the future is modular, jonathan snook

The Future is Modular

2003 CSS Takes Off

Wired Redesign

Blog Design

Blog Designs

#header h1, #header h2 { font-size:13px; font-weigh… }#header h1 { color: #680; float:right; padding-b…}#header h2 { float:left; padding:18px 20px; posi…}#header h2 img { position:absolute; left:0; top:0; }#header h2 a { text-decoration:none; color:#333; }

#main h2 {text-transform:uppercase; font-weight:…}#main h2 a {text-decoration:none; color:#444;}#main h2 a:hover {color:#680;}

#main .article.inside h1 { text-transform:uppercase;…}#comments .comment .meta .authorname { text-transfo… }#comments .comment .meta .commentnumber a { float: … }

SMACSS

Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS

• Describes how to approach site design and development

• No GitHub repo, not a library, not a framework, no tools

• Techniques can be applied to static CSS, Sass, React, Web Components, etc.

What does it mean to be modular?

A module is “each of a set of standardized parts or independent units that can be used to construct a more complex structure.”–Dictionary

What hurdles are there to being truly independent?

• Inheritance

• Cascade

• Browser Default Styling

• Putting modules/components together

Inheritance

• Typographye.g. color, font-size, font-family

• List Stylese.g. list-style

• Table Styles e.g. border-collapse

Sorry, React. Inline styles won’t save you from inheritance.

• all: initial

Cascade

The cascade is how the browser decides what properties to apply when you have multiple rules declared on the same element.

• Don’t write multiple rules for the same element

• Inline styles

• Create a structured layering system to prevent conflicts

Browser Defaults

<button class="button">

.button { border:1px solid purple; padding: 5px 10px; color: pink; }

<a href="/" class="button">

text-decoration: none;

• all: initial

• Predictable HTMLi.e. templates

Putting Modules Together

Cancel Send

.button + .button { margin-left: 10px; }

Cancel Send

SendEmail

.button + .button,

.input + .button { margin-left: 10px; }

* + * { margin-left: 10px; }

Send SubscribeEmail

http://snk.ms/26

• Separate layout from module

• Micro layout classes

<span class=“layout-inline”> <input><button>Send</button></span>

<span class=“layout-inline”> <button>Subscribe</button></span>

<input><button>Send</button>

<button class=“ML-S”>Subscribe</button>

BONUS PROBLEM!Media Queries

If Module A in Module B in Layout C Then I’m screwed.

If Module A has roomdo this.

Element Queries

Oh, right. SMACSS.

Design has a cost.

Every piece of design ends up in code.

• Categorize

• Naming Convention

Base

Layout

Module

State

Theme

• .btn • .btn--variation • .btn__component

• .btn • &--variation • &__component

• button.css • .variation • .component

SMACSS-yBEM

Sass

CSS Modu

les/Rea

ct

• .btn • .btn-variation • .btn--component

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

React and Inline Styles

React.render( <XUIButton type={type}> My Button! </XUIButton> );

var XUIButton = React.createClass({ render: function() { return ( <button className="{this.props.type}"> {this.props.children} </button> ); }});

var myStyle = { color: '#FFF', backgroundColor: '#330000'}

var XUIButton = React.createClass({ render: function() { return ( <button style="{myStyle}"> {this.props.children} </button> ); }});

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

The Future: Web Components

• Templates

• Shadow DOM

• Custom Elements

• HTML Imports

var p = document.createElement(‘p');

p.createShadowRoot();

p.shadowRoot.innerHTML = 'HTML Contents';

document.body.appendChild(p);

• The Cascade no longer applies

• Inheritance still applies (unless you use all:initial)

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

component.html <link rel="import" href="component.html">

<custom-element> <img src="…"></custom-element>

// Creates a MediaObjectElement class // that extends HTMLElement.class MediaObjectElement extends HTMLElement { createdCallback() { var shadowRoot = this.createShadowRoot(); shadowRoot.innerHTML = 'Shadow DOM contents...'; }}

// Registers the `<custom-element>` element for use.document.registerElement('custom-element', MediaObjectElement);

• Likely a year before all browsers support everything.

• JavaScript Dependent

• Phillip Walton’s Talk on Modular CSS with Web Components http://snk.ms/27

http://snk.ms/27

• Think about standardized and modular design.

• Frameworks like React can help.

• Web Components are coming. (So is winter.)

Thank you.http://snook.ca/@snookca