add chart and canvass accessors

README.md

@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ var MyComponent = React.createClass({
 * all other parameters will be passed through to the ```canvas``` element
 
 
+Chart References
+----------------
+The ```canvas``` element can be retrieved using ```getCanvass``` and the ```chartjs object``` can be retrieved using ```getChart```.
+
+
 ### Other React projects that may interest you
 
 * [jhudson8/react-mixin-manager](https://github.com/jhudson8/react-mixin-manager)

lib/core.js

@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ module.exports = {
       displayName: chartType + 'Chart',
       getInitialState: function() { return {}; },
       render: function() {
-        var _props = {};
+        var _props = {
+          ref: 'canvass'
+        };
         for (var name in this.props) {
           if (this.props.hasOwnProperty(name)) {
             if (name !== 'data' && name !== 'options') {
@@ -46,6 +48,16 @@ module.exports = {
       this.state.chart = chart;
     };
 
+    // return the chartjs instance
+    classData.getChart = function() {
+      return this.state.chart;
+    };
+
+    // return the canvass element that contains the chart
+    classData.getCanvass = function() {
+      return this.refs.canvass.getDOMNode();
+    };
+
     var i;
     for (i=0; i<extras.length; i++) {
       extra(extras[i]);