The difference is that when you use the name ref
, is adhering to a convention already established in the community. Therefore, if a component you develop will require, from those who consume it, a reference, use React.forwardRef
is more appropriate since you can use the name ref
.
Another difference is that, unlike inputRef
(which is, in fact, a prop), ref
is not passed to components as property. This is mentioned in documentation.
I’m not going to explain how React.forwardRef
works because the documentation is already extremely clear on the subject.
Eventually, more than one reference needs to be passed to the component. In such cases, you are required to pass the next route props. This is the case of inputRef
, mentioned in the question.
From the documentation linked by you:
inputRef
, of type ref
, pass a ref
to the input element.
And at the end it still says:
The ref
is forwarded to the root element.
In fact, if we check the source code of the component in question, it can be confirmed that it uses the React.forwardRef
to forward the reference qualified as ref
. The estate inputRef
, since more than one reference can be used in that component, such that:
ref
is routed to the component (internal) TextFieldRoot
;
inputRef
is forwarded to the component (also internal) InputComponent
.
For those who denied this question, if you want to cooperate by saying what’s wrong with it so it can be improved, the community thanks you. If you prefer, it is possible to improve a question that is not yours :)
– Rafael Tavares