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Smooth Scrolling for Screencasts
13.3.2019
Let's say you wanted to scroll a web page from top to bottom programmatically. For example, you're recording a screencast and want a nice full-page scroll. You probably can't scroll it yourself because it'll be all uneven and jerky. Native JavaScript can do smooth scrolling. Here's a tiny snippet...
Application Holotypes
13.3.2019
It's entirely too common to make broad-sweeping statements about all websites. Jason Miller:
We often make generalizations about applications we see in the wild, both anecdotal and statistical: "Single-Page Applications are slower than multipage" or "apps with low TTI loaded fast". However,...
Getting into GraphQL with AWS AppSync
12.3.2019
GraphQL is becoming increasingly popular. The problem is that if you are a front-end developer, you are only half of the way there. GraphQL is not just a client technology. The server also has to be implemented according to the specification. This means that in order to implement GraphQL into your...
Stackbit
12.3.2019
This is not a sponsored post. I requested a beta access for this site called Stackbit a while back, got my invite the other day, and thought it was a darn fine idea that's relevant to us web nerds — particularly those of us who spin up a lot of JAMstack sites.
I'm a big fan of the whole idea...
Downsides of Smooth Scrolling
11.3.2019
Smooth scrolling has gotten a lot easier. If you want it all the time on your page, and you are happy letting the browser deal with the duration for you, it's a single line of CSS:
html {
scroll-behavior: smooth;
}
I tried this on version 17 of this site, and it was the second most-hated thing...
Accessibility is not a “React Problem”
11.3.2019
Leslie Cohn-Wein's main point:
While [lots of divs, inline styles, focus management problems] are valid concerns, it should be noted that nothing in React prevents us from building accessible web apps.
True. I'm quite capable (and sadly, guilty) of building inaccessible interfaces with React...
Extending Google Analytics on CSS-Tricks with Custom Dimensions
11.3.2019
The idea for this article sparked when Chris wrote this in Thank You (2018 Edition):
I almost wish our URLs had years in them because I still don't have a way to scope analytic data to only show me data from content published this year. I can see the most popular stuff from the year, but that's...
Get Started with Node: An Introduction to APIs, HTTP and ES6+ JavaScript
11.3.2019
Jamie Corkhill has written this wonderful post about Node and I think it’s perhaps one of the best technical articles I’ve ever read. Not only is it jam-packed with information for folks like me who aren't writing JavaScript everyday, it is also incredibly deliberate as Jamie slowly walks through...
The Dark Side of the Grid
10.3.2019
Manuel Matuzovic makes the point that in order to use CSS grid in some fairly simple markup scenarios, we might be tempted to flatten our HTML to make sure all the elements we need to can participate on the grid. What we need is subgrid and non-buggy display: contents;, so I'd like to think in...
HMTL, CSS and JS in an ADD, OCD, Bi-Polar, Dyslexic and Autistic World
8.3.2019
Hey CSS-Tricksters! A lot of folks tweeted, emailed, commented and even courier pigeoned (OK, maybe not that) stories about their personal journeys learning web development after we published "The Great Divide" essay. One of those stories was from Tim Smith and, it was so interesting, that...
Styling Based on Scroll Position
7.3.2019
Rik Schennink documents a system for being able to write CSS selectors that style a page when it has scrolled to a certain point. If you're like me, you're already on the lookout for document.addEventListener('scroll' ... and being terrified about performance. Rik gets to that right away by both...
8 Little Videos About the Firefox Shape Path Editor
7.3.2019
It sometimes takes a quick 35 seconds for a concept to really sink in. Mikael Ainalem delivers that here, in the case that you haven't quite grokked the concepts behind path-based CSS properties like clip-path and shape-outside.
Here are two of my favorites. The first demonstrates animating text...
Level up your JavaScript error monitoring
7.3.2019
(This is a sponsored post.)
Automatically detect and diagnose JavaScript errors impacting your users with Bugsnag. Get comprehensive diagnostic reports, know immediately which errors are worth fixing, and debug in a fraction of the time.
Bugsnag detects every single error and prioritizes errors...
Level up your JavaScript error monitoring
7.3.2019
(This is a sponsored post.)
Automatically detect and diagnose JavaScript errors impacting your users with Bugsnag. Get comprehensive diagnostic reports, know immediately which errors are worth fixing, and debug in a fraction of the time.
Bugsnag detects every single error and prioritizes errors...
Using React Loadable for Code Splitting by Components and Routes
7.3.2019
In a bid to have web applications serve needs for different types of users, it’s likely that more code is required than it would be for one type of user so the app can handle and adapt to different scenarios and use cases, which lead to new features and functionalities. When this happens, it’s...
Native Video on the Web
6.3.2019
TIL about the HLS video format:
HLS stands for HTTP Live Streaming. It’s an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol developed by Apple. One of those sentences to casually drop at any party. Äh. Back on track: HLS allows you to specify a playlist with multiple video sources in different resolutions....
CSS Algorithms
6.3.2019
I wouldn't say the term "CSS algorithm" has widespread usage yet, but I think Lara Schenck might be onto something. She defines it as:
a well-defined declaration or set of declarations that produces a specific styling output
So a CSS algorithm isn't really a component where there is some parent...
Extracting Text from Content Using HTML Slot, HTML Template and Shadow DOM
6.3.2019
Chapter names in books, quotes from a speech, keywords in an article, stats on a report — these are all types of content that could be helpful to isolate and turn into a high-level summary of what's important.
For example, have you seen the way Business Insider provides an article's key points...
The Client/Server Rendering Spectrum
6.3.2019
I've definitely been guilty of thinking about rendering on the web as a two-horse race. There is Server-Side Rendering (SSR, like this WordPress site is doing) and Client-Side Rendering (CSR, like a typical React app). Both are full of advantages and disadvantages. But, of course, the conversation...
Refactoring Tunnels
6.3.2019
We’ve been writing a lot about refactoring CSS lately, from how to take a slow and methodical approach to getting some quick wins. As a result, I’ve been reading a ton about this topic and somehow stumbled upon this post by Harry Roberts about refactoring and how to mitigate the potential risks...