/me

• My name is Kushagra Gour. Better know as chinchang on the web.
• I am from

  Delhi, India

/me more

• I am a Front-end developer at a wonderful startup called Wingify.

• Open-source stuff like Hint.css and piCSSel-art.

Keep File Sizes Small

"Thy height shalt remain greater than thy file sizes at all times"

Keep File Sizes Small

Why?

• It helps keeping things modular.
• Important for faster search in future because you know where things are when something needs to be changed.

What?

Keep dividing and refactoring files as and when they get too big.

1st day of christmas

style.css

4th day of christmas

base.css

helpers.css

components.css

theme.css

mixins.scss (SASS)

8th day of christmas

base.css

helpers.css

components/

theme.css

12th day of christmas

Use Variables

Thy code config shalt remain at one place.

Use Variables

Your layout:

.header {
	width: 100%;
	height: 50px; // Magic number
}

.sidebar {
	width: 100px; // Magic number
	height: 100%;
	top: 50px;  // Magic number
}

.content {
	top: 50px; // Magic number
	bottom: 0;
	left: 100px; // Magic number
	right: 0;
}

Too many magic numbers!

Use Variables

Better approach

$header-height: 50px;
$sidebar-width: 100px;

.header {
	width: 100%;
	height: $header-height;
}

.sidebar {
	width: $sidebar-width;
	height: 100%;
}

.content {
	top: $header-height;
	bottom: 0;
	left: $sidebar-width;
	right: 0;
}

Use Variables

Better approach

$header-height: 50px;
$sidebar-width: 100px;

.header {
	width: 100%;
	height: $header-height;
}

.sidebar {
	width: $sidebar-width;
	height: 100%;
}

.content {
	top: $header-height;
	bottom: 0;
	left: $sidebar-width;
	right: 0;
}

Component Abstraction

Thou shalt believe in abstractions

Component Abstractions

Scenario: HUD elements on a game screen

.hud-stats {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
	bottom: 20px;
	left: 20px;
}

.hud-map {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
	top: 20px;
	right: 20px;
}

Component Abstractions

Scenario: HUD elements on a game screen

.hud-stats {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
	bottom: 20px;
	left: 20px;
}

.hud-map {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
	top: 20px;
	right: 20px;
}

Too much repeatition.

Component Abstractions

Don't Repeat yourself

Component Abstractions

HUD elements on a game screen (Better)

.hud-element {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
}

.hud-stats {
	bottom: 20px;
	left: 20px;
}

.hud-map {
	top: 20px;
	right: 20px;
}

<div class="hud-element  hud-stats">9999</div>

No repeation. Much cleaner.

Component Abstractions

HUD elements on a game screen (Better)(SASS)

%hud-element {
	position: fixed;
	opacity: 0.7;
	filter: sepia(90%);
}

.hud-stats {
	@extend %hud-element;
	bottom: 20px;
	left: 20px;
}

.hud-map {
	@extend %hud-element;
	top: 20px;
	right: 20px;
}

<div class="hud-stats">9999</div>

Keep Selector Strengths Low

Thou shalt spread peace and stop thy selectors from fighting.

Keep Selector Strengths Low

Selectors have strengths...and they do fight!

Example:

div.tabs {
	width: 100%;
}

<div class="tabs"></div>

.tabs-half {
	width: 50%;
}

<div class="tabs tabs-half"></div>

WON'T WORK!

strength(div.tabs) > strength(.tabs-half)

Keep Selector Strengths Low

How things get messier...

• Either prefix your class name with DIV tag.

• Use the all 'awesome and criticized' !important

• Plus, tabs can only be made up of DIV tags.

Keep Selector Strengths Low

No div.tabs

Simply have .tabs

Naming Convention

Thou shalt treat your classes as thy own children. Name them with equal love.

Naming Convention

• Most important thing in CSS. Much more important than any other languauge.
• Some things are bad in CSS (ahem...!important) and can be eliminated through better naming.

Naming Convention

BEM

to the rescue

Naming Convention

BEM: Block - Element - Modifier

• Block - Component
• Element - Sub-part of component
• Modifier - Variation of component

Supports Component abstraction

Naming Convention

BEM: Naming

• Block - .component
• Element - .component__sub-part
• Modifier - .component--variation

Naming Convention

BEM - Example - Without BEM

.slider { position: relative; }

.slider .slider-track { background: white; }

.slider .knob { position: absolute; }

// Variation
.slider.slider-with-input .slider-input { display: block; }

Naming Convention

BEM - Example - With BEM

.slider { position: relative; }

.slider__track { background: white; }

.slider__knob { position: absolute; }

// Variation
.slider--with-input .slider__input { display: block; }

Selectors - Less specific. More uniform.

z-index Management

Thou shalt not mix up thy ego and z-indexes

z-index Management

Issue?

z-index Management

Separate them out into your config as variables

$z-index-overlay: 1;
$z-index-slideout-backdrop: 1;
$z-index-slideout: 1;
$z-index-sidebar: 2; // above help panel for tooltips
$z-index-navigation: 4; // top of sidebar
$z-index-header: 4;
$z-index-modal-underlay: 4; // Below modal-box & top of others.
$z-index-modal-box: 5; // on top of everything

z-index Management

• Changing existing z-indexes become really easy because you know what might break.

• Setting z-index for new UI elements is very easy because you can actually position it in a similar hierarchy.

z-index Management

No more

z-index: 99999;

@extend - Avoid Selector Hell

Inheritance doesn't always gives thou $$$$.

@extend - Avoid Selector Hell

Simple example:

.error {
	color: red;
	background: #ff8888;
}

.sidebar {
	.error {
		padding: 10px;
	}
}

.error-notification {
	@extend .error; // GONNA BE BAD!!!
}

@extend - Avoid Selector Hell

Result

.error {
	color: red;
	background: #ff8888;
}

.sidebar {
	.error {
		padding: 10px;
	}
}

.error-notification {
	@extend .error;
}

.error, .error-notification {
	color: red;
 	background: #ff8888;
}

.sidebar .error,
.sidebar .error-notification {
	padding: 10px;
}

Unnecessary CSS generated

This is REAL!

@extend - Avoid Selector Hell

Solution: Use placeholders

%error {
	color: red;
	background: #ff8888;
}

.error {
	@extend %error;
}

.sidebar {
	.error {
		padding: 10px;
	}
}

.error-notification {
	@extend %error;
}

.error, .error-notification {
	color: red;
	background: #ff8888;
}

.sidebar .error {
 	padding: 10px;
}

@extend - Avoid Selector Hell

We reduced compilation time by 76%