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Revisiting the abbr element
7.2.2019
An irresistible HTML element deep dive from Ire Aderinokun, this time on the <abbr title=""> element for abbreviations. You can kinda just use it (JUI) and it works fine, but if you're hoping to make a tooltip for them (which works on touchscreens as well), then it's much more complicated....
JavaScript Glossary: Array .every() Method
6.2.2019
Basics
The every method checks that each element in an array passes a set test. This method will return true if all the elements pass the set. Once an element tha
Using the Little-Known CSS element() Function to Create a Minimap Navigator
5.2.2019
W3C’s CSS Working Group often gives us brilliant CSS features to experiment with. Sometimes we come across something so cool that sticks a grin on our face, but it vanishes right away because we think, “that’s great, but what do I do with it?” The element() function was like that for me. It’s a...
Putting the Flexbox Albatross to Real Use
24.1.2019
If you hadn't seen it, Heydon posted a rather clever flexbox layout pattern that, in a sense, mimics what you could do with a container query by forcing an element to stack at a certain container width. I was particularly interested, as I was fighting a little layout situation at the time I...
React indeterminate
22.1.2019
I’ve fallen in love with React.js and JSX over the years; state-based rendering and a logical workflow have made me see the light of this modern framework. That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes get a bit frustrated that the “simple” things seem harder than they should...
Does it mutate?
18.1.2019
This little site by Remy Sharp's makes it clear whether or not a JavaScript method changes the original array (aka mutates) or not.
I was actually bitten by this the other day. I needed the last element from an array, so I remembered .pop() and used it.
const arr = ["doe", "ray", "mee"];
const...
2019 CSS Wishlist
17.1.2019
What do you wish CSS could do natively that it can't do now? First, let's review the last time we did this in 2013.
❌ "I'd like to be able to select an element based on if it contains another particular selector"
❌ "I'd like to be able to select an element based on the content...
Using React Portals to Render Children Outside the DOM Hierarchy
15.1.2019
Say we need to render a child element into a React application. Easy right? That child is mounted to the nearest DOM element and rendered inside of it as a result.
render() {
return (
<div>
// Child to render inside of the div
</div>
);
}
But! What if we want...
Styling a Web Component
8.1.2019
This confused me for a bit here so I'm writing it out while it's fresh in mind. Just because you're using a web component doesn't mean the styles of it are entirely isolated. You might have content within a web component that is styled normally along with the rest of your website. Like this:
See...
Gradient Borders in CSS
28.12.2018
Let's say you need a gradient border around an element. My mind goes like this:
There is no simple obvious CSS API for this.
I'll just make a wrapper element with a linear-gradient background, then an inner element will block out most of that background, except a thin line of padding around...
People Talkin’ Shapes
22.12.2018
Codrops has a very nice article on CSS Shapes from Tania Rascia. You might know shape-outside is for redefining the area by which text is floated around that element, allowing for some interesting design opportunities. But there are a couple of genuine CSS tricks in here:
Float shape-outside...
Google Labs Web Components
10.12.2018
I think it's kinda cool to see Google dropping repos of interesting web components. It demonstrates the possibilities of cool new web features and allows them to ship them in a way that's compatible with entirely web standards.
Here's one: <two-up>
I wanted to give it a try, so I linked...
CSS Selectors are Conditional Statements
6.12.2018
foo {
}
Programmatically, is:
if (element has a class name of "foo") {
}
Descendent selectors are && logic and commas are ||. It just gets more complicated from there, with things like combinators and pseudo selectors. Just look at all the ways styles can cascade.
Jeremy Keith:
If...
Stuff you can do with CSS pointer events
27.7.2018
Martijn Cuppens (the same fella with the very weird div!) has some more irresistible CSS trickery. Three of the examples are about making a child element trigger an event on a parent element (almost like the magic that is :focus-within).
Here's how I reasoned it out to myself:
You know how if...
Adding Particle Effects to DOM Elements with Canvas
23.7.2018
Let’s take a look at how to make web pages more visually capable by combining the freedom of <canvas> with HTML elements. Specifically, we will be creating a basic HTML-to-particle effect, but the same technique could be used for many kinds of effects.
Before we begin, feel free to grab...
Manipulating Pixels Using Canvas
7.6.2018
Modern browsers support playing video via the <video> element. Most browsers also have access to webcams via the MediaDevices.getUserMedia() API. But even with those two things combined, we can’t really access and manipulate those pixels directly.
Fortunately, browsers have a Canvas...
1 Element CSS Rainbow Gradient Infinity
5.6.2018
I first got the idea to CSS something of the kind when I saw this gradient infinity logo by Infographic Paradise. The gradient doesn't look like in the original illustration, as I chose to generate the rainbow logically instead of using the Dev Tools picker or something like that, but other than...
Build Native Modals Using the Dialog Element
24.5.2018
With release of HTML 5.2 comes the dialog element. The dialog element has been around for a while now but was an experimental technology.
Previously, if we wanted to build a mo
Responsive tables, revisited
16.5.2018
Lea Verou with some extra super fancy CSS trickery. No way we could miss linking this one up!
One of the problems with responsive table solutions, at least the ones where you are using CSS to rejigger things, is that there is duplicated content somewhere. Either in CSS or HTML.
Lea finds two ways...
The backdrop-filter CSS property
16.5.2018
I had never heard of the backdrop-filter property until yesterday, but after a couple of hours messing around with it I’m positive that it’s nothing more than magic. This is because it adds filters (like changing the hue, contrast or blur) of the background of an element without changing the text...