In React, useRef is a hook that provides a way to interact with the DOM directly. It returns a mutable object called a ref object, which has a current property. The current property can be assigned a reference to a DOM element, allowing you to access and interact with the DOM directly.
Here’s a basic overview of how you can use useRef in a Next.js application or any React application:
Create a ref object.
You can provide an initial value if needed. The initial value is commonly set to null or an empty object.
The useEffect hook ensures that the code inside it runs after the component is mounted. This is a common pattern when you need to perform actions on the DOM elements after they have been rendered.