Discussion on: Using refs in React.js

[Jukka Huuskonen]

This seems to discuss only refs to document elements. You left out the other half of useRef-usage: when you need to have variables in eg. useEffects-hook that may change during effects lifespan, but you don't want to re-run the hook when that value changes. Good example is when you want to do something when the component unmounts.

const valueAtUnmountRef = useRef();

  useEffect(() => {
    yourFunctionToRunOnUnmount(valueAtUnmountRef.current);
  }, []);

Now in components lifetime, you can update the valueAtUnmountRef.current and be assured that yourFunctionToRunOnUnmount has correct value as parameter when component unmounts.

[Amod Shinde]

Thanks a lot for contributing to my knowledege \m/