We can already detect dimension change by using ref and useEffect in React:
useEffect(() => {
console.log("height changed to", ref.current?.clientHeight)
}, [ref.current?.clientHeight])
I wonder what is the advantage of ResizeObserver over this ref + useEffect approach? I'm surprised there's no online discussion around this, given ResizeObserver has been there for awhile since 2018. I can see if you're using Vanilla Javascript then ResizeObserver might be the best way to get dynamic height.
But in React I just don't understand how ResizeObserver API is better. I tested both and in Chrome both fire updates almost at the same time. I researched online and many are talking about how to use React Hook with ResizeObserver, but rarely do these posts talk about ref + useEffect already suffice.
Does anyone know if using React, any advantage using ResizeObserver API, or it really doesn't differ much from ref + useEffect approach?
We can already detect dimension change by using ref and useEffect in React:
For a useEffect to run, the component must be rendering. For the component to be rendering, something somewhere must have set state. So if all of that is happening, then yes, your effect can notice the size has changed since the previous render.
But if nothing sets state, then none of that will happen. Maybe you're getting lucky, and some component happens to be setting state around the time the size changes, but that's not something you should rely on. If you delete some random component, or try to optimize performance by skipping rendering, you can suddenly break your resize "detection" code.
The point of the resize observer is to get notified that the change has happened. Then you can set state, and cause the rerender. So now instead of hoping a rerender happens, you know it will happen.