ReactDOM.findDOMNode

ReactDOM.findDOMNode

DOMElement findDOMNode(ReactComponent component)

If this component has been mounted into the DOM, this returns the corresponding native browser DOM element. This method is useful for reading values out of the DOM, such as form field values and performing DOM measurements. In most cases, you can attach a ref to the DOM node and avoid using findDOMNode at all. When render returns null or false, findDOMNode returns null.

findDOMNode() is an escape hatch used to access the underlying DOM node. In most cases, use of this escape hatch is discouraged because it pierces the component abstraction.

findDOMNode() only works on mounted components (that is, components that have been placed in the DOM). If you try to call this on a component that has not been mounted yet (like calling findDOMNode() in render() on a component that has yet to be created) an exception will be thrown.

findDOMNode() cannot be used on stateless components.