A presentation I gave at Found.ation in Athens, about Front End Development best practices.

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edenspiekermann_
Hardboiled Front End
Development
Found.ation talk
10th June 2014

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Introduction
Web Developer at Edenspiekermann.
!
Previously:
– Head of Design @ DailySecret.com.
– Head of Front End @ Liberis Publications.
!
Enjoys:
– CSS architecture.
– Refactoring code.
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Contents
1. CSS Architecture
–OOCSS. Design modules, not pages.
–BEM. Protecting scope. Hacking CSS.
–Sass. Enabling modularity. Pitfalls of extending and using mixins.
–Living Styleguides. Keeping the mess observable.
–Best Practices. Class prefixes, shame.css, z-index.css.
!
2. Javascript Modularity
–Modularity. Breaking the $(document).ready long file into modules.
–Module Tools. Including functionality on demand with requireJS.
–Automating tasks. Automating with Grunt and managing packages with Bower.
–Frameworks. Angular, Backbone, a very quick overview.
–Little useful tools. Backbone.wreqr, waypoints, owl carousel.
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CSS ARCHITECTURE

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CSS Architecture
CSS Advantages:
– Fast, quick to put something out.
– Small learning curve.
– Easy to override defaults.
!
Problems with CSS:
– All the above :-).
– No inherent modularity.
– No scope.
– Specificity.
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Think Modular

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Tools for modularity:
– SMACSS
– OOCSS

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CSS Architecture
!
– Decouple Structure from Skin.
– Modifier classes.
– File structuring flexibility.
– Tackle Specificity issue (completely).
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SMACSS
✓
✓
×
×
OOCSS
✓
×
✓
×

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What about specificity?

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http://designshack.net/articles/css/what-the-heck-is-css-specificity/

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http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/archives/css_specificity_wars.html

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http://cssspecificity.com/

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body {!
font-size: 100%;!
font-family: Georgia, serif;!
}!
!
.o-chosen-select-box.chosen-
container,.m-font-
autocomplete{display:inline-
block;position:relative;vertical-
align:middle}.o-chosen-select-
box .chosen-single,.m-font-
autocomplete__input{background-
color:#f9f8f3;color:#262626;-webkit-box-
sizing:border-box;-moz-box-sizing:border-box;box-
sizing:border-box;border:4px solid
#fff;display:block;cursor:pointer;height:2.5em;line-
height:1.25em;padding:0 2.125em;-webkit-transition:background-
color 150ms,border-color 150ms;-moz-transition:background-color
150ms,border-color 150ms;!
.l-modal__tooltip__pane{z-index:30}.o-error{z-index:10}.o-
pulldown-panel__list{z-index:10}.l-tryout-page__canvas{z-index:
1}.l-tryout-page__header{z-index:30}.m-tryout-
textblock__action{z-index:20}.m-tryout-
textblock__editable{z-index:20}.m-tryout-
textblock__placeholder{z-index:10}.m-font-
autocomplete__dropdown,.o-chosen-select-
box{z-index:40}.l-tryout-page__template-
links,.l-tryout-page__bgimage-info{z-
index:50}.l-tryout-page__meta-links{z-
index:10000}.m-tryout-template-links
—centered{z-index:10}!
!
#footer .left-column .article
ul.links > li a img {!
border-color: #0A0;!
}!
CSS Architecture
Scientifically proven fact: we can’t keep track of
specificity throughout a CSS document.
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.o-square {!
height: 100px;!
width: 100px;!
}!
!
.o-square--black {!
background-color: black;!
}!
!
.o-square--green {!
background-color: green;!
}!
!
.o-square__inner-circle {!
border-radius: 100%;!
}!
!
.o-square__inner-circle--blue {!
background-color: blue;!
}!
CSS Architecture
Enter BEM.
– BEM stands for Block Element Modifier.
– Works like this: .block _ _ element - - modifier
– Self explanatory in both HTML & CSS.
– Shields object’s scope.
!
Things to remember:
– Never nest selectors (to ensure specificity == 1).
– Always & only, use classes.
– One object per file.
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Living Styleguides

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CSS Architecture
Advantages:
– Nice overview of all your objects.
– Enforces good practices.
– Enhances developer — designer collaboration.
– Helpful for context free development.
!
Challenges:
– Hard to initially set up.
– If not set up correctly, can have dulicate views in production & styleguide.
– Same object, different data issues.
!
Tools:
– https://github.com/kneath/kss
– http://livingstyleguide.org
– http://kaleistyleguide.com/
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gem install kss
CSS Architecture
Setting up KSS.
– Install gem.
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@styleguides = Kss::Parser.new(“/
public/css“)!
CSS Architecture
Setting up KSS.
– Install gem.
– Parse CSS folder into an object.
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CSS Architecture
Setting up KSS.
– Install gem.
– Parse CSS folder into an object.
– Iterate object in view.
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- @styleguides.each do |styleguide|!
- [...]!

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/*!
The global button object.!
!
.button - Primary button.!
.button--green - Green variation.!
!
Styleguide 1.0 Button!
*/!
!
.button {!
height: 20px;!
text-align: center;!
width: 100px;!
}!
!
.button--green {!
background-color: green;!
}!
CSS Architecture
Setting up KSS.
– Install gem.
– Parse CSS folder into an object.
– Iterate object in view.
– Use the magic KSS syntax.
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Automating with Sass.

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CSS Architecture
Sass enables:
– Modular file structure with @import globbing.
– Eliminating inconsistencies. Vars for colours, typographic rythm units,
breakpoints, animation durations.
!
Pitfalls:
– “Mixins” print content inside of rule. Duplicate content.
– “Extends” group selectors where used. Rules are moved out of intended
place, watch out for split CSS files.
– Slow compiling of too many files, in Rails. Use libsass.
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Tips and Tricks.

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CSS Architecture
Tips:
– Helpful to prefix classes (“o-“, “l-“, “m-“), that way you recognize their
type in markup.
– Prefix JS hooks with “js-“. That way HTML/CSS restructuring doesn’t
affect javascript functionality.
– Use “is-” for dynamic states, induced by JS. For different kinds of states,
use BEM modifiers.
– Put all rushed code in shame.css. Always write reason of inclusion in
comments.
– Keep all z-index values in z-index.css and always use increments of 10 or
more.
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Ddddddemo
CSS Architecture
next.fontshop.com

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JS MODULARITY

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$(document).ready(function() {!
!
$(window).on('resize', resizeHandler);!
app.windowWidth = $window.width();!
app.windowHeight = $window.height();!
!
$(window).on("resizestart", function(){!
app.vent.trigger('fs:resize-start',
app.windowWidth, app.windowHeight);!
}).on("resizestop", function(){!
app.vent.trigger('fs:resize-stop',
app.windowWidth, app.windowHeight);!
});!
!
//Scrolling event, debounced at 500ms!
$(window).on("scroll", function(){!
var scrollFunc = _.debounce(function()
{!
app.vent.trigger('fs:scroll', $
(this).scrollTop());!
}, 500);!
scrollFunc();!
});!
!
// Show the targeted offscreen panel by
emitting the offscreen-panel:show event.!
// Creates one offscreen panel if it
doesn't exist already (as in editor or
languages list)!
$(document).on('click', ".js-show-
offscreen-panel, .js-family-finder-
trigger", function(event){!
Breaking long script files into chunks
Traditional approach: one long file
– Variable scope problems.
– Duplicate logic.
– Error prone.
– Impossible to maintain.
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Axiom:
Projects will ALWAYS scale.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrid/2583356797

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...!
!
<script src="jquery.js"></script>!
<script src="module1.js"></script>!
<script src="module2.js"></script>!
<script src="module3.js"></script>!
!
</body>!
</html>!
Breaking long script files into chunks
Alternative approach: Split & Include manually
– Too much manual labour.
– How do you handle common dependencies?
– Conflicts in the global object.
– Order of loading is important.
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define([
Breaking long script files into chunks
Better approach: Modularize everything
– Create a new file and define a module.
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define([!
"jquery",!
"jquery-ui"!
],!
function ($, jqueryUI) {!
Breaking long script files into chunks
Better approach: Modularize everything
– Create a new file and define a module.
– State its dependencies.
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define([!
"jquery",!
"jquery-ui"!
],!
function ($, jqueryUI) {!
!
var init = function (options) {!
//...implement logic!
};!
!
init(options);!
!
});!
Breaking long script files into chunks
Better approach: Modularize everything
– Create a new file and define a module.
– State its dependencies.
– Implement your logic.
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JS Module Creation Tools
– requireJS. http://requirejs.org
– Browserify. http://browserify.org
– Webpack. http://webpack.github.io
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Automating your workflow
with off-browser JS.

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module.exports = function(grunt) {!
!
// Load libs!
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-watch');!
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-jshint');!
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-requirejs');!
!
// Project configuration.!
grunt.initConfig({!
pkg: '<json:package.json>',!
jshint: {!
options: {!
curly: true,!
eqnull: true,!
browser: true,!
sub: true,!
boss: true!
}!
}!
!
// Define task.!
grunt.registerTask('syntax',
['jshint:src']);};!
Automating tasks with Grunt (http://gruntjs.com)
Things you can do:
– Get immediate feedback on syntax errors.
– Live reload project.
– Minify, uglify, pack code.
– Also, use requireJS optimizer.
– libSass. Blazingly fast Sass compilation.
– Image compression.
–Control everything from one config file: gruntfile.js
!
– Alternative: Gulp (http://gulpjs.com). Lot of buzz lately.
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{!
"name": "Fontshop Relaunch",!
"version": "1",!
"dependencies": {!
"fittext": "",!
"jquery": "1.11",!
"underscore": "",!
"backbone": "",!
"backbone.wreqr": "",!
"backbone.marionette": "",!
"modernizr": "",!
"picturefill": "",!
"jquery-waypoints": "",!
"jquery-sortable": "",!
"OwlCarousel": "",!
"jasmine.async": "",!
"angular": "",!
"angular-chosen-localytics": "",!
"angular-local-storage": "",!
"ng-clip": "",!
"zeroclipboard": ""!
}!
}!
Manage Dependencies with Bower (http://bower.io)
Things you can do:
– Manage dependencies from one file.
– You can specify version of scripts.
– You can change folder (to fit your folder structuring).
!
Things you can’t do:
– Include in page automatically. Use requireJS for
that :).
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43. A wee bit of JS frameworks & tools.
edenspiekermann_

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Backbone and Angular in Fontshop.
1. Backbone
– FS wasn’t an SPA. Used Backbone as a structuring tool for our JS modules.
– Helpful events object, this.$(“…”) selector, initializers.
– Create multiple instances easily.
– Enforces good OO practices.
!
2. Angular
– Used it in the tryout (http://next.fontshop.com/tryout) section.
– No boilerplate code.
– Provides one point of change (Model).
– Very quick to set functionality up.
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Some small favorite scripts :)
Backbone.wreqr (https://github.com/marionettejs/backbone.wreqr)
– True events based apps.
– Enable true modularity.
!
Waypoints (http://imakewebthings.com/jquery-waypoints)
– No more scrolling window, object, offset calculations.
– Also, sticky headers, easily done.
!
owlCarousel (http://www.owlgraphic.com/owlcarousel)
– Touch based (draggable).
– Responsive be default.
– Uses CSS 3D transforms, where possible.
!
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edenspiekermann_
Thank you.
Spiros Martzoukos, Web Developer
tw @martzoukos
T +49 157 84340808
!
s.martzoukos@de.edenspiekermann.com
www.edenspiekermann.com