove the dependency array. Mutable values like 'ref.current' aren't valid dependencies because mutating them doesn't re-render the component. (react-hooks/exhaustive-deps)

An anti-pattern example:

const Foo = () => {
  const [, render] = useReducer(p => !p, false);
  const ref = useRef(0);

  const onClickRender = () => {
    ref.current += 1;
    render();
  };

  const onClickNoRender = () => {
    ref.current += 1;
  };

  useEffect(() => {
    console.log('ref changed');
  }, [ref.current]);

  return (
    <>
      <button onClick={onClickRender}>Render</button>
      <button onClick={onClickNoRender}>No Render</button>
    </>
  );
};

---

A real life use case related to this pattern is when we want to have a persistent reference, even when the element unmounts.

Check the next example where we can't persist with element sizing when it unmounts. We will try to use useRef with useEffect combo as above, but it won't work.

// BAD EXAMPLE, SEE SOLUTION BELOW
const Component = () => {
  const ref = useRef();

  const [isMounted, toggle] = useReducer((p) => !p, true);
  const [elementRect, setElementRect] = useState();

  useEffect(() => {
    console.log(ref.current);
    setElementRect(ref.current?.getBoundingClientRect());
  }, [ref.current]);

  return (
    <>
      {isMounted && <div ref={ref}>Example</div>}
      <button onClick={toggle}>Toggle</button>
      <pre>{JSON.stringify(elementRect, null, 2)}</pre>
    </>
  );
};

---

Surprisingly, to fix it we need to handle the node directly while memoizing the function with useCallback:

// GOOD EXAMPLE
const Component = () => {
  const [isMounted, toggle] = useReducer((p) => !p, true);
  const [elementRect, setElementRect] = useState();

  const handleRect = useCallback((node) => {
    setElementRect(node?.getBoundingClientRect());
  }, []);

  return (
    <>
      {isMounted && <div ref={handleRect}>Example</div>}
      <button onClick={toggle}>Toggle</button>
      <pre>{JSON.stringify(elementRect, null, 2)}</pre>
    </>
  );
};

• See another example in React Docs: How can I measure a DOM node?
• Further reading and more examples see uses of useEffect

Answer 2

2021 answer:

This article explains the issue with using refs along with useEffect: Ref objects inside useEffect Hooks:

The useRef hook can be a trap for your custom hook, if you combine it with a useEffect that skips rendering. Your first instinct will be to add ref.current to the second argument of useEffect, so it will update once the ref changes. But the ref isn’t updated till after your component has rendered — meaning, any useEffect that skips rendering, won’t see any changes to the ref before the next render pass.

Also as mentioned in this article, the official react docs have now been updated with the recommended approach (which is to use a callback instead of a ref + effect). See How can I measure a DOM node?:

function MeasureExample() {
  const [height, setHeight] = useState(0);

  const measuredRef = useCallback(node => {
    if (node !== null) {
      setHeight(node.getBoundingClientRect().height);
    }
  }, []);

  return (
    <>
      <h1 ref={measuredRef}>Hello, world</h1>
      <h2>The above header is {Math.round(height)}px tall</h2>
    </>
  );
}

Answer 3

I faced the same problem and I created a custom hook with Typescript and an official approach with ref callback. Hope that it will be helpful.

export const useRefHeightMeasure = <T extends HTMLElement>() => {
  const [height, setHeight] = useState(0)

  const refCallback = useCallback((node: T) => {
    if (node !== null) {
      setHeight(node.getBoundingClientRect().height)
    }
  }, [])

  return { height, refCallback }
}

Answer 4

I faced a similar problem wherein my ESLint complained about ref.current usage inside a useCallback. I added a custom hook to my project to circumvent this eslint warning. It toggles a variable to force re-computation of the useCallback whenever ref object changes.

import { RefObject, useCallback, useRef, useState } from "react";

/**
 * This hook can be used when using ref inside useCallbacks
 * 
 * Usage
 * ```ts
 * const [toggle, refCallback, myRef] = useRefWithCallback<HTMLSpanElement>();
 * const onClick = useCallback(() => {
    if (myRef.current) {
      myRef.current.scrollIntoView({ behavior: "smooth" });
    }
    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
  }, [toggle]);
  return (<span ref={refCallback} />);
  ```
 * @returns 
 */
function useRefWithCallback<T extends HTMLSpanElement | HTMLDivElement | HTMLParagraphElement>(): [
  boolean,
  (node: any) => void,
  RefObject<T>
] {
  const ref = useRef<T | null>(null);
  const [toggle, setToggle] = useState(false);
  const refCallback = useCallback(node => {
    ref.current = node;
    setToggle(val => !val);
  }, []);

  return [toggle, refCallback, ref];
}

export default useRefWithCallback;