Vue.js: Getting the element in a Component

In this tutorial, we are going to learn about how to get the element inside a component in the Vue app.

Getting the Element

1. Add the ref attribute with a value to the element like this.

<template>
    <input ref="nameInput" /></template>

2. Now, in the component <script> tag we can access the above element using this.$refs.nameInput property.

<script>
  export default{
    mounted(){
       console.log(this.$refs.nameInput);    }
  }
</script>

You can also manipulate the element behavior like this.

this.$refs.nameInput.focus();

or you can access the input element value.

this.$refs.nameInput.value;

Note: The $refs are available after a component has been rendered and they are not reactive, so that you should avoid accessing refs inside the created() lifecycle hook, computed properties.