When should you use useImperativeHandle?

The useImperativeHandler hook will be used in below cases:

• You want to expose imperative methods from a child component
  • Custom input controls exposing focus, clear, or validate methods
  • Modal components exposing open() and close() methods
  • Scroll containers exposing scrollToTop() or scrollToBottom() methods
• You want to hide internal implementation but provide controlled external access.
• You're building reusable component libraries (e.g., inputs, modals, form controls).

Practical Code Example

// When to use useImperativeHandle:
// Exposing specialized imperative controls to parent components (focus, reset, scroll):
useImperativeHandle(ref, () => ({
  focus: () => inputRef.current.focus(),
  clear: () => { inputRef.current.value = ''; }
}));