CSS pattern libraries, and important tool for any front end web developer
Text of CSS pattern libraries
PATTERN LIBRARIES CSSPATTERN LIBRARIES
Who is this guy?
Began in the web in 1995 Full CSS sites in 2002 Skills: UX, front-end dev, training Recently: CSS pattern libraries
I have helped develop HTML/ CSS pattern libraries for very large sites (media and university sites) and complex applications (banking applications).
In some cases, there are literally hundreds of CSS, SCSS or LESS les to review and optimise as part of the process.
pages Moving away from
A few years ago, many front end developers approached websites and web applications as a series of pages.
Pages were often designed and built as complete entities. This meant that page components were often closely tied to their relevant pages.
More recently, the focus has shifted from full page layouts to re-usable components.
A re-usable component could be a layout grid structure, a button, an input, a drop-down, a menu, a heading, a table, or even a pullquote.
pattern libraries HTML/CSS
HTML/CSS pattern libraries are used to resolve commonly used interface components. These components are created as HTML and CSS code and documented, so that they can be easily re-used as needed.
The terms style guide and pattern library are often used interchangeably.
A style guide is a set of standards for implementing the overall design, and can include corporate branding, color schemes, layout and more.
Style guides are used to ensure uniformity of the design or brand across all aspects of the website or application.
On the other hand, HTML/CSS pattern libraries generally document code components for all aspects of the website or application.
On larger web projects, style guides and HTML/CSS pattern libraries are generally separate entities.
For smaller web projects, style guides and pattern libraries are often combined into one overall entity.
cons? Pros and
Why use a pattern library at all? ! Easier to build sites Easier to maintain sites Easier to hand over Better workow Shared vocabulary Promotes consistency
What are the downsides? ! Time-consuming to write Often done post-project Serve current need only
Pre-existing pattern libraries
There are a wide range of pre-existing pattern libraries available today.
Some of these pattern libraries have a simple purpose - such as responsive grid systems.
Grid-based CSS libraries 1140 CSS Grid Mueller Grid System Responsive Grid System Responsive Grid System Less Framework 960 Grid System Susy 320 and up http://cssgrid.net/ http://www.muellergridsystem.com/ http://www.responsivegridsystem.com/ http://responsive.gs/ http://lessframework.com/ http://960.gs/ http://susy.oddbird.net/ https://github.com/malarkey/320andup
Others are considered full frameworks that oer a wide range of components.
These can include: ! Reset styles Grid systems Typography styles Browser xes Common user-interface component styles
There are some great benets to using an existing framework: ! ready-to-use solution can pick & choose components easy implementation quick prototyping great for teams
There may also be some downsides: ! may not suit your project no need for a complex library someone elses conventions generic look
Bootstrap
Bootstrap vs. mid-range website
Bootstrap vs. University data site
Bootstrap vs. Banking application
Should you use a pre-existing framework? It depends on the needs of the site and your team. There is no one answer.
Assuming you want to create your own CSS pattern library, how do you go about it?
abstraction Understanding
Abstraction is essential to any CSS pattern library.
The process involves: ! looking for components that may be repeated within the layout dening their characteristics creating HTML/CSS patterns for them 1. ! 2. 3.
An example: coloured boxes
These boxes look like they have similar characteristics. If they were resolved into a pattern, this would make our HTML and CSS more ecient.
What are the key things to keep in mind when creating any pattern?
Avoid using IDs
All patterns needs to be class- based so they can appear as many times as needed within an HTML document.
/* avoid */! #signup-box { }!
Avoid naming based on content
We should avoid naming patterns based on the content, as we want to reuse these patterns often within the layout.
