Creating a function that can return two separate data types depending on whether optional input is provided

Take a look at this function:

function useCustomElement<T extends HTMLElement>(ref?: React.RefObject<T>) {
  const elementRef = ref ? ref : useRef(null)
  const [value, setValue] = useState(false)

  // perform some operations...

  return ref ? [value] : [elementRef, value]
}

You can utilize this function in two different ways:

const [ref, value] = useCustomElement<HTMLDivElement>()

or

const ref = useRef(null)
const [value] = useCustomElement<HTMLDivElement>(ref)

// TYPE ERROR
<div className="" ref={ref}></div> 

The issue I encountered is:

Type 'boolean | MutableRefObject<any>' is not compatible with type 'LegacyRef<HTMLDivElement>'.
Type 'false' does not match the type 'LegacyRef<HTMLDivElement>'

How do I properly type the function to ensure the return type is always accurate?

Answer №1

Typescript does not automatically determine the return type based on a condition. To achieve this, you must utilize overloads:

function useSomething<T extends Element>(ref: React.RefObject<T>): [boolean]
function useSomething<T extends Element>(): [React.RefObject<T>, boolean]
function useSomething<T extends Element>(ref?: React.RefObject<T>) {
  const elementRef = ref ? ref : useRef(null)
  const [bb, setBb] = useState(false)

  // do something...

  return ref ? [bb] : [elementRef, bb]
}

Playground Link

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