Front-end development blog
When working with design systems as engineers, we want to create styles that match the design resources while being composable and easy to use across many variations in our UI. In this talk Daniel Tull explains how we can make use of a SwiftUI approach to build extensible design systems without creating a load of difficult-to-manage custom views. More talks are available from Daniel Tull here .…
I decided to take a look at TypeScript this year. As I often do, I turn to Udemy for helpful courses and so found this great TypeScript course from the wonderful Maximilian Schwarzmüller . The following is a summary of some notes I took during the course. To assist my learning I have created my own examples where possible. This is not a replacement for taking the course as the full course includes…
When we build websites and apps we want them to load quickly and feel quick when navigating. One easy way to improve the speed is to only download visible images. In this article I’ll show how can make use of the Intersection Observer alongside the onLoad event to load only the necessary images as our visitors load and then scroll within our Svelte websites and apps. This article was originally…
You’ve build an amazing app using Sapper and Svelte, but now what? Where do we host it to make it available to the world? This article will set out the steps involved in one possible approach, self-hosting your own Sapper application using DigitalOcean . I recently went through this process having build an application and hosting it using Vercel. They have a slick deployment process, but as they…
Choosing a workout routine is a daunting process. They all seem complicated or difficult to stick to. Some plans set out in detail dozens of exercises, sets and weekly routines. Other plans make you sweat hard and give it all you have multiple times per week. Neither of these work for me. Last month I started a new workout plan that included 6 exercises every day, with the goal being that if I…
Last week I began a new routine to try to get back some of the strength and fitness I’d lost after 4 months of laziness. This post is an update on how it’s going, and I’d like to discuss my approach in a little more detail. My goals Having been out of the bodyweight routine for quite a while my goal was to signal to my body that it needs to be ready to do all the old moves again. The last thing I…
It’s February and the time when most people’s new year resolutions have fallen away, so I’m getting started on this year’s. My goal this year is simple: do one free-standing handstand. It’s a simple goal to state but takes a bit of preparation and work to get there. A big part of the challenge is that I’ve not been exercising much since last October and I need to get back into it. Getting back…
This post is for front-end developers interested in learning new things. If you’re reading this and thinking “hey I wish this guy would make me an amazing website to make my business loads of money” - well, you’re in luck! Let’s work together and make beautiful beautiful websites. Why React? React is a framework for building web applications using JavaScript. It’s designed to help manage the views…
Since giving up full-time work last year I’ve been able to take a look at how I use my time. Freelancing is going great and I’ve had more time for my family, but as well as that I’ve been able to improve my physical health too. This post is about some of the things I’ve tried and the results. In mid-2016 I started back at the gym and got back into running more regularly. I was doing weighted…
It’s easy to forget how much we get done over the course of a year. Sometimes it’s good to take note of what we have achieved, and think about next year. 2015 was busy. I learned a lot and published more than ever. Here are some highlights. CSSAnimation.rocks In January I registered the domain cssanimation.rocks , with the intention of writing a book. While that didn’t happen, I did manage to…
On Thursday, 1st October I met up with 15 awesome front-end developers at the first CodePen Dublin meetup. It was a great evening, and I’m really looking forward to the next. A CodePen meetup? I’m a regular user of the CodePen website , a service set up by Chris Coyier that lets front-end developers quickly build and share HTML, CSS and JavaScript demos. It can be used to mock up ideas,…
I get a notification on my phone when someone follows @cssanimation . Every so often my phone will light up and show me that someone has pressed that “Follow” button, and it warms my heart. I do a little dance and think of what I need to do to make the CSS Animation site better. I also get a daily update from Mailchimp telling me how many subscribes and unsubscribes each day. On a busy day it…
This year I decided to get serious about creating something of value. I created a new website all about CSS animation . I then created and launched a paid email course . Here are some things I learned along the way. What sort of product One of many decisions I’ve made in the last few month has been choosing a product I would feel confident creating and shipping. There are many options, from…
There’s a lot that goes into creating and launching a new website. In this post I’ll discuss the steps involved in planning, building and launching CSSAnimation.rocks . Initial idea At the beginning of 2015, I began to write a book. I had been thinking of topics and brainstorming ideas for a few weeks, and when January arrived I’d decided to focus on CSS animation as my topic. My initial plan was…
In March, 2014 I began running outside. Until that point I’d been occasionally running two kilometres or so at a gym, but never thought to go for a proper run. I hadn’t run properly outside since school. I did try about 5 years ago. I joined a running club, went to the first meet, and managed to tag along for about 200 yards before veering off to a side road and walking home. Last week I ran…
Working remotely is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s great to hear people’s experiences. One such person is Dan O’Neill, web developer and author of Words & Magic . Here’s how he manages the challenges of working for a full time client from home with his own web development work. What sort of work do you do? So I’m in the lucky (or not) position to have 2 jobs. I work full time for a large…
We’ve all seen the tricks companies use online to get us to do things against our better judgement. “Subscribe to mailing list” checkboxes pre-checked, insurance opt-out hidden in a list of countries, modal windows that appear when you try to leave the page. But what sort of dark nastiness do retailers try to pull on us in the physical world? This week saw uproar online when several large US…
Working for yourself, or even just by yourself, is a tempting idea for many people but not always an option. I thought it would be interesting to hear from some others in Ireland who have decided to take control of their own time and work remotely. Introducing Jamie Lawrence . Jamie is a web developer living in Cork. With a skill set that covers not only the full technology stack but also how to…
We have many tools manage and test how our front-end code works, but not so many to test how it looks. I’ve been looking for tools that make it easier to catch visual changes when working on CSS. One such tool is Wraith . Testing responsive designs While there are all sorts of ways to test back-end code, testing the way the front-end looks and works usually involves manually checking how pages…