williamlimasilva/react18-string-refs
skills/react18-string-refs/SKILL.md
Provides exact migration patterns for React string refs (ref="name" + this.refs.name) to React.createRef() in class components. Use this skill whenever migrating string ref usage - including single element refs, multiple refs in a component, refs in lists, callback refs, and refs passed to child components. Always use this skill before writing any ref migration code - the multiple-refs-in-list pattern is particularly tricky and this skill prevents the most common mistakes. Use it for React 18.3.1 migration (string refs warn) and React 19 migration (string refs removed).
development
Updated May 5, 2026
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add williamlimasilva/.copilot react18-string-refsInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
Security Scan Results
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
3
Scanners Passed
9
Scanners in report
Clean
TrivyContainer and dependency vulnerability scanner
95%
Clean
SemgrepStatic code analysis for vulnerabilities
95%
Clean
mcp-scan (Snyk)Model Context Protocol security validation
95%
Skipped
Snyk (dep)Open source security scanning
50%
Skipped
Socket.devSupply chain security analysis
50%
Skipped
VirusTotalMulti-engine malware detection
50%
Skipped
CrowdStrikeAdvanced threat intelligence
50%
Skipped
OSV-ScannerOpen Source Vulnerability database check
50%
Skipped
OWASP Dep-Check
50%
Last scanned: Apr 11, 2026, 3:44 AM5.8s2 files scanned
SKILL.md
- name:
- react18-string-refs
- description:
- Provides exact migration patterns for React string refs (ref="name" + this.refs.name) to React.createRef() in class components. Use this skill whenever migrating string ref usage - including single element refs, multiple refs in a component, refs in lists, callback refs, and refs passed to child components. Always use this skill before writing any ref migration code - the multiple-refs-in-list pattern is particularly tricky and this skill prevents the most common mistakes. Use it for React 18.3.1 migration (string refs warn) and React 19 migration (string refs removed).
React 18 String Refs Migration
String refs (ref="myInput" + this.refs.myInput) were deprecated in React 16.3, warn in React 18.3.1, and are removed in React 19.
Quick Pattern Map
| Pattern | Reference | |---|---| | Single ref on a DOM element | → patterns.md#single-ref | | Multiple refs in one component | → patterns.md#multiple-refs | | Refs in a list / dynamic refs | → patterns.md#list-refs | | Callback refs (alternative approach) | → patterns.md#callback-refs | | Ref passed to a child component | → patterns.md#forwarded-refs |
Scan Command
# Find all string ref assignments in JSX
grep -rn 'ref="' src/ --include="*.js" --include="*.jsx" | grep -v "\.test\."
# Find all this.refs accessors
grep -rn "this\.refs\." src/ --include="*.js" --include="*.jsx" | grep -v "\.test\."
Both should be migrated together - find the ref="name" and the this.refs.name accesses for each component as a pair.
The Migration Rule
Every string ref migrates to React.createRef():
- Add
refName = React.createRef();as a class field (or in constructor) - Replace
ref="refName"→ref={this.refName}in JSX - Replace
this.refs.refName→this.refName.currenteverywhere
Read references/patterns.md for the full before/after for each case.
Related Skills
williamlimasilva/workshop-create
tools
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Create a new workshop or use an existing directory as one. Handles two paths: (A) use an existing local directory the operator points at, or (B) create a new private GitHub repo in the signed-in account. Never creates a repo inside another repo.
SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 22, 2026
williamlimasilva/vcpkg
development
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Guide for setting up vcpkg in C++ projects, managing dependency versions, and cross-compiling. Covers manifest initialization, CMake and Visual Studio integration, classic-to-manifest migration, version pinning, baselines, overrides, triplets, and cross-compilation. Use when a user is working with vcpkg project setup, installation, version management, or cross-platform builds. For specialized tasks, additional references cover custom registries and overlay ports (references/registries.md), CI/CD and binary caching (references/ci.md), and troubleshooting and dependency lifecycle (references/troubleshooting.md).
SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 22, 2026
williamlimasilva/signal-write
testing
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Emit structured agent signals — hands-up, blocked, done, checkpoint, partnership. Signals are written as JSON to .signals/ for dashboard consumption and noted in the journal for persistence.
SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 22, 2026
williamlimasilva/markstream-install
development
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Install and configure Markstream streaming Markdown renderers for Vue, React, Svelte, Angular, Nuxt, and Vue 2 applications. Use for package selection, minimal peer dependencies, CSS order, SSR boundaries, streaming mode, and renderer setup.
SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 22, 2026