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Animating with Clip-Path
9.7.2019
clip-path is one of those CSS properties we generally know is there but might not reach for often for whatever reason. It’s a little intimidating in the sense that it feels like math class because it requires working with geometric shapes, each with different values that draw certain shapes...
Haunted: Hooks for Web Components
3.7.2019
I was just chatting with Dave and he told me about Haunted. It's hooks, but for native web components! Pretty cool. I think the existence of stuff like this makes using web components more and more palatable — particularly in that totally-native no-build-step-needed-at-all kinda way.
I...
Byte Sized Computer Science: Order of Operations
25.6.2019
As a coder, you're probably pretty used to telling computers what to do. Type up some code, run it, and the computer gets to work executing whatever command you gave it.
Even though we have
Drawing Realistic Clouds with SVG and CSS
13.6.2019
Greek mythology tells the story of Zeus creating the cloud nymph, Nephele. Like other Greek myths, this tale gets pretty bizarre and X-rated. Here’s a very abridged, polite version.
Nephele, we are told, was created by Zeus in the image of his own beautiful wife. A mortal meets Nephele, falls...
Color contrast accessibility tools
29.5.2019
Accessibility is all the rage these days, specifically when it comes to color contrast. I’ve stumbled upon a couple of tools this week that I think are pretty nifty for helping make sure that all of the text on our websites is legible regardless of what background color they might have.
First...
How I Use CleanMyMac X
21.5.2019
[Chris]: I'm a lifelong Mac user. Ever since our family upgraded from a Commodore 128 to an Apple Macintosh Performa 636 (CD) when I was in middle school, I've never owned or worked on anything other than a Mac. I'm pretty dedicated to running a clean, fast, optimized, safe, and organized machine....
Change Color of SVG on Hover
13.5.2019
There are a lot of different ways to use SVG. Depending on which way, the tactic for recoloring that SVG in different states or conditions — :hover, :active, :focus, class name change, etc. — is different.
Let's look at the ways.
Inline SVG
Inline SVG is my favorite way to use...
A CSS Golfing Exercise
6.5.2019
Code golfing is a type of programming where the goal is to accomplish a task using as few bytes as possible. CSSBattle is a code golfing battleground where players complete to recreate target images using CSS and HTML.
The rules are fairly simple:
No external resources (sorry, no <img...
Making the Move from jQuery to Vue
3.5.2019
As someone who has used jQuery for many. years and has recently become a Vue convert, I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss the migration process of working with one to the other.
Before I begin though, I want to ensure one thing is crystal clear. I am not, in any way whatsoever...
The Many Ways of Getting Data Into Charts
1.5.2019
Data is available everywhere nowadays, whether it’s in a plain text file, a REST API, an online Google sheet… you name it! It’s that variety of context that makes building graphs more than simply having a database in your local project — where there is data, there is a way.
That’s pretty much what...
An Introduction To Storybook: Organize How You Build JS Components
24.4.2019
What is Storybook?
Storybook is an open source tool for developing UI components in isolation and it integrates pretty well with most front end fram
Using the Web Speech API for Multilingual Translations
12.4.2019
Since the early days of science fiction, we have fantasized about machines that talk to us. Today it is commonplace. Even so, the technology for making websites talk is still pretty new.
We can make our pages on the web talk using the SpeechSynthesis part of the Web Speech API. This is still...
Inline SVG… Cached
12.4.2019
I wrote that using inline <svg> icons makes for the best icon system. I still think that's true. It's the easiest possible way to drop an icon onto a page. No network request, perfectly styleable.
But inlining code has some drawbacks, one of which is that it doesn't take advantage...
How to Reverse a Video
9.4.2019
One of my favorite media utilities is ffmpeg. This command line utility allows us to do some pretty amazing stuff like; Slice videos Convert video formats Modify video speed Combine audio and video Every once in a while I see a meme or funny video that reverses a video for effect. Since ffmpeg does...
Fixed Headers, On-Page Links, and Overlapping Content, Oh My!
3.4.2019
Let's take a basic on-page link:
<a href="#section-two">Section Two</a>
When clicked, the browser will scroll itself to the element with that ID: <section id="section-two"></section>. A browser feature as old as browsers themselves, just about.
But as soon as...
Better Than Native
27.3.2019
Andy Bell wrote up his thoughts about the whole web versus native app debate which I think is super interesting. It was hard to make it through the post because I was nodding so aggressively as I read:
The whole idea of competing with native apps seems pretty daft to me, too. The web gives us...
All About mailto: Links
22.3.2019
You can make a garden variety anchor link (<a>) open up a new email. Let's take a little journey into this feature. It's pretty easy to use, but as with anything web, there are lots of things to consider.
The basic functionality
<a href="mailto:someone@yoursite.com">Email...
It’s pretty cool how Netlify CMS works with any flat file site generator
21.3.2019
Little confession here: when I first saw Netlify CMS at a glance, I thought: cool, maybe I'll try that someday when I'm exploring CMSs for a new project. Then as I looked at it with fresh eyes: I can already use this! It's a true CMS in that it adds a content management UI on top of any static site...
The Whole Spreadsheets as Databases Thing is Pretty Cool
18.3.2019
A spreadsheet has always been a strong (if fairly literal) analogy for a database. A database has tables, which is like a single spreadsheet. Imagine a spreadsheet for tracking RSVPs for a wedding. Across the top, column titles like First Name, Last Name, Address, and Attending?. Those titles...
Recreating the Facebook Messenger Gradient Effect with CSS
1.3.2019
One Sunday morning, I woke up a little earlier than I would’ve liked to, thanks to the persistent buzzing of my phone. I reached out, tapped into Facebook Messenger, and joined the conversation. Pretty soon my attention went from the actual conversations to the funky gradient effect of the message...