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What is the difference between ElementRef, TemplateRef, and ViewContainerRef?

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01

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Compare views and elements reference wrappers.

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03

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ElementRef wraps a raw DOM element. TemplateRef represents an uninstantiated template block (<ng-template>). ViewContainerRef represents a container where views can be dynamically created, attached, or destroyed.

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04

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Using all three references in dynamic layout creation
import { Component, ViewChild, ElementRef, TemplateRef, ViewContainerRef, AfterViewInit } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-sandbox',
  standalone: true,
  template: '<input #inputField type="text" />' +
    '<ng-template #templateRef><p>Inside dynamic view template</p></ng-template>' +
    '<ng-container #viewContainer></ng-container>'
})
export class SandboxComponent implements AfterViewInit {
  @ViewChild('inputField') inputEl!: ElementRef;
  @ViewChild('templateRef') template!: TemplateRef<any>;
  @ViewChild('viewContainer', { read: ViewContainerRef }) host!: ViewContainerRef;

  ngAfterViewInit() {
    this.inputEl.nativeElement.focus();
    this.host.createEmbeddedView(this.template);
  }
}
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