---
title: 'Node Refs'
description: 'Out-of-band DOM access'
---

The `ref` attribute can be used to attach the `NodeRef` to an HTML element. In callbacks,
you can then get the DOM `Element` that the ref is attached to. This can be used to make
changes to the DOM outside of the `view` lifecycle method, retrieve the value of an `<input>`
and other direct interactions with the DOM via the javascript API.

This is useful for getting ahold of canvas elements, or scrolling to different sections of a page.

:::caution
Do not manually modify the DOM tree that is rendered by Yew. Treat the `NodeRef` as a read-only
access, if you are unsure.
:::

## Further Reading

-   [use_node_ref hook](https://yew-rs-api.web.app/next/yew/functional/fn.use_node_ref.html)
-   [`node_refs` example](https://github.com/yewstack/yew/tree/yew-v0.20.0/examples/node_refs)
