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The first half of bootcamp ( design / css )

Career Week: Involved in Portland Tech

TechTown

Bailey's Tap Room

  • Start up place for interviews and coffee

Business Cards

Career Week: Networking

Networking

Career Week: Resume and Linkedin

Resumes

Linkedin

Career Week: Personal Branding

Pitch

  • core of personal brand
  • talking points to leverage in different situations
    • background
    • skill set
    • career goals
  • Used during:
    • recruiter calls
    • cover letters
    • resume profiles
    • intro emails
    • netowrking events
  • Incorporate at least two or three: Who are you? Why are you here? Where do you come from? What experiences have you had in life that make you the person you are today? What is your passion? How were you inspired to join this program? What do you hope to get out of this internship? What has your experience been like so far? What does this internship mean to you?
  • There should be a moral / point to your speech that changes depending on the audience
  • Consider 4 things into crafting the speech
    • What do you do well?
      • professional accomplishments
      • common thread in all jobs
      • how do I improve the rolls I am in
      • Activation words: adept at, proficient in, accomplished, prowess, dexterity, expertise in, savvy
    • Greatest strength?
      • where are you most assured?
      • the opportunity to do _ is what really drew you to current role
      • Activation words: Have a knack for, talented at, effective, penchant for
    • What would you like to do?
      • frame aspirations:
        • gain exposure or credibility in the industry
        • hoping to find a role in...
        • suggestions as to how...
        • opportunities for me to develop
        • looking to write for
        • insight on how i can apply...
    • What's your why? Motivation
      • Ask yourself:
        • Who do I want to help or inspire?
        • Who benefits from my work?
        • Why do I enjoy the work I am doing?
      • Activation words: because, on behalf of, I owe it to, inspired by, I want to inspire, I believe

Focal points

  • Techincal interests
    • Software developer, ios developer, full-stack, etc.
    • client facing, design focused, specific languages
    • what excites you about coding
  • Industry or environment prior to development
    • What were you ding, key impacts, main skills and overall focus
    • Draw on strengths from prior roles
      • leadership, customer service, finance
  • Do not mention Alchemy Code Lab
    • focus on intense training program to career change
  • Key strengths and core values
    • what skills or characteristics do you bring to the table that make you a unique hire
    • outside of the typical assumptions of a job description, what about you would add to the organization
      • personal attributes that are fun
  • different pitches for different circumstances
    • networking meetup vs interview

Public Speaking

  • Rate of speech
    • Speak quickly due to anxiety
    • Be mindful to slow down
  • Strategic pauses
    • dramatic and adds significance
  • Body language
    • nonverbal communication
    • unconcious nervous ticks
      • pacing, hands in pockets, lip biting
  • Make eye contact with audience
    • look around! Make eye contact with individuals
  • Practice
    • go to meetups and network
    • use a video recorder to improve nervous ticks
  • Memorize talking points
    • not in paragraphs, but bullets
    • more dynamic
    • toastmasters, speech classes
    • do things that give you performance anxiety
  • Know audience
    • Two categories:
      • people who want you to succeed and are engaged
      • people who are bored
  • Focus on topic and less on aspects of presentation
    • Focus is turned toward topic that excites you
  • Remember your appearance
    • split second first impressions
    • hold self well and dress well, helps image
  • Take a breath
    • Don't focus on perfection
    • Do your best
  • Study people who are great public speakers
    • pinpoint what they are doing that you would like to improve on

Elevator Speech

  • Casual:

    • I'm a front-end developer specialized in javascript, serverless, and design technologies.
    • Programming scratches my itch for critical thinking and puzzles; I consider the many ways a problem can be solved and attempt create the most efficient solution.
    • Prior to development, I worked within the medical field closely with physicians and applied to medical school. I was accepted, but decided to pursue a career that would allow greater balance in life.
    • In my free time, I spend a large amount of time staying active through climbing, hiking, and planning events centered around building community.
  • Formal:

    • I'm a front-end developer specialized in javascript, serverless, and design technologies looking for work in web app development.
    • I am familiar with react / redux, component architecture, semantic HTML, and css animations.
    • I come from a background of medicine and working side-by-side with physicians as a team.
    • In a work environment, I am resilient, focused,and determined to produce my best possible. I will toil for hours to come to a solution, all while enjoying myself.

Career Week: Strengths and Preferences

Strength Test

  • Strengthsfinder assessment:
    • Achiever, deliberative, analytical, focus, learner

Research

  • Tech news
    • Portland Business Journal
      • set up an account, go to print an article that has a price, then you can read it.
    • Silicon Florist
      • Portland local, news on startups
    • portlandtech.org
      • list of companies
    • techorgeon.org
    • A List Apart
    • Medium
      • follow people
    • Fontendfront.com
    • twitter
      • follow relevant people
  • Slack communities
    • women who code
  • Track things (email lists, feedly)
  • Take strengths finder assessment and format questions to ask in informational meetings and interviews
  • Think about dealbreakers
    • Company size
    • Industry
    • Values and mission alignment
    • Tech stack
    • Work pace and intensity
  • Find connections, 70%+ of positions are found by networking!
    • ask for coffee and informational interviews
    • essentially stalking people
  • Curtail resume / coverletter to company
  • created a canned response in gmail for coffee meetings / thank yous

Day 18: User Auth in Firebase

randome notes

  • ES6, if property has same name as value, can shorthand
  • setTimeout() is given no ms argument, will behave as if it was given 0. Everything else will run, then it will go.
{ property, key, item } 

//vs

{
  property: property,
  key: key,
  item: item
}
  • destructuring shorthand is syntactical sugar
const Componenet = this.Component;
cont isPublic = this.isPublic;
const { Component, isPublic } = map.get(route) || homepage;

//vs

const { Component, isPublic } = map.get(route) || homepage;

User Auth demo

  • located in the header and App.js
  • must move this.setPage() to be associated with userAuth event.
  • don't have hashchange be associated with page refresh.
  • create a map that has isPublic property. Sign in page must be public, along with homepage.
  • create protected routes using the encodeurl()
  • create an auth app with github via oAuth apps in settings for team project on github.
  • go to apps.twitter.com to create a new app for alternative sign in options. Can use your-app.firebase.com as url. Will need to take API keys.
  • users must stick with whatever they picked to log in. No account linking yet.
  • header will need to know the current user and change
  • create a user component
  • add a petsByUser node on the tree in firebase
  • add a hash to bundle.js in webpack.prod.js so browser does not cache the page because bundle.js is named the same as prior push.

firebase UI

  • npm i firebaseui
  • auth ui
  • will send a reset password to users that forget
  • firebase will allow options to send forgotten password email, delete user, disable user.

Demo pets deletion

  • There is an update method with firebase that will allow different references to different tree nodes to be attached to one another, must update starting from tree root
  • offer a confirm statement for the user to be sure
  • create an update statement that will set the pet node, image reference, images in storage, and owner node to null, and firebase will prune them.

.env

  • store firebase variables in a .env file.
  • require it within webpack config
  • create new webpack.defineConfig and add variables surrounded by JSON.stringify().
  • npm start will add these variables to the build

Day 16: Automation of image responsiveness

random notes

  • change the color of a svg by opening it up in VS code and finding the "fill" value and changing it to desired color.

Automation of Image responsiveness

  • use cloudinary
  • upload the largest image you think you will need first
    • max contianer width 1200px, then largest image will be 2400px wide for retina.
  • use aspect ratio option in cloudinary
  • create arrays to hold aspect ratios and breakpoints
    • there are no common aspect ratios for responsive design
  • can have alt on cloudinary or locally on object
  • have an image load at it's maximum for a range. Ex - load 900px image for 900-600px breakpoint range.
  • Largest image doesn't need a high end breakpoint.

in picture.js:

export default class Picture {
  constructor(cloudinaryObj) {
    this.cloudinaryObj = cloudinaryObj;
  }

  createPicture(cloudinaryObj) {
    let pictureHTML = '';

    for(let i = 0; i < cloudinaryObj.aspectRatios.length; i++) {
      const imgOptions = `${cloudinaryObj.options},ar_${cloudinaryObj.aspectRatios[i]},w_${cloudinaryObj.breakpoints[i]}`;
      const imgURL = getURL(cloudinaryObj.fileName, imgOptions);

      const retinaOptions = `${cloudinaryObj.options},ar_${cloudinaryObj.aspectRatios[i]},w_${cloudinaryObj.breakpoints[i] * 2}`;
      const retinaURL = getURL(cloudinaryObj.fileName, retinaOptions);

      // ar_ represents aspect ratio, w_ represents width

      if(i < cloudinaryObj.aspectRatios.length -1) {
        pictureHTML += `<source media="(min-width: ${cloudinaryObj.breakpoints[(i + 1)]}px" srcset=${imgURL}, ${retinaURL}2x">`;
      } else {
        pictureHTML += `<img srcset="${imgURL}, ${retinaURL} 2x alt="${cloudinaryObj.alt}">`;
      }
    }

    return pictureHTML;
  }

}

Day 15: CSS Animations / Transitions

random

  • flex grow allows content to shrink and grow as needed in the given space, considered as a ratio.

CSS transition

  • transition is a shorthand property that represents [transition-property] [transition-duration] (seconds or miliseconds) [transition-timing-function] [transition-delay]
    • no commas between values.
    • order does not matter
    • multiple transitions are separated by commas
    • transition-timing-function has some presets called linear, ease-in, ease-out, ease-in-out, and cubic-bezier
.box:nth-child(1) {
  transition: all 1s; // will give all defined transformations a change over 1 second
  background 1s, //the background color will change quickly
  transform 5s; //the transform will happen more slowly
}

.box:nth-child(1) {
  transform: scale(2) rotate(90deg) translate(-10px, -25px);
  //when scale is given one value it will apply it to both the height and width equally.
  // all will be applied at the same rate
}

CSS animations

  • uses keyframes and names the animation to animate CSS properties. At minimum, need two key frames (0% and 100%), animation name, and duration.
  • GreenSock Animation API will help with more complex animations
    • animation chaining or working with SVG
  • can use cubic-bezier.com to create a curve for animation transition.

Planning animations

  • planned out in sketches and wireframes. Useful only when they help the user accomplish or understand something.
  • change blindness when transitions are too quick or subtle.
    • Sometimes the data can be loaded instantly, and animations / transitions are used to help make it clear something has happened.
    • provide some feedback
  • if there are instructions with the app, there must be a problem?
    • difficult to find the starting instructions again
  • Animations should reinforce visual cues.
  • Provide updates / visual transitions for new content.
  • Reinforce branding when choosing easing styles. There is also platform guidelines for ios and Android.
    • infinity for ios, flat for android
  • Reinforce status of user within system. Keep the user informed. Animation can make a loading process feel instantaneous.

Testing

  • test early, test often.
  • using transition features in prototyping tools should give a sense if animations are working
    • proto.io, invision, marvel

Accessibility

  • don't have animations flashing more than 3 times a second, seizure triggering
  • provide alternative content
    • not necessary if you have semantic html
  • SVGs should be inline with rather than drawn by canvas

demo

  • animations appear different on mobile vs desktop
  • css only animations execute more quickly than involving js
  • CSS is good at moving from sibling to sibling, parent to child. Not so good at targeting a parent.
    • make sure nav button and navigation are siblings
  • create a checkbox and attach interactivity to that
    • allows for use of pseudoselector ':checked'
    • no need to give semantic meaning
  • set the header position to be relative so the children can be absolutely positioned accordingly.
  • give the span a position of absolute, fill with color, use transform to spread apart
  • not going to use flex on the header as many parts are siblings (on purpose)
#navBtn span {
  position: absolute;
  right: 1rem;
  display: block;
  background: $lightGrey;
  width: 36px;
  height: 4px;
  transition: all .25s ease-in;
  &:nth-child(1) {transform: translate(0, 20px)}
  &:nth-child(2) {transform: translate(0, 30px)}
  &:nth-child(2) {transform: translate(0, 40px)}
}

input { //covers the burgernav
  display: block;
  z-index: 2;
  position: absolute;
  top: 24px;
  right: 24px;
  transform: scale(4, 3);
  opacity: 0; //hides it but continues to have interactivity and exists in DOM
}

input:checked ~ navBtn span { //selects all siblings by the selector given
  transition: all .25s ease-out;
  &:nth-child(1) {transform: rotate(45deg translate(20px, 20px));}
  &:nth-child(2) {opacity: 0;} //opacity chosen due ability to fade / animate away
  &:nth-child(3) {transform: rotate(-45deg translate(20px, 20px));}
}

nav {
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  left: 0;
  top: 65px; //places it right were it was before, but allows the use of transitions
  transition: all .2s ease-in; // when nav receeds, could be seen as annoying
  transform: translate(0, -100%); //shoves the nav upward
  transform-origin: 0 0; //starts animation from this position
  opacity: 0; //hides it
  ul {
    li {
      a {
        color: $lightgrey;
        text-decoration none;
        text-transform: uppercase; //some screen readers read capitals letter by letter. This can avoid that.
        text-align: center;
        display: block;
      }
      &:hover {background: $buttonHover;}
    }
  }
}

input:checked ~ nav { //appears over the header, z-index problem?
  opacity: 1;
  transform: none;
  transition: all .3s ease-out;
}

main {
  article {
    animation: dropMain 5s ease-out;
    max-width: 1200px;
  }
}

@keyframes dropMain {
  0% {
    opacity: .6;
    transform: translate(-100%, 0);
  }
  70% {
    opacity: .6;
    transform: translate(5%, 0); //creates the elastic shake
  }
  100% {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translate(0, 0);
  }
}

@media (min-width: 720px) { //different animation for desktop
  main {
    margin-top: 3rem;
    article {animation: dropMain .35s ease-out}
  }
  @keyframes dropMain {
    0% {
      opacity: 0;
      transform: translate(-20%, 0);
    }
    30% {
      opacity: .6;
      transorm: translate(2%, 0);
    }
    100% {
      opacity: 1;
      transorm: translate(0, 0);
    }
  }
}

Day 14: Tree Data Structures

The Tree

const node = {
  data: value,
  children: []
}

const TreeNode {
  constructor(data) {
    this.data = data;
    this.children = [];
  }
}
  • terminology: root node, parent-child, branch, leaf
    • leaf: no children, usually presentation heavy and data rich (pictures)
    • siblings are branches from the same parent
  • one there is a cyclical dependency, the pattern is no longer a tree but a graph.
  • linked list is a set of nodes that points toward the next node
  • a single node can count as a tree
  • Recursive Data Structure is a repeating data structure
    • will often work with trees recursively
function countTo(inut,max) {
  console.log(`before ${input}`); 
  if (input < max) {
    const message = countTo(input + 1, max);
    console.log(message);
  }
  return console.log(`after ${input}`);
}

countTo(0,3)

call stack:
countTo(3,3)
countTo(2,3)
countTo(1,3)
countTo(0,3)

console:
before 0
before 1
before 2
before 3
after 3
after 2
after 1
after 0

  • to walk through, create a call stack (last in first out) of each function call to keep track.

how to visit a tree's children before its siblings. Takes a node an console.logs the data for that node with indentation for the children.

function traverse(node, input = '') {
  console.log(`${input}${node.data}`);
  indent += '  ';
  for (let i = 0; i < node.children.length; i++) {
    traverse(node.children[i], indent);
  }
}
  • binary trees have a left and a right property instead of an array of children.

how to add a letter to a tree via the add method:

add(node) {
  const direction = node.data > this.data ? 'right' : 'left';
  this[direction] ? this[direction].add(node) : this[direction] = node;
}

how to find a person object when given a persons name in a binary tree of people.

find(name) {
  if (name == this.value) return this.person;
  const 
  const direction = name > this.value ? 'right' : 'left';
  return this[direction] ? this[direction].find(name) : null;
}

Day 13: Serverless Architecture and Routes

Random Notes

  • serverless: utilize someone elses servers, no need to build own server.
    • good for companies that aren't going to be competitive on the tech side of things (real estate)
    • building own servers makes sense for tech companies (own their own infrastructure)
  • webpack build creates a static copy
  • cloudinary can manipulate photos.
  • firebase is google infrastructure
  • have eventlisteners get elements from event object whenever possible to prevent unneeded closures

Firebase

  • no sql database, does not enforce schema / table
  • don't need to create the parent nodes in firebase, can simply refer to it in code and it will be created when a set method is used
  • go to https://console.firebase.google.com/u/0/?pli=1
  • add a project, create project
  • go to rules at set read and write to true, same with storage
  • Storage is where images will go
    • do not update in real time, must refresh
  • "add firebase to web app"
    • place the initialization code within services tab called firebase.js
  • will be using the Evented API instead of RESTFUL API
  • Will create listeners on pets changing to update data
  • webpack can bring in npm install packages. npm i firebase will allow use of firebase methods.
    • db is realtime database
    • storage for uploading storage
    • auth for authorization
    • some of the firebase code will run in the browser, will keep itself in sync with the browser.
  • can go to database in firebase to see data stored
    • can set listeners to the data in firebase
      • .ref at the top level of data
      • .child for anything below top level (nested data)
      • means we only have to change data once in the database, and everywhere else that is listening for that piece of data, will change in near real time
  • if want data at a node, must get all data at that node
    • this is why images are stored not in the same node of all the other information. Will give back large amounts of information. Use the same key name under different parent node names. (petimages > key and pet > key)
  • db commands will return the function passed to it so we can remove the event listener with unrender()
    • child_added
    • child_removed
    • child_changed
  • data.key will obtain the name of the child node.
  • data.val() will obtain the values beneath the child node.

demo

  • when building app
    • start with routes (/home, /pets, /pets/petid, /pets/createpet, /account/me, /account/signin, /account/signup)
      • draw what the page will look like under that route
  • need to unrender() to unsubscribe from event listeners. If didn't unrender, would create memory leaks.
    • dom nodes may go away, but event listeners are still referring to those nodes, creaking leaks.
    • ask if the event should go away when done
  • can split window.location.hash.split('/') to check for parent component
  • store the pet id within the url hash, that id will then be given to firebase to call information.
  • make a choice to have the parent or child component handle data retrieval. If parent handles, will pass in a function with the creation of a new Child to call back.
  • don't have to 'update' an image, just add or remove.
  • after an image is placed into storage, must make a reference to that image under that item within the database.
    • can't get very easily from storage as it will return a download url instead of the image itself
    • create pet-images, create a key in database and storage that is the pet id, download the image under that key in storage, then add the download to the key in database
    • when deleting, must remove from both database and storage
  • pass image uploader an image from web?
    • create a form with a textbox in html
const embedForm = dom.querySelector('form');
embedForm.addEventListener('submit', event => {
  event.preventDefault();
  this.handleEmbedForm(event.target.elements.url.value);
})

this.handleEmbed(url) { //can skip cloud storage! Careful about deleting, must update deleting
  const petImage = this.petImages.push()
  petImages.set(url);
}

handleRemove(imageKey) {
  const storage = this.imageStorage.child(imageKey);
  storage.delete()
    .catch(err => {
    if(err.code === 'storage/object-not-found') return
    console.log(err)
    });
}

Cloudinary

  • https://cloudinary.com/console
  • create an account
  • place geturl in services
  • have a helper function that escapes given url (encodeUriComponent(url))
  • pass in url from firebase
  • take a look at the docs to have things done to images

Day 12: responsive images

random notes

  • responsive fonts, use em instead of rem, otherwise they won't inherit.
  • jobs as a developer is not to create content. It will be handed to me.
  • not doing image automation or lazy loading yet.
  • I personally do better when I can see what assignments are due / when ahead of time. It helps me plan my time allocation. I strongly recommend having readings out at least a day ahead of time, instead of being released the day of.
  • The lectures still have redundant information that was in the readings. No need to go into such detail presented in the readings, instead build on the readings information. For example, reviewing all of the raster image types.
  • have #root be the grid
    • must remove .clip "jump to main content" out of root, don't want it to become a grid item.

Image Formats

  • avoid images whenever possible. Use icon fonts and pure HTML/CSS
    • logos are exceptions
  • pseudoclasses became available with CSS3
  • Vector images infinitely scaleable.
    • SVG are standard for vectors.
    • described in XML files
    • Inkscape is a free vector drawing tool
    • Adobe illustrator and google docs can export
  • Raster images comprised of individual pixels and color, lose quality when scaled up
    • slights amounts of scaling is okay
    • GIF, JPEG, PNG
    • GIMP is a free raster graphic editor
    • newer formats WebP, JPEG XR (lack support)
    • There are not good options for creating vectors from raster images.
  • PNG-8 vs PNG-24
    • PNG-24 is lossless format
      • Not used very often in the web due to high size demands
    • PNG-8 is limited to 256 colors, slightly smaller file size
  • JPEG is a lossy format. When saving, there is a quality slider.
    • JPEGmini can further reduce image size
    • an annoying multi-point process
  • WebP lossless image format, smaller sizes than JPEGS and PNGS, plus transparency. Limited support to Chrome and Opera mini
  • JPEG XR lossless compression, higher color accuracy, transparency. Limited to Edge and IE.

Responsive Images

  • Art direction: problem of the need to crop images differently for different screens
    • Especially noticable in wide hero images
  • resolution switching: problem for the same image in different sizes to account for various viewport or display densities
  • srcset handle resolution switching, chooses images based on viewport size and display density
<img src="small.jpg" srcset="large.jpg 1024w,
medium.jpg 640w, small.jpg 320w" alt="Michelle
Obama">
//img src should be mobile first, then have srcset define the others including the mobile first. Image name followed by width
  • element handles art direction problem. Serves different images based on media queries
    • @2x denotes a high resolution image
    • uses tags to find the best image for the job based on media queries
    • has an tag to fall back on, usually place mobile image in there first.
<picture>
 <source srcset="[email protected],
 [email protected] 2x"
 media="(min-width: 990px)">
 <source srcset="[email protected],
 [email protected] 2x"
 media="(min-width: 750px)">
 <img srcset="[email protected], homepage
[email protected] 2x" alt="Shopify Merchant,
 Corrine Anestopoulos">
</picture>
// 2x denotes images for higher resolution screens

Lazy Loading

  • load heavy content asynchronously, only loads above the fold, or conditionally as it appears in the browsers viewport
    • reddit scrolling, pintrist, medium.com
    • serve low resolution blurred images until user scrolls into view.

Demo

  • Aspect ratios used:
    • large desktop: 3:1
    • medium desktop: 2:1
    • tablet: 3:2
    • mobile: 1:1
  • used google docs to create SVG
  • created 8 hero images, 4x aspect ratios and 4x @2x
  • resizeimage.net or gimp
    • can crop
  • make image sizes based off of breakpoints
    • mobile image width based off max width of breakpoint.
    • crop based on desired aspect ratio
    • start with big image and scale down
    • for @2x images, start with regular large sized (1500x500px), then have the retina (3000x1000)
  • webpack requires images to be in src, not components
  • maxwidth class added to grid items that you do not want to extend to sides of window. Don't add to hero images. Grid will go the whole width of the browser, then apply class to limit content.
<picture>
  <source media="(min-width: 1024px)" srcset="/images/hero-xlarge.jpg, /images/[email protected] 2x"> //will grab the 2x device if it senses it
  <source media="(min-width: 720px)" srcset="/images/hero-large.jpg, /images/[email protected] 2x">
  <source media="(min-width: 500px)" srcset="/images/hero-medium.jpg, /images/[email protected] 2x">
  <img srcset="/image/hero-xsmall.jpg, /images/[email protected] 2x" alt="picture">
</picture>

Day Eleven: Web Type & Color

random notes

  • for labs: especially for the grid lab, I highly recommend a format similar to how labs went in 201 or 301. Have all the html scaffolding and webpack built up, and then give us pictures of pages that we need to make using grid. I could see you have us a pre-made paginated site where we have to change each page to match a picture format you give us. I think that'd be a great way to learn it. I feel that I spend too much time prepping the lab, creating the html instead of focusing on the topic we are trying to learn. This may also be better done in a lab that spans the entire week and we continually build something with it.
  • I think demos are most important part of how I personally learn, instead of being lectured. I would much rather have lecture hours cut down on slides and instead show me things in the demo. This also helps me feel more prepared for labs.
  • CDN will cache on the browser if a user has encountered that link before.

Fonts

  • serif: old and serious tones
  • slab: little variation between letters and serifs, like a typewriter
  • sans-serif: causal and modern
  • monospace typeface: occupy the same horizontal space. Good for code examples, not great for body copy.
  • Display typeface: used for headlines, large, few words to read. Script typeface falls into this category
  • Typewolf: recommends font pairings.
  • Google fonts has many incomplete sets that lack italics / bold. Be careful to choose one that has many options.
    • check the box "number of styles" and pick at least 3+.
  • Adobe Typeface is difficult to use, not free, but has high quality control.
    • If the creative liscence expires, so do all the fonts $$$.
  • CSSfontstack.com: gives similar font fallbacks.
  • System fonts: sans-serif fonts native to an OS, require no loading time.
    • may feel more comfortable to a user due to familiarity
    • there is no OS native serif font
  • Type Scale: prearranged set of harmonious proportions. Start with base font size, try different ones out to see what feels right. modularscale.com suggests harmonious size relationships.
  • text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; achieves more accurate kerning.
    • can slow down loadtime
  • Tracking: property changes the spacing between letters all at once
  • Kerning: individually alters spacing between letters, good for logos
  • Leading: controlled by line-height property, unitless
    • start with 150% of type height
    • tighten line-height on headers
    • increase line-height on paragraphs
  • Fluid Type: use viewport units to make fonts scale with screen size.
  • beware of letter spacing with serif fonts, where two letters can look like one: rn vs m, cl vs d.
  • beware of confusing letter forms in sans-serif fonts (capital I vs i).

color

  • WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker useful
  • color associations can vary by culture.
    • Red
      • USA: passion, excitement, love, danger.
      • Asia: happiness, joy, celebration.
      • The Middle East: danger, caution, bad luck.
    • Orange
      • USA: warmth, impulsiveness, uniqueness, autumn.
      • Latin America: sunshine.
      • Japan: courage, love.
      • The Middle East: mourning, loss
    • Yellow
      • USA: happiness, sunshine, warnings, transportation.
      • Germany: envy.
      • Asia: royalty.
      • The Middle East: happiness, prosperity
      • Africa: money, success.
    • Green
      • USA: money, success, luck, nature, envy.
      • Asia: nature, fertility, youth.
      • Latin America: death.
      • Middle East: strength, fertility, luck.
    • Blue
      • USA: trust, reliability, masculinity, calm, sadness.
      • Asia: strength, immortality.
      • China: femininity
      • Latin America: trust, serenity.
      • Middle East: safety, protection.
    • Purple
      • USA: royalty, luxury, honor.
      • Asia: wealth, nobility.
      • Brazil, Thailand: mourning.
      • Middle East: wealth, virtue.
    • Pink
      • USA: femininity, childhood, sweetness.
      • Korea: trust.
      • Latin America: architecture.
      • Middle East, China: no distinct meaning.
    • Brown
      • USA: earth, grain, dependability, packaging.
      • Asia: mourning.
      • Middle East: earth, comfort.
      • Nicaragua: disapproval
    • Black
      • USA: sophistication, power, finality, death.
      • Asia, Latin America: masculinity.
      • Thailand, Tibet: evil.
      • Middle East: rebirth, mourning.
      • Around the world: magic, mystery, the unknown.
    • White
      • USA: purity, peace, cleanliness, sterility, weddings.
      • Asia: sterility, mourning, unhappiness, misfortune.
      • Italy: funerals.
      • Around the world: a white flag means truce, surrender.

Applying Color

  • Save brightest colors for a Call to Action
  • Colors can be used to target users by gender
    • Women:
      • love: blue, purple, green
      • hate: green, brown, gray
    • Men:
      • love: blue, green, black
      • hate: brown, orange, purple
  • Blue is very positive: security, establish trust, good for links
    • not for food websites, associated with appetite suppression
  • Color resources:
    • coolors.co/
    • color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/
    • paletton.com/

demo

  • include fontawesome: https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css
  • class="fa fa-github fa-3x"
    • fa gets fontawesomes attention
    • fa-github is the icon
    • fa-3x is the size
  • Why not just use the icons with unicode?
    • browser support
  • footer navigation: no need for a nav tag
  • to apply google fonts only as needed, use an @import url(googleAddress) in css and target the elements that will recieve the font.
  • add selected to drop down html options to have it already on something that is not at the top of the list.

Day Ten: CSS Grid

random notes

  • be sure to use the grid lines when making sketches
  • don't center large body of text, hard for the eye to follow (no more than 2-3 lines)
  • ul > li select direct descendants
  • ul + li select adjascent sibling (immediately succeeding)
  • ul ~ li general sibling (need not immediatley after, all following)
  • ul > * all direct descendants
  • ul li - descendant selector
  • margin-top: auto can vertically align flexbox items.
  • within nested css elements, & refers to the element it is within
li {
  border: 1px solid black;
  &:last-child { //adds the pseudo-selector onto li
    border: none;
  }
}

Grids in Webdesign

  • use for alignment, organization, consistency, flexibility
  • constraints are helpful in design. Underlying structure has a focusing effect.

Parts of the grid

  • units are basic building blocks. 12 unit is fairly common as it is divisible by multiple options (2/6, 3/4, 4/3) but not too many. CONSTRAINTS! May be dying down as a trend.
  • gutters are vertical space separating each unit
    • multiple units and gutters form columns
  • mobile grid should extend a single column across the entire screen
  • justified text in a grid can help continue the design
    • watch for 'rivers' between words, will draw the eye to negative space
    • CSS hyphenation can possibily help
    • JS plugins exist to help as well

Grid layout

  • grid does not replace flexbox - both work together
  • fairly new, not supported by older browsers
    • avoid grid if older browsers need to receive an identical experience
    • display: table can be a comparable experience
    • polyfill ill advised
  • display: grid: defines element as grid container. Placed in rows by default and span the full contianer width. Grid items are only the direct descendants of the container.
  • grid is defined by grid lines, can be vertical or horizontal.
  • space between to adjacent grid lines is called a grid track.
  • fractional units: 1fr represents 1 part of the available space.
    • can be used as a ratio for spaces. (9 boxes / 3 boxes = 3fr / 1fr)
    • will make space fit no matter the other things (grid gaps, etc.)
    • flexible

naming grid lines

  • Each set of names (in quotes) defines a row and each individual name defines a column
  • can make keeping track of lines easier!
grid-template-rows:
[row-1-start] 1fr
[row-2-start] 1fr
[row-2-end];

grid-template-columns:
[col-1-start] 1fr
[col-2-start] 1fr
[col-3-start] 1fr
[col-3-end];

grid-template-rows: 150px 1fr 100px;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 200px;
grid-template-areas:
"header header"
"content sidebar"
"footer footer";

Grid and Accessibility

  • beware markup flattening or presenting HTML in a less semantic way to achieve grid goals
    • placing markup in less than optional order
  • cannot create a single grid layout with nested elements, like within main
  • subgrid discussion has started
  • need to combine grid with flexbox right now
  • create a sticky footer in grid layouts
    • min-height: 100%
    • html {height: 100%}

demo

in main.css

.wrapper {
  display: grid;
  grid-gap: 20px;
  grid-template-areas:
  "header"
  "nav"
  "content"
  "ad"
  "sidebar"
  "footer";
} 
.main-head {grid-area: header;} //ids would've worked the same
.main-nav {grid-area: nav;}
.content {grid-area: content;}
.ad {grid-area: ad;}
.side {grid-area: sidebar;}
.main-footer {grid-area: footer;}

.wrapper > * {
  border: 2px solid #000;
  background-color: yellow;
  border-radius: 5px;
  padding: 10px;
}

@media (min-width: 500px) {
  .wrapper {
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 3fr;
    grid-template-areas:
    "header header" //spreads it completely over both defined columns
    "nav nav"
    "sidebar content" //first gets 1fr, second gets 3fr
    "ad footer"
  }

  nav ul {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-around;
  }
}

minmax:

.wrapper {
  display: grid;
  grid-gap: 10px;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(10, 100px); //10 columns fixed at 100px

  grid-template-columns: repeat(10, 1fr);
  //10 columns expand to fill available space

  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, 100px);
  //will fix as many 100px boxes as the window allows

  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(100px, 1fr));
  //will fix as many 100px (at minimum) boxes as the window allows, THEN use 1fr (maximum) to adjust
  //when window size is increased, will stretch box size until another 100px box can fit onto the row of boxes
}

.box {
  padding: 10px;
  background: #ccc;
}

app.css

@import '../variables.css' //import some variables!

.main-head {grid-area: header;}
.content {grid-area: content;}
.main-footer {grid-area: footer;}

.wrapper {
  max-width: 1024px;
  display: grid;
  margin: 0 auto;
  grid-template-areas:
  "header"
  "content"
  "footer";
  min-height: 100vh; //can be larger, but at least this tall
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto; //auto leaves height as they are natually. 1ft will divy up what is left and fit it on the screen (helps with sticky footer)
}
  • variables are helpful in component architecture. Don't need to keep repeating yourself.
    • name visual theme colors.
    • avoids the find / replace annoyance

variables.css

$dark: #000; //needs dollar sign to work

Day Nine: Stacks and Queues

random notes

  • the big O does not care so much about the slope except in extreme nit picking efficiency. It is a bigger deal for exponential change in problems.
  • placement of -- or ++ matters in the items incrementing or decrementing.
    • --item when returned will decrement prior to being returned
    • item-- will decrement after the item is returned
let a = 2
let b = 2

console.log(--a); // 1
console.log(a) // 1
console.log(b--); //2
console.log(b); //1
  • random problem:
function anagram(a,b) {
  let arr = a.split('');
  let brr = b.split('');

  if (arr.length === brr.length) {
    if(arr.sort().join('') === brr.sort().join('')) {
      return true;
    } 
  }  
  return false;
}

Arrays

Unshift

function unshift(arr, item) {
  for(i=arr.length-1; i=0; i--) {
    arr[i+1] = arr[i];
  }
  arr[0] = item;
  return arr.length;
}

Shift

function shift(arr) {
  const item = arr[0];
  for(i=0; i<arr.length; i++) {
    arr[i] = arr[i+1];
  }
  arr.length --;
  return item;
}

Pop

function pop(arr) {
  const lastItem = arr[arr.length-1];
  arr.length--;
  return lastItem;
}

Push

function push(arr, item) {
  arr[arr.length] = item;
  return arr.length;
}
  • manipulating the front: unshift - adds to front, shift - removes from front
  • manipulating the back: push - adds to end, pop - removes from end
  • unshift and shift are O(n) due to loops in their functionality (costly!)
  • push and pop are O(1), which is why it is convention to use them with arrays!

Stacks

  • LIFO (last in first out)
  • have push and pop-like methods
  • can peak at the top
  • use cases:
    • scoping
    • reverse
    • syntax checking
    • recursion
Class Stack {
  constructor () {
    this.arr = [];
  }

  push(item) {
    this.arr.push(item);
  }

  pop() {
    return this.arr.pop();
  }

  peek() {
    return this.arr[this.arr.length-1];
  }
}

Queue

  • FIFO (first in first out)
  • have enqueue and dequeue-like methods
  • hasnext check if anything exists
class Queue {
  constructor() {
    this.queue = [];
  }

  enqueue(item) {
    this.queue.push(item);
  }

  dequeue() {
    return this.queue.shift();
  }

  hasNext() {
    return !!this.queue.length;
  }
}

O(1) Queue

class Queue {
  constructor() {
    this.queue = [];
    this.place = 0;
  }

  enqueue(item) {
    this.queue.push(item);
  }

  dequeue() {
    if (!hasNext()) return;
    return this.queue.[this.place++];
  }

  hasNext() {
    return !!(this.queue.length - this.place);
  }
}

Day Eight: Form Validation

random notes

  • control + backtick in chrome dev tools will open the console drawer
  • option + command + j brings to console.
  • look for errors in webpack at the top. Can quit and restart with a clear.
  • any time webpack config is changed, must restart the server!
  • window.onbeforeunload: when work needs to be done before user returns to page

webpack config

  • entry: what do we want to call the output and where does it want to be put
  • output:
    • filename: this path is for npm build, npl start (webpackbuildserver) runs in a temp folder
  • devtool: gives us source maps (debug code we wrote, not what ended up getting "built").
    • instead of taking error messages to bundle.js, gives error messages from files used in development.
  • plugins: add high level functionality to webpack
    • new htmlPlugin: create an index.html based on our template, will add in <script> to bundle.js
  • module: loaders tell webpack how to require (or import) things
    • htmlloader
    • post-css: allows us to write nested css and auto-prefix css props that needs to be browser specific
    • cssloader: turns css into js that exports a string that is css, else it would try to interpret as js
    • styleloader: dynamically puts css into style tag of document head, don't use in production. Used in development to update css without refresh in browser
    • url-loader: if htm-loader sees a .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg, will use url-loader to load image directly (inline) into the src attribute on the img element. use a limit to give the loader a threshold to change how it solves this problem. When the limit is exceeded, it will load the image as a resource in build and create a local reference.
      • will cache file names and not update them if change is not detected.

Template Class

  • html will turn template into DOM from a string form so DOM methods can be used
  • .content is a method that creates a document fragment. Lightweight way to store a small tree of DOM nodes.
  • template can have as many parents or whatever in it
  • the template fragment itself is not appended to the DOM, the contents are (like a shopping bag)
  • since the fragment is being reused, have .cloneNode(true) for deep cloaning. Otherwise would only be able to use the fragment once (non-reusable shopping bag)
    • .cloneNode() faster than creating the elements from scratch

Service Caching

  • caching results in localstorage
  • not used in production, easy to cache but must be validated. Greater analysis required, place a time limit on the cache. Uncaching is the problem in production.

Lab Demo

Vanilla JS Router

  • the # for ids have been used to abuse single page app
    • nowadays want these relative links to work without the #
  • create a dictionary that has all the hashes desired and point those hashes to a particular page. If a has does not exist in the dictionary, write logic that will take user to homepage.
  • hide/show vs re-render: re-render as once you start holding onto things that are hidden, you have to decide how to deal with the state it was left in.

in App.js:

const map = new Map () 
map.set('#books': Books);
map.set('#auth': Register);

export default class App {

  constructor() {
    window.onhashchange = () => {
      this.setPage();
    }
  }

  setPage() {
    console.log(window.location.hash); //use to check and see if the event is even working
    const Component = map[window.location.has] || Home;
    const component = new Component();
    removeChildren(this.main);
    this.main.appendChild(component.render());
  }
}

in Register.js

handleSubmit(form) {
  const data = new FormData(form); //creates object from the data and gives it acces to methods
  const obj = {};
  data.forEach((value, key) => obj[key] = value)
}

  • for a show password button, you can change the type from password to text.
  • the pattern attribute on html forms allows the use of the title attribute (customizes the error message)

Events

  • touch events are translated to click. 300 milisecond delay due to registering a second click. Most browsers this can be fixed with setting the viewport size.

Functions

  • Variable Table
    • Name of variable: {type: number, value: 42} within the table
    • stores simple values (number, string, booleans)
    • const will lock that variable in the table
    • parameter names are added to this table and copy variables if given them. These values (arguments) are manipulated by the function, but do not manipulate the original variable
  • heep
    • for more complex variables (objects, arrays, functions)
    • will have a memory address associated with it
    • name of variable is still referenced within the variable table, but the value is the memory address within the heep
  • object properties can be changed on the original, whereas the variables are changed where they point to
  • Enhanced objections
  • Closures
    • functions within outer functions that reference a variable within the outer function.
    • this will allow child function to 'remember' the variable declared in the parent function
    • does not remember the value, only the variable! The variable can be re-declared.

Day Seven: Thinking About Design

random notes

  • User Journey: Details the set of steps necessary complete a task from start to finish on your app or site.
    • Example of airline ticket purchase, start to finish
      • google flights, momondo, expedia, kayak, scottsCheapFlights
  • Birthday is unneccesary as a calendar picker; people know their birthday and the day does not matter.
  • Self-evident: no time to understand / Self-explanitory: a few seconds to understand
    • Can create a graphic that shows steps / implementation (1,2,3)
  • WYSIWYG: what you see is what you get
    • dream weaver
    • canvas post making
  • If use CAPTCHA, perhaps use google recaptcha
    • Other captcha are awful and time consuming
  • Forgiving format vs stringent format
    • Stringent: not much variation in what can be typed (zip code, credit card)
    • forgiving (email, street address)

Scanning / Not Reading

  • Headline hierarchy
    • Spacing for headlines makes it more obvious where the headline belongs
    • High contrast for text that matters more
    • Design for eye patterns: F-pattern for text heavy, Z pattern for image heavy
  • Reduce distractions
  • Take advantage of conventions
    • logo in top left corner
    • search icon is magnifying glass
    • shopping cart is where selected items are stored
  • Is it necessary to reinvent something?
    • only if it adds a significant amount of value that it's worth a small learning curve
  • Keeping above "the fold"
    • navigation, logo, vital information
    • no reason to fight scrolling as a user will scroll.
  • UI patterns:
    • ui-patterns.com/patterns
    • patterntap.com/patterntap
    • littlebigdetails.com (not updated frequently)
  • Test design with blurring it.
    • If the wrong elements stand out, or nothing does, fix it
  • Important elements with white space
  • Make it obvious what is clickable
    • use a pointer finger
    • hover states may be outdated due to mobile

Skeuomorphism

  • References a real-world object
  • Offers cues to an interfaces functionality

Flat Design

  • fast loading time and less visual clutter
  • Google Material Design: material.io/guidelines/
    • Everything should feel like thin sheets of paper, including animations
    • realistic drop shadows
  • ios Human Interface: developer.apple.com/design/
    • visual depth
    • gradients and blurs are favored
    • animate things at infinity

Sketch

  • Explore concepts. Computers are used for refinement
  • Two phases:
    • Brainstorming: get ideas down quickly as possible
    • Communication: execute and convey solutions clean
  • Sticky notes can represent layers of interactivity: green for success, red for failure
  • UI stencils exist for lots of sketching: uistencils.com

Wireframe

  • arragement and function of interface elements and nav systems
  • focus on functions
  • no color yet
  • x-box to denote where photos may go
  • Clear evidence of:
    • grid
    • visual hierarchy
    • navigation
    • functionality
    • scannability of body copy
  • Can use digital tools
    • Adobe illustrator
    • Sketch
    • Axure
    • UXpin
    • Balsamiq (free)
  • use real content at this stage

prototyping

  • demonstrate nagivation and interaction before development starts
    • proto.io
    • inVision
    • Marvel (more for free)

Day Six: UX Research and Strategy + Checkout Usability

Random Notes

  • UX: The user's experience and emotions with a product. From first introduction to interaction with product and services.
  • Example: Apple - social currency, expensive, easy interface, clean design
  • Book reference: Simple and Usable

UX Process

  • Discovery: what do I know about the company? The types of people that use it?
    • Testing assumptions (ask questions about product from client)
    • Identify audience
    • Assess strengths / weakenesses
  • Strategy: Determine vision. Build personas. Conduct research.
  • Design: Sketch, wireframe, prototype.
  • Implementation

SWOT analysis

  • Strengths
    • What does client do better than anyone else?
  • Weaknesses
    • Are there things competitiors do better than client?
  • Opportuniites
    • Are there changes in technology, markets, or social patterns that client can take advantage of?
  • Threats
    • Harmful changes in technology, industry standards, competitor practices?

Strategy Document

  • Value propositions: Brief statements communicate what a customer should expect from product
    • “Snapchat is the fastest way to share messages, photos, videos, texts, and drawings with friends for a limited amount of time.”
    • “Waze is a social traffic and navigation app based on a community of drivers sharing realtime road information while driving.”
    • Can mess around with branding after people recognize the brand. How gmail became associated with google.
  • Competition Analysis
    • Direct and indirect competitors
    • Amazon is an indirect competitor for most products
  • Personas: informed describing product use
    • user description
      • details should be relevant to the product and grounded in research (avoid stereotypes)
      • include social media? only if relevant to product
      • internet savvy: do include
    • typical behaviors
      • Browse in desktop or mobile?
      • More likely to purchase in desktop or mobile?
      • How focused will users tend to be when using?
    • needs and goals
      • Why did they log on? Just comparison shopping?
      • Observe users use similar products and take note of what helps / hinders users achieve goals
  • UI design criteria
    • specific design goals
      • "increasing conversion rates on an online form"
      • "The form looks cluttered, make it cleaner"

Success metrics

  • HEART framework:
    • Happiness: satisfied with product?
    • Engagement: how long / deeply are users involved?
    • Adoption: product / feature attracting new uers?
    • Retention: existing users returning?
    • Task Success: how often / quickly do users complete specific tasks?
  • Web Analytics: tracks site visitation (Google is free)
    • new user vs returning visitor
    • types of devices used
    • Length of visit
    • Bounce rate (users see only one page)
      • How much is within control?
    • Campain success rate (email, social media, ads)
      • How and why people are landing on page
    • Conversion Rate (#users that achieved specific, measurable goal / total visitors)
      • Do users feel secure?
      • Hidden costs?
      • Frustrating process?
  • Success Metrics
    • Attitudinal: interviews & surveys (why)
    • Behavioral:
      • Quantitative: web analytics (what)
        • 40% of users bail at page 3
      • Qualitative: usability testing (how)
        • Users bail because of issue with prompts
  • Heatmaps:
    • where users click on a page
    • how far users scroll
    • eye tracking: forms an F-pattern in western cultures
      • Don't put important things in lower right corner
      • names, cute images, sexual images can break this pattern
  • Qualitative tests
    • usertesting.com - gather users to speak their mind on product
    • almost any stage with almost any user
      • can test even with a sketch
    • have the user think aloud
    • give the user specific tasks to complete and some input into task details
      • find tickets in your town on Feburary 1st to a show
      • look around and describe what you see / think what the site is about
    • depending on findings may want to run an A/B test
      • detect which version does better
      • small variations in changes, minimal variables
      • make sure repeate users have same variation each time

Day Five: Whiteboard Arrays, Objects, Big O

**Big-O / Operational Complexity **

  • Performance and memory demands
  • Notation:
    • O(1): flat line graph
      • arr[i]
    • O(n): linear graph
      • single for loop
    • O(n2): exponential graph
      • double for loop
    • O(2n): shit gets real fast
    • O(logn): slope decreases over time
      • sort / dictionary functions

Whiteboarding

  • Studying datastructures and algorithms
  • Reverse engineer the questions / what was being looked for
  • Adds a level of stress
  • Collaborative code editors are newer version of whiteboarding
  • Real interviewing may or may not be helpful in the whiteboard process
  • Example:
    in (yo, 3) out 'yoyoyo'
    
    function greet(greeting, n) {
      const result = '';
      for(let i = 0; i<= n; n++) {
        const += greeting;
      }
      return greeting;
    }
    
  • is it legible, consistent font size, horizontally level, correct indentation, syntactically correct, good scale for whiteboard
  • Start at top for enough space
  • Leave room for test cases on the right of the board
  • Ask questions: Can I assume valid input?
  • Develop a model: input | output
  • Think out loud while working. If need silence, let them know you need it.
  • Focus on the happy path first, not edge cases (invalid input)
  • Master time and space, how coplex will the code be?
  • If interviewers offer advice, take it.

Day Four: JavaScript

Random

  • Kinds of functions
    • functional programming
      • syncronous
      • happens 0-n times
    • asynchronous callbacks (fetch)
      • happens once
      • promises only apply to this category (.then)
    • event emitters
      • generally asynchronous
      • 0 to n times

Distributed Systems

  • The totality of the app.
  • Capabilities:
    • Persistence: Usually when an app is exited, it ends. Things will need to be saved to persist. This is usually done with a database.
    • Networking: example TCP / HTTP protocol. Connection established between a laptop (user) and a network (server). Does not care what it is sending. A language must be agreed upon between request to server, and delivery from server.
  • HTTP request will send a message and receives something back. Another protocol called websockets is for bidirectional information, like chatting.

JavaScript History

  • Originally a scripting language. Forego typing systems, will intelligently figure it out. Will be able to compare strings and numbers, but strangely.
    • JS uses floating point numbers. Will be off by a small point (0.0001).
  • Component architecture
    • A piece of UI
    • The user is royalty, user concerns become components
      • A search bar, information about what page the user is on, a book list with book components
    • Each component is modular and organized in the code as such
  • EMAScript is an organization that decides what will be part of the language. It goes through stage 1-4.
  • NodeJS came out in 2008. Stuff that happened in NodeJS was desired in vanilla JS, thus ES6 added a bunch of new stuff. Much of it was syntactical sugar. Babel would take some ES6 sugar and turn it into ES5 before browsers had support.

ESlintrc

  • sourceType: module, allows import / export type of JS
  • fail fast, fail early: make the red squiggle go away
  • Don't word wrap in editor.

Modules

  • import / export keywords
  • ES6 format
  • webpack will append js at the end of html. webpack asks for the entry point (main.js). with importing other js files, we only need to refernce files to main.js.

ES6

  • class is a constructor. There is a method called constructor that designates the creation of an object
  • .cloneNode() will clone a node. Add 'true' to clone all children as well.

Lab Info

  • use Vanilla JS.
  • use component architecture
  • ok to emulate code, do not copy directly. Process is important part.
  • Step by step growing.
  • cp in terminal to create a copy of something within the folder of what you are copying.
  • use kabob-case in html and css
  • use camelCase in JS.
  • use TitleCase with a constructor function / class in js (even in naming files)

lab demo

  • there are nodes in the DOM, elements are one type. A document fragment is a generic bag for html stuff. It's not yet in the DOM.
  • be sure everything is imported at beginning (template, html, css, Search, {searchBooks}, BookList) in App.js
  • To insert a child component into a parent component
  • to create the search (will capture what the user wants to search for and nothing else)
    search  // folder
        search.html
        search.css
        Search.js //will contain a class
        Paging.js
        paging.css
        paging.html
    
  • separate components from services in file folders. Services will contain API querying information.
    • make exports named
    export function namedExport(searchTerm) {
        fetch(`${API_URL}&q=${searchTerm}`)
        .then(response => response.json());
    }
    
  • create a book folder that contains books and book
    books //folder
        book-list.html
        book-list.css
        book.html
        book.css
        BookList.js
        Book.js
    
  • example of Book.js
    import html from './book.hml';
    import css from './book.css';
    import Template from '../Template';
    
    const template = new Template(html);
    
    export default class Book {
        constructor(book) {
            this.volume = book.volumeInfo;
        }
        
        render() {
            const dom = temaplte.render();
            dom.querySelector('.title').textContent = this.volume.title;
    
            return dom;
        }
    }
    
    
  • don't put too much js directly in the render method. Create methods outside and call them within.
  • when passing from parents to children, variable "on+thing we are doing"
  • use command+p in vscode to quickly find a file by name
  • feel free to use localStorage helper code directly and place into booksApi.js in services folder
  • use local storage to save searches to not reach API use limit.
  • make sure when creating object from get request to API, that there is a way to check if the information exists and what to do if it doesn't.
  • create a loading screen when waiting on API.
  • data flows down the components, not back up. There is the callback function loophole.
  • you can choose to have the page pre-loaded with something.

Day Three: CSS layout techniques

Random Notes

  • Mobile web design, get text to extend all the way across the screen.
  • Document title in <head> is what appears in the tab name and what appears in google search results.
  • lorem ipsum for vscode F1+lorem ipsum.
  • on images: alt need not match figcaption. The alt describes the image whereas figcaption may not always.

Webpack process

  • in terminal
npm init
npm i -D autoprefixer copy-webpack-plugin css-loader extract-loader file-loader html-loader html-webpack-plugin htmlhint postcss-loader precss style-loader webpack webpack-dev-server
  • create src folder
  • in src directory, create main.js and index.html
  • in main.js
import './css/reset.css';
import './css/main.css';
  • create .gitignore
node_modules
.DS_store
build
  • inside your src directory, create two new files: reset.css and main.css.
  • create a file at the root called webpack.config.js
const CopyWebpackPlugin = require('copy-webpack-plugin'); //required for local images
const HtmlPlugin = require('html-webpack-plugin');

module.exports = {
entry: `./src/main.js`,
output: {
    filename: 'bundle.js',
    path: `${__dirname}/build`
},
plugins: [
    new HtmlPlugin({ template: `./src/index.html` }),
    new HtmlPlugin({ template: `./src/second-page.html`, filename: `second-page.html` }),
    new HtmlPlugin({ template: `./src/third-page.html`, filename: `third-page.html` }),
    new CopyWebpackPlugin([
    // in output use images folder
    {from: 'src/images', to: 'images'}
    ]) //required for local images
],
module: {
    rules: [
    {
        test: /\.(html)$/,
        use: {
        loader: 'html-loader',
        options: {
            interpolate: true,
            attrs: false
        }
        }
    },
    {
        test: /\.css$/,
        use: [
        'style-loader',
        {
            loader: 'css-loader',
            options: { importLoaders: 1, }
        },
        'postcss-loader'
        ]
    }
    ]
}
};
  • edit the scripts section of package.json
"scripts": {
    "htmlhint": "htmlhint --config .htmlhintrc **/*.html",
    "pretest": "npm run htmlhint",
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 0",
    "start": "webpack-dev-server",
    "build": "webpack"
},
  • at the root, add a postcss.config.js file.
module.exports = {
    plugins: [
        require('precss'),
        require('autoprefixer')
    ]
}
  • at the root, create a .htmlhintrc file.
{
    "tagname-lowercase": true,
    "attr-lowercase": true,
    "attr-value-double-quotes": true,
    "doctype-first": false, //fix error for injecting html 
    "tag-pair": true,
    "spec-char-escape": true,
    "id-unique": true,
    "src-not-empty": true,
    "attr-no-duplication": true,
    "title-require": true
}

CSS Positioning

  • static is default
  • absolute is relative to the nearest parent. If there is no parent with a position: relative, it will move with the page scrolling and attach to document body.
    • if a parent div is set to relative with an absolute positioned element within it, the absolute position element will move around inside the confines of the relative parent div.
    • Used for captions that float over images.
  • relative is relative to its normal place in the document
  • fixed will attach to viewport and not move with scrolling
  • sticky is a hybrid of relative and fixed. It is treated as relative until a threshold is met and then it is treated as fixed. The threshold is designated with top, bottom, left, right positioning.
  • z-index will alter the layering of elements.
  • calc(100%-4rem) will calculate odd measurments of different values for you

CSS display types

  • none, not good for screen readers
  • block, default for p, h1, and div. Will take up entire width of parent container. Does not allow elements to lie next to each other.
  • inline, default for a and span. No line break after it and allows elements next to it. Does not allow width properties.
  • inline-block, default for button and select. Can have width, height, padding properties and allows elements next to it.
  • table, forces non-table elements to behave like table cells, deprecated. Use <table>.

Float and Clear

  • Float allows content to shift around elements that are floated.
    • Was used in the past to create column layouts, which had issues
  • Clear will fix elements that should not flow around the floated element.
element::after { // will clear after a given element
    content: "";
    display: block;
    clear: both;
}

Flexbox

  • display: flex, defines an element as a flex container.
    • display: inline-flex is an option for inline elements, but not common
  • order will reorganize flex items within container
  • flex-direction, displays the direction of items within container. row, row-reverse, column, column-reverse are options.
  • flex-wrap, allows items to flow to another line. Wrap, wrap-reverse, and nowrap are options. Wrap-reverse will wrap in the opposite direction given by flex-direction
  • justify-content, defines alignment along the primary axis. Could be horizontal or vertical depending on flex-direction. Options are flex-start, flex-end, center, space-around, space-between.
  • align-items, defines alignment along secondary axis. Depends on flex-direction. Options are flex-start, flex-end, center, stretch, baseline.
  • align-content, when container has multiple lines, will distribute lines within the container along the secondary axis. When items are on a single line, will have no effect. Options are flex-start, flex-end, center, center, stretch, space-between, space-around
  • flex-grow, specifes the amount of space an item should take within a flex container. It is relative to the size of other items in the container. Given an integer.
  • flex-shrink, specifies the amount of space an item will shrink to in a container with other items. Given an integer.
  • flex-basis, specifies the initial main size of a flex item. Determines the size of the item unless otherwise specified.
  • flex, shorthand: flex-grow, flex-shrink, flex-basis.
aside {
    flex: 0 0 240px; //flex item remains constant at 240px and will neither grow or shrink
}

Day Two: The Mobile Web

##Random Notes

  • Search Engine Optimization:
    • heading (h tags) heiarchy
    • number of times it is shared in social networks
    • html file names
      • lowercase
      • keywords separated by hyphens, with exception of homepage which is index.html
      • no underscores or camelCase

Responsive Web Design

  • Three requirements:

    • fluid grids to allow content to resize
    • flexible images that scale to container
      • loading time and resolution consideration for images
    • CSS media queries handle change in screen width and orientation
  • responsive vs M(dot)

    • Limited content on mobile for websites that have huge content on desktop site (amazon)
    • Even if hidden, device is still loading content
    • Maintaining two sites is cumbersome
    • Redirecting users to a mobile URL can cause performance and SEO issues
  • Viewport

    • default will render page at desktop screen width
    • ``
    • initial-scale will reflow content rather than zooming after device reorientation
  • Fluid content

    • fluid text, max-width will help prevent too many characters on one line for large screens
  • Relative Units

    • larger text on mobile screen. 12px too small.
    • rem vs em are for fonts
      • ems will inherent size based on most recent parent
      • rem will inherent the base size
      • rem is usually easier to keep track of
      • 1 rem / em tends to be 16px, but varies from browser to browser.
    • CSS reset will normalize each browser
    body {
        font-size: 100% // recommended to begin with after CSS reset
    }
    
  • Flexible images

    img {
        width: 100%;
        height: auto; //keep ratio in mind between width and height
        display: block;
    }
    
    • If it can be created with CSS than an image, do that instead due to performance
    • Vectors are computer drawn images. Load faster and scale better than bitmap image
    • Low res 72dpi will load fastest. Based on old slower internet.
    • Will need to serve a few sets of images
      • logo2x.png 200x200px high-res
      • logo.png 100x100px low-res
      • Serve each depending on screen size
  • Media queries

    • use min or max-width
      • Avoid min/max-device-width
    • can respond to changes in orientation
    • can load high resolutions if detected
    • breakpoints are used where the content naturally breaks
    • mobile-first designs websites for mobile first and scales up

Lab Notes

-autoprefixer will automatically prefix your css styles for each browser (-webkit-, -moz-)

  • extract-loader main use-case is to resolve urls within HTML and CSS coming from their respective loaders
  • precss / postcss-loader will grant the ability to do nested css and variables
  • style-loader template functionality of javascript. How javascript applies css. Will not inject css into head tag in html, javascript will do it
  • file-loader Instructs webpack to emit the required object as file and to return its public URL
  • line-height takes a unitless number that behaves like rem
  • font: size/lineheight, font-family, fallback-font-family
  • don't ever use #000 for font color, as it looks terrible on other colors
  • Do not do display:none if you want screen readers to read it. https://webaim.org/techniques/css/invisiblecontent/
  • insert content :before :after with characters https://css-tricks.com/css-content/

Day One: Semantics and Accessibility

Random Notes:

  • Operating systems use processing to access CPU and memory of the computer.
  • Memory utilizes variables.
  • Browsers are small sandboxes where code can be safely run.
  • npm i -D is a flag to point to a developer tool dependency.
  • src is a folder where source code will be written
  • ! + tab in VS code will create html boilerplate

Webpack

  • Uses node.js to create a server
  • Comes with a utility called npm to bring in 3rd party packages
  • A development tool
  • webpack-dev-server is like live-server
  • webpack.config.js adds script tag to the end of html.
  • ${require('./nameOfFile.html')} will allow insertion of modular code within html document.

Semantic Code

  • Content decisions are in html, styling decisions in css
  • Search engine optimization, screen readers, computers utilized to read
  • Presentational: Div and span are non-semantic. Divs are for block level styling, spans are for inline styling
  • Structural elements: header, aside, section, article, footer

Elements

  • Header: document or section header. Can be used multiple times in html.
  • Nav: major navigation, table of contents, prev / next links
  • Article: self-contained content, test: shareable to social media
  • Section: groups content that is structurally related and usually with a heading.
  • Aside: tangentially related to surrounding content. Could be considered separate. Such as "Read more about __ here". "About the author" Not presentational.
  • Footer: End of page, article, section. Can have multiple on a single page.
  • Main: identifies the main content of the body. Helps screen readers where the main content begins. Cannot be a descendant of other HTML5 tags (header, nav, article, aside, footer)

Accessibility

  • A11y project checklist:

    • Semantic Headings help screen readers jump to sections of relevant information. <h1> - <h6> used properly will allow screen readers to jump around. Make a decision about which h to use depending on content. Do not use the h tags based on size of font appearance!
    • Landmark Roles: programmatically identify sections of the page to help assistive technologies.
    <form role="search"> 
    <header role="banner">
    <main role="main"> 
    <nav rol="navigation">
    <footer role="contentinfo">
    
    • Validation will warn against some redundant elements with roles. Ignore warnings at this time as not all accessibility features are universally supported. Not all browsers may understand element semantics, roles required.
    • Accessible Links: hyperlinks be visually obvious (css). If removing the underline, what else makes it stand out. Be specific in the link when appropriate. Use focus indicators (tabed on). Do not hide entirely, but can change with css. Provide a skip navigation link for screen readers. Have it hidden to visual users but not screen readers.
    • Alt Descriptions: every image needs a description unless it is decorative (background image). Very little use for decorative images nowadays.
    • Accessible forms: ordered logically from user's perspective. Provide a label tag on all form controls.
    • Audio and Video: captions and transcripts

Testing

  • Color Contrast Checker: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
    • Pass level AA contrast.
  • Sim Daltonism for mac users. Visualize colors as perceived by users with various types of color blindness. https:// michelf.ca/projects/mac/sim-daltonism/)
  • ChromeVox screen reader plugin. Accessibility Dev Tools.

lab

  • no use for div or span yet at all.
  • homepage will be table of contents, with a nav surrounding the articles.
  • figure demonstrates an image and caption in one enclosed element.
  • bitly.com will shorten urls.
  • target="_blank" opens a new window when clicking on a link. Is a huge security risk. Use rel="noopener noreferrer" in the tag.
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