Podcast Summary
Understanding the unexpected challenges of installing light switches and exploring web development trends from the CSS almanac: The CSS almanac reveals that 92% of web pages use box-sizing: border-box, making website building more efficient by including padding and border in total dimensions. Other web development trends discussed include the rise of component-based design and the importance of accessibility.
While installing light switches might seem like a simple home improvement project, it can come with unexpected challenges. Meanwhile, in the world of web development, the HTTP archive's CSS almanac reveals some interesting trends. One of the most notable findings is that an overwhelming 92% of web pages use box-sizing: border-box, which is not the default setting. This trend makes building websites more efficient, as it ensures that the total width and height of an element includes the padding and border. Sponsors Prismic, Sanity, and LogRocket provide tools to help developers create and optimize web pages and applications. While Scott shares his experience with the challenges of installing light switches, we delve deeper into the CSS almanac, discussing other popular trends and their implications for web development.
Box-sizing: border-box and CSS columns: Box-sizing: border-box simplifies calculations by including padding and border in an element's total width. CSS columns allow content to flow vertically and fit in specific dimensions.
The use of the box-sizing: border-box property in CSS has become a standard practice due to its numerous benefits. This property, which was popularized by Paul Irish in a blog post, allows the padding and border dimensions to be included in the total width of an element, making calculations easier and more consistent. Box sizing border-box has become a staple in popular frameworks like Bootstrap and is now widely adopted. Another interesting finding is that while 44% of websites declare box-sizing on the star selector (*), it's recommended to set it on the HTML element and then inherit it to child elements for better performance. Additionally, CSS columns, which were previously thought to have limited use cases, have seen an increase in popularity, with 23% of websites now using them. They are particularly useful when content needs to fit in a specific dimension and flow vertically rather than horizontally. New properties such as column-count, column-fill, column-gap, and column-width have also been added to expand the capabilities of CSS columns. While some older properties like orphans and widows may seem outdated, they still have their uses and will be explored further in future discussions.
Exploring Aspect Ratio and Transitions in CSS: Aspect ratio and transitions add dynamic visuals to websites. Use aspect ratio with caution, especially with Safari and nested ratios. Transition smoothly on transform and maybe color for best results. New transform properties simplify animations. CSS support for these properties is improving, and longer animations are popular but should be used wisely.
Aspect ratio and transitions are two exciting new properties in CSS that have gained significant attention from developers. Aspect ratio, used by only 2% of pages, is a new property that can cause some hiccups, especially with Safari and nested aspect ratios. Transitions, on the other hand, are widely used, with the most popular properties being "all," opacity, and transform. However, it's recommended to only transition on transform and maybe color to ensure smooth animations. The new version of transform uses the translate or rotate properties, making animations clearer and easier to animate. CSS support for these properties is improving rapidly, with Chrome, Edge, and Firefox all adopting them in the past year. The median transition duration has also increased to one second from half a second, which may be due to the popularity of longer animations. However, it's important to note that longer animations may not always be desirable, and developers should consider their audience and the specific use case before implementing them. Overall, aspect ratio and transitions offer exciting possibilities for creating dynamic and visually appealing websites.
Keeping animation simple and efficient: Animations often use few keyframes (2-5) and popular timing functions like ease in out and linear. CSS sprites and steps can be used as timing functions, especially for game-style animations. Pre-existing easing functions are commonly used instead of creating custom ones.
When it comes to animation, keeping it simple and efficient is key. The speaker, an animation enthusiast, shared his preference for faster animations, with keyframes numbering as few as possible. He explained that most animations use just a few keyframes, typically between 2 and 5, and that longer animations with more keyframes are less common. He also mentioned the popularity of timing functions like ease in out and linear, and introduced the concept of CSS sprites and steps as timing functions, particularly useful for animation with sprites or keyframes in a video game style. The speaker also shared his approach to using pre-existing easing functions rather than creating custom ones. Overall, the discussion emphasized the importance of simplicity and efficiency in animation, and explored various techniques for achieving this.
TypeScript types and blend modes enhance design and development workflows: Prismic's TypeScript types simplify API usage, while blend modes in CSS enable text effects previously only possible with images
Prismic provides TypeScript types for developers, making it easier to work with their APIs in various frameworks like React and Svelte. This feature enhances productivity by offering IntelliSense typing right in the text editor. Additionally, blend modes in CSS offer designers the ability to create effects that were previously only achievable through image manipulation. Blend modes allow for overlays and gradients to be applied directly to text, eliminating the need for rasterized images or complex opacity adjustments. Some commonly used blend modes include multiply, overlay, and screen, among others. While understanding the math behind these functions can be complex, experimenting with them in design tools like Figma can help developers gain a better grasp of their capabilities. Overall, these features from Prismic and CSS enhance design and development workflows, saving time and effort.
Understanding Real-World Usage of Design Features and Breakpoints: Developers should consider real-world usage of design features and breakpoints, as they may differ from assumptions, with 34% of users preferring reduced motion and the most popular breakpoint being 941 pixels.
While developers may anticipate the use of container queries in responsive web design, media queries with max and min width are currently the most common method for creating responsive designs. However, there are other features like min device pixel ratio, prefers reduced motion, and orientation that are used for feature detection and accessibility checking. The preference for reduced motion is used by 34% of users, and the most popular breakpoint is 941 pixels, which is the size of a standard iPad. It's important for developers to understand the real-world usage of various design features and breakpoints, as they can differ from what developers assume.
Breakpoints in web design correspond to Bootstrap's built-in sizes and grid system, not iPhone sizes.: Bootstrap's breakpoints influence design choices, feature queries and at-rules offer flexibility, and tools like LogRocket provide insights into user behavior.
The most commonly used breakpoints in web design correspond to Bootstrap's built-in sizes: extra small, small, medium, large, large, extra large, and extra extra large. These sizes are not related to iPhone sizes, but rather to Bootstrap's grid system. For instance, 768 pixels, which is a 4 by 3 presentation slide size, corresponds to Bootstrap's medium size. The web is not entirely built on Bootstrap, but it is a widely used framework that influences design choices. Another interesting finding is the use of feature queries and at-rules, such as position sticky and mask image, which offer flexibility in design and are well-supported by modern browsers. Feature queries allow checking for the availability of specific CSS features, while mask image allows masking an image with a path. These techniques enable dynamic and responsive design without the need for media queries. Additionally, tools like LogRocket provide valuable insights into user experience and product analytics, allowing developers to understand user behavior and optimize their websites accordingly.
New logical and physical properties in web development: These new properties help websites adapt to different languages and display directions, benefiting developers creating multilingual sites.
There are new properties in web development called logical and physical properties, which aim to make websites adaptable to different display directions in various languages. These properties replace traditional top, bottom, left, and right with block and inline properties, which change depending on the language direction. For instance, in right-to-left languages, block properties become block end, and inline properties become inline start. This new approach can be beneficial for developers who need to create websites in multiple languages, but it might not be necessary for everyone. Additionally, there's a growing trend in using support queries to optimize web content based on specific browser capabilities. For example, some developers might use it to create sticky videos with rounded borders that stay in the corner when scrolling. However, the most common use cases for support queries are still being explored, and it's unclear what exactly people are using it for. Overall, these new properties and techniques can expand the capabilities of web development and make websites more accessible to users in various regions and languages.
CSS and JS libraries vs utility CSS frameworks debate: CSS and JS libraries offer scoping capabilities but can be unwieldy for themes and design systems. Utility CSS frameworks like Tailwind provide a streamlined approach but lack the advanced features of CSS and JS libraries. Houdini, an API for advanced CSS features, is still in development.
CSS and JS libraries, specifically style components, continue to dominate the scene with a significant market share. However, the tide is turning as more developers are exploring utility CSS frameworks like Tailwind and even smaller solutions like Goober. The debate around CSS and JS vs utility CSS revolves around their respective strengths and weaknesses. While CSS and JS libraries offer scoping capabilities and can be used effectively for specific components, they can become unwieldy when dealing with themes, design systems, and design tokens. On the other hand, utility CSS frameworks like Tailwind provide a more streamlined approach with pre-defined classes for various design elements. The speaker also mentioned the emergence of Houdini, an API that promises access to advanced CSS features, but its usage remains limited due to its current state of development. Overall, the choice between CSS and JS libraries and utility CSS frameworks depends on the specific project requirements and developer preferences.
The Decline of Sass and the Importance of Print CSS: Sass is less necessary due to CSS's evolution, print CSS remains essential for receipts, invoices, and documents, and Sanity simplifies managing structured content within React apps.
Sass, a popular CSS extension, is becoming less necessary as CSS continues to evolve and offer features like variables, nesting, and color functions. Only 5% of desktop sites use print-specific styles, and print CSS can be challenging to debug. However, it's still essential for creating print versions of receipts, invoices, and other documents. The most popular longhand CSS property is background-size, which is used three times more often than other properties due to its forgettable shorthand. Sanity, a sponsor of this podcast, offers a platform for structured content that powers digital experiences for companies like Puma, Sonny, and Skims. Their Sanity Studio is getting a major upgrade, allowing developers to embed it directly into their React applications, reducing maintenance and offering full TypeScript coverage. When it comes to print styles, essential properties include page-break-inside and page-break-after, which determine where new pages begin. These properties can be applied to any element, making it easier to control the layout of printed documents. Print CSS can be challenging to debug, as there's no inspect feature when previewing print versions. The best approach is to preview the print version directly in the browser. In summary, Sass is becoming less essential as CSS evolves, print styles are still important for specific use cases, and Sanity offers a powerful solution for managing structured content within React applications.
The Mysterious 'Archetype' CSS Property: Despite the common use of shorthand CSS properties, an unknown property called 'archetype' has emerged in 11% of cases with nonexistent properties. Its origin and purpose are unclear, likely a mistake from a server or compiler.
Developers often use shorthand CSS properties instead of longhand ones for common styles like background, font size, and line height. However, there is a mysterious nonexistent property called "archetype" that has been appearing in an increasing number of style sheets, making up around 11% of cases with nonexistent properties. The origin and purpose of this property remain unknown, but it's likely a mistake from a server or a typography compiler. The discussion also touched upon the use of shorthand for margin properties and the most common nonexistent properties like font smoothing, behavior, and tap highlight color. The conversation ended with a light-hearted note about exploring the world of JavaScript and its common variable names.
Exploring Alternatives to Drilling for Car Accessories: Consider screw-in tow bars and server racks for car accessories instead of drilling. These solutions are less damaging and more convenient.
There are alternative solutions to drilling into a car's bumper to install certain accessories, such as tow hooks or license plate frames. The speaker shared his experience using a screw-in tow bar and a server rack to mount his audio interface and headphone hook under his desk, respectively. Both solutions were more convenient and less damaging to the car than drilling. The speaker also mentioned the importance of considering local laws regarding license plate stickers. He concluded by sharing his positive experience with a specific 1U server rack and encouraged listeners to explore such alternatives for their own needs. Additionally, he reminded listeners to consider the potential impact of moving on any permanently installed equipment and to be aware of the availability and shipping costs of certain products in different regions.
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