-
Writing• When React parent components need to know their children
In React, it’s always preferable to maintain a linear data flow. If a parent needs something, lift the state instead of smuggling it back up. All rules are made to be broken, though.
-
Writing• Module System Dependency Injection in React & Friends
What does 'use the module system for global dependency injection' actually mean, and is it a good substitute for real DI?
-
Writing• Progressive enhancement options for traditional server-rendered sites
What's the best way to progressively enhance a traditional server-rendered application with client-side JavaScript in 2023? Despite their glacial adoption, web components remain the closest we have to a platform-native solution.
-
Writing• Stubbing GraphQL using Playwright
A more ergonomic solution to stubbing out multiple GraphQL responses using Playwright.
-
Writing• Locking body scroll for modals on iOS
Revisiting old solutions for preventing background scrolling from within modal dialogs & overlays.
-
Writing• Leveraging extends to infer return types
In many statically typed languages, once we accept a generalised interface as a parameter we lose the ability to retrieve concrete values from our return type. Not so in TypeScript.
-
Writing• Defining 'integration' tests
What is an integration test? Everyone uses the term, but few seem to agree on the definition. Does the awkward filling of the testing pyramid still have value today, or is it too murky to be of real value?
-
Writing• An Opinionated Guide to Unit Testing
A language-agnostic guide on how to write maintainable, loosely-coupled unit tests which provide confidence and reduce fragility.
-
Writing• Frontend Predictions for 2022
Thoughts on what we might see in the coming year, including the return of micro-frontends, functional JavaScript & the demise of the Jamstack as we know it.
-
Writing• Wrapping text inside an SVG using CSS
Using two SVGs and shape-outside to wrap text inside a shape.
-
Writing• Stubbing GraphQL using Cypress
A more ergonomic solution to stubbing out multiple GraphQL responses using Cypress.
-
Writing• Avoiding FOUT with Async CSS
Fighting blocking resources and the fabled flash-of-unstyled-text with Adobe Fonts.
-
Writing• The jest.mock() escape hatch
Mocking concrete dependencies is a code-smell.
-
Writing• Follow the Grain
Spend less time trying to fix things, and more time trying to understand them.
-
Writing• Cutouts with CSS Masks
Creating a button with a notch cut out using composited CSS masks.
-
Writing• Bulletproof flag components
A resilient take on a flag-like media object.
-
Writing• Contained aspect-ratio boxes
A modern attempt at creating a CSS-only aspect-ratio box that fills its wrapper.
-
Writing• React Portals with Hooks
Since Hooks have just been introduced into the latest stable build of React, it's a great time to play around with them and think about how previous component structures and paradigms (including classes and HOC's) can fit within them.
-
Writing• Text Wrapping & Inline Pseudo Elements
A really common pattern on the web is adding an icon or indicator using a pseudo element so it appears before or after an element, such as an external link indicator.
-
Writing• ES6 Proxies
I recently discovered ES6 proxies, essentially a means to intercept properties accessors and methods and either override or extend them.
-
Writing• Entanglement
Starting the design process nowadays is overwhelming. There are dozens of methodologies and hundreds of 'best-practices'.
-
Writing• Perils of Atomic Design
Modular design methodologies, such as Brad Frost's Atomic Design, offer consistency and maintainability. But do they also foster fragmentation?
-
Writing• Extremes
Print often encourages us to design around everyman data, while the web forces us to do the opposite.
-
Writing• Masking Bitmaps with SVG
Peter’s trick involves leveraging SVG’s support for masking to provide JPEGs with a means to transparency, and therefore the best of both worlds.
-
Writing• Design Differently
MengTo's article on how designers approach code made me wonder about how my coding affects the way I design.
-
Writing• Tree Felling
At Responsive Day Out Oliver Reichenstein introduced the Container Model, a new means of information architecture that recalls the origins of the web.
-
Writing• Access
Good design, UX and otherwise, has always been about improving the content's accessibility. The difference is that in designing a box to fit any object we have failed to design anything at all.