VueJS 3: Access root HTML element in a slot - vue.js

Question

how do I reliably access the root HTML element in a slot? I tried slots.default()[0].el but its not consistent. I realized if the slot is a simple html, it is not null, which is great, but if it has some vue directives or components, it will be null. So how can I reliably get hold of the root HTML Element in a slot?

Answer 1

I found one possible solution: that is to have the slot content provider to explicitly set the element you want to reference to by providing a slot-prop method to invoke. And also since Vue 3 template supports multiple root elements, its not really reliable to assume that the slot will always have one root element.
Here is the example of the solution:
<template>
<slot :set-element="(el) => element = el"></slot>
</template>
<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref, watchEffect } from "vue";
const element = ref<Element | null>(null);
watchEffect(() => {
console.log(element.value);
});
</script>
In the usage of the component, inject the slot props and use the Function Refs syntax
<MyComponent v-slot="{ setElement }">
<div :ref="(el) => setElement(el)">...</div>
<div>...</div>
</MyComponent>

Answer 2

You could access a slot's root HTML element directly with the slot's vnode property and in your component script, you can using this.$refs.root.
Here is an example:
<template v-slot:[slotName]="{ vnode }">
<div ref="root">
<!-- your slot content goes here -->
</div>
</template>
mounted() {
const root = this.$refs.root as HTMLElement;
console.log(root);
}
EDIT
The official documentation for v-slot can be found here: https://vuejs.org/api/built-in-directives.html#v-slot
Instead, the official documentation for $refs can be found here: https://v3.vuejs.org/guide/composition-api-template-refs.html