Have you ever considered whether CSS Grid can actually replace the need for CSS frameworks or third-party component libraries? In doing so, Rachel Andrew discovered a range of reasons people use a third-party framework and the positive and negative things about doing so. In this article, you will discover that the reasons for using frameworks are varied, and not simply centered around use of the grid system contained in that framework. We hope that by unpacking these reasons, Rachel can help you to make your own decision, in terms of what is best for the sites and applications that you are working on, and also for the team you work with.
Read more…
Last week, Rachel Andrew attended the CSS Working Group meeting at W3C TPAC, and rounds up some of the discussions in this post — including those things where you can help make a decision. Today, she will explain a little bit about what happens at TPAC, and show some examples and demos of the things she discussed at TPAC for CSS in particular.
Read more…
In this final article of the series, we wrap up by taking a look at some of the common uses for Flexbox. What should we use Flexbox for, and what it is not so good at? Today, Rachel Andrew is going to spend some time thinking about what the use cases for Flexbox really are, given that you now have CSS Grid Layout, giving some suggestions for what you might use when and a way to decide.
Read more…
In the last two articles, we have looked at what happens when we create a flex container, and also taken a look at alignment. This time we explore the often confusing issue of sizing in Flexbox. How does Flexbox decide how big things should be? In this article, Rachel Andrew will explain some of the finer points of how Flexbox works out how big the flex items are. It can seem a little academic, however, taking some time to understand the way this works can save you huge amounts of time when using Flexbox in your layouts. If you and your design don’t agree with what Flexbox thinks is best then you can take control back by setting your own flex-basis.
Read more…
This week, CSS Shapes ships in a production version of Firefox with the release of Firefox 62 — along with a very nice addition to the Firefox DevTools to help us work with Shapes. In this article, Rachel Andrew will take a closer look at CSS Shapes and how to create non-rectangular shapes using images, gradients, and basic shapes. We also discover how the new tools in Firefox make editing shapes easier.
Read more…
In this article, the beginning of a series on Flexbox, Rachel Andrew will take a detailed look at what actually happens when you add display: flex to your stylesheet. She will take the initial values of Flexbox, in order to explain what actually happens when you say display: flex. It’s a surprising amount once you begin to unpack it, and contained within these few properties are many of the key features of flex layouts.
Read more…
CSS Grid Level 2 is already in the process of being specified, and the main feature of this level of the spec is to bring us subgrid. In this article, Rachel Andrew is going to explain what is currently part of the Working and Editor’s Draft of that spec. Note that everything here is subject to change, and none of it currently works in browsers. Take this as a peek into the process!
Read more…
Dynamic properties provide opportunities for new creative ideas, but also the potential to add complexity to CSS. Custom properties have a huge potential to change how we write and structure CSS and to a lesser extent, how we use JavaScript to interact with UI components. To get the most out of them, we might need a strategy for how we write and structure CSS with custom properties. In this article, Michael Riethmuller will show you how.
Read more…
Printing pages directly from the browser is an experience that can lead to frustration with enormous images being printed out. We have covered print stylesheets in the past here on Smashing Magazine, but in this article, Rachel Andrew takes a look at the state of printing from the browser today. She will show you how you should include print styles in your web pages, and look at the specifications that really come into their own once printing.
Read more…
In some ways, we are all still so new to CSS Grid Layout. A lot of folks keep asking about best practices that are available out there. In this article, Rachel Andrew is going to try and cover some of the things that either could be described as best practices, and some things that you probably don’t need to worry about. She will ran a survey and share the results as well as her personal thoughts.
Read more…
