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How I build a website from scratch

Kevin Powell・121 minutes read

The speaker showcases a project setup using SAS, Astro, and scope styling, emphasizing the importance of central control and organization in web development. The course aims to provide learners with the tools to customize and adapt concepts to their specific needs, focusing on practical demonstrations and hands-on challenges to enhance understanding and application.

Insights

  • The course speaker emphasizes the importance of structured organization in design projects, utilizing tools like SAS, Astro, and scope styling for centralized control and efficient management of elements like colors, typography, and layout.
  • JavaScript is highlighted as a valuable tool for simplifying design modifications, particularly in toggling data types, avoiding issues with conflicting classes, and streamlining the process of changing design elements.
  • Astro emerges as a user-friendly framework for website development, supporting various components like React and offering scoped styling capabilities that enable targeted and efficient design modifications across multiple components.

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Recent questions

  • What is the purpose of Astro in web development?

    Astro is a framework for building websites, functioning as a static site generator that is user-friendly. It supports various components like React, Felt, View, and Angular, offering the option to use static CSS or reactive components. Astro includes partial hydration and allows for a gradual learning curve, enabling users to start simple and progress gradually. Scoped styles in Astro allow for a distinct approach to styling components, separating HTML and CSS for clarity. The framework encourages starting with layouts, abstracts, utilities, and vendor items before moving on to specific components.

  • How does scoped styling work in CSS?

    Scoped styling in CSS limits styles to specific sections of a webpage, ensuring that styles only apply to elements within a defined scope without affecting other parts of the webpage. To implement scoped styling, classes can be assigned to specific sections or elements to isolate the styling. The display grid property can be used to stretch buttons within a section, providing a quick and effective styling solution. Installing SAS (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets) allows for utilizing SAS variables and features in scoped styling. SAS variables within scoped styling control properties like margin and spacing.

  • What are the differences between SAS variables and CSS custom properties?

    SAS variables and CSS custom properties have distinct characteristics. SAS variables are compiled during preprocessing, offering a live nature to the styles. They can be used to control properties like margin and spacing within scoped styling. On the other hand, CSS custom properties are defined in the root document and can be updated dynamically using JavaScript. However, CSS custom properties have limitations when working with external SVGs due to their inability to access root document properties.

  • How can one effectively approach custom layout pieces in web development?

    Custom layout pieces in web development require a strategic approach for effective implementation. Mixing SAS and SCSS in one HTML file is possible by importing partials or regular CSS files into the main SAS file. Bootstrap can be useful for projects, especially for learning purposes, but it's advisable not to rely solely on it for web development skills. Learning SCSS can be beneficial for larger projects, offering ease of control and customization. The course modules progress from fundamentals of SAS to logic, architecture, build processes, and organization of files using Veet and post CSS, providing a comprehensive understanding of custom layout pieces.

  • What is the recommended approach for learning web development effectively?

    Learning for 30-45 minutes daily can be effective in mastering web development skills. Consistent small sessions are often better than longer, less frequent ones. The course emphasizes interactivity, progress, and understanding through challenges, videos, and real-time compilation of code. The early lessons focus on getting comfortable with functionality, including nesting, variables, colors, and unexpected color changes in SAS. Practice projects and challenges vary in complexity, some completed in the browser and others in your own editor, ensuring a hands-on learning experience.

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Summary

00:00

Live chat explores multi-page project setup

  • The speaker is live on a chat, acknowledging a delay in responses due to slow mode.
  • They are exploring course content and will take questions intermittently.
  • The speaker is demonstrating a project setup involving multi-page projects.
  • They plan to merge course modules and explore scope styling.
  • The speaker will use SAS, Astro, and scope styling in the project.
  • They do not work for Airbnb and the stream will be available later on YouTube.
  • The technology used includes SAS, Astro, and scope styling.
  • The speaker uses utilities and layouts to start projects, including variables and Purge CSS.
  • They set up colors and typography in SAS variables and maps for utility classes.
  • The speaker demonstrates how colors and utility classes are applied in the project.

13:01

Centralized Control for Efficient Web Design

  • The starting file generates various elements based on one controlling file.
  • Abstracts like colors and typography are set up initially and are often the only changes between projects.
  • Breakpoints are established and can be adjusted as needed.
  • Setting up body font family, heading font family, colors, container sizes, and header details is crucial.
  • The file acts as a central control point for theming, toggling, and site modifications.
  • Utilizing Astro for advantages like dynamic content is beneficial.
  • Components like headers, logos, navigation, and buttons can be quickly set up using pre-configured classes.
  • Consistent color schemes and spacing can be easily managed through centralized control.
  • Following a structured naming convention like Andy Bell's Cube methodology aids in organization.
  • Utilizing data attributes for styling modifiers, like primary colors, can streamline design consistency.

26:05

Simplifying CSS with JavaScript and classes

  • Using classes can lead to primary and accent issues, especially when applied together, causing a cascade problem.
  • JavaScript makes toggling data types easier than toggling classes, simplifying the process of changing from one type to another.
  • Adding a data type attribute instead of removing and adding classes in JavaScript makes modifications simpler.
  • Applying a class "flow" to a div helps in spacing elements by removing default margins and restoring regular spacing.
  • Setting a class "section" with a background color of primary 700 creates a distinct section with a dark color.
  • Utilizing even columns and containers with specific widths helps in organizing content effectively.
  • Adjusting text color and font properties using utility classes like font weight and font size can override default styles.
  • Using a pipe character as a visual separator between different types of classes aids in clarity and organization.
  • Centralizing control of container sizes in a single file like tokens simplifies adjustments across projects.
  • Balancing component classes, layout classes, and utility classes offers a flexible approach compared to extremes like Tailwind or Bootstrap.

38:44

Enhancing CSS Design with Border Radius

  • The speaker discusses using border radius to enhance image design in CSS.
  • CSS does not have different types of classes inherently; users define their classes' functions.
  • Plans for a potential future course on animations are mentioned.
  • A comparison is drawn between Astra and Stealth Kit, noting similarities.
  • Webflow is praised for its functionality.
  • The speaker explains their method of organizing colors and sizes using maps and utility classes.
  • The differences between SAS and SCSS are explained, with SCSS resembling CSS more closely.
  • Custom properties are preferred over SAS variables for live updates in projects.
  • The speaker prefers designing in Figma before coding for better creativity.
  • The speaker discusses their course "Beyond CSS," detailing its content and pricing.

52:54

"Design Spacing and Font Control in Astro"

  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of spacing in design, particularly with fonts and colors, to allow for easy adjustments later on.
  • They discuss the use of font sizes and leaving gaps to accommodate potential changes in design elements.
  • Custom properties are utilized to control font sizes across different screen sizes, with adjustments made based on media queries.
  • The speaker mentions a font size map with different sections for various screen sizes, allowing for quick and efficient adjustments.
  • The discussion shifts to Astro and setting up layouts, with a focus on Tina CMS for its markdown support and ease of use.
  • The speaker highlights the versatility of Astro, mentioning its compatibility with other tools like Spelled Kit and React.
  • The goal of the course being taught is to provide learners with the tools to customize and adapt the concepts to their specific needs.
  • Practical demonstrations are shown with Astro, including setting up layouts, headers, and footers for consistent design elements across pages.
  • The speaker showcases the ease of reusing components like headers and footers in Astro, enhancing efficiency in web development.
  • The use of front matter in Astro is briefly explained as a way to add metadata to individual files for additional customization.

01:07:29

Astro: User-friendly static site generator with versatility.

  • Astro is a framework for building websites, functioning as a static site generator that is user-friendly.
  • Comparatively, Astro is easier to start with than other generators like 11t due to its simpler templating language resembling native HTML.
  • Astro supports various components like React, Felt, View, and Angular, offering the option to use static CSS or reactive components.
  • The framework includes partial hydration and allows for a gradual learning curve, enabling users to start simple and progress gradually.
  • Scoped styles in Astro allow for a distinct approach to styling components, separating HTML and CSS for clarity.
  • The framework encourages starting with layouts, abstracts, utilities, and vendor items before moving on to specific components.
  • Creating a pricing tier component in Astro involves defining tiers, prices, and descriptions using astro.props for dynamic content.
  • Utilizing slots in Astro components allows for easy insertion of content, simplifying updates and modifications.
  • Scope styling in Astro enables targeted styling for specific elements on the pricing page, enhancing design flexibility.
  • Astro's functionality allows for efficient and consistent updates across multiple components, streamlining the website building process.

01:20:58

"Scoped Styling in CSS for Effective Design"

  • The text discusses the use of scoped styling in CSS, where styles are limited to specific sections of a webpage.
  • Scoped styling ensures that styles only apply to elements within a defined scope, not affecting other parts of the webpage.
  • To implement scoped styling, classes can be assigned to specific sections or elements to isolate the styling.
  • The text highlights the use of the display grid property to stretch buttons within a section, providing a quick and effective styling solution.
  • It mentions the importance of installing SAS (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets) for utilizing SAS variables and features in scoped styling.
  • The text demonstrates the application of SAS variables within scoped styling to control properties like margin and spacing.
  • It explains the process of customizing bullet points in lists by using external SVG images and pseudo-elements like marker.
  • The text differentiates between SAS variables and CSS custom properties, emphasizing the compilation and live nature of each.
  • It addresses limitations in using CSS custom properties with external SVGs due to their inability to access root document properties.
  • The text concludes by hinting at further course content on integrating scoped styling with content management systems for blog development.

01:35:42

Interactive SAS Course with Coding Challenges

  • The course platform includes a main portal with interactive elements, text, writing, challenges, and videos.
  • The course emphasizes interactivity, progress, and understanding through challenges, videos, and real-time compilation of code.
  • The early lessons focus on getting comfortable with functionality, including nesting, variables, colors, and unexpected color changes in SAS.
  • Practice projects and challenges vary in complexity, some completed in the browser and others in your own editor.
  • The course modules progress from fundamentals of SAS to logic, architecture, build processes, and organization of files using Veet and post CSS.
  • The second module delves into Design Systems and theming, demonstrating setting up files with tokens for making changes.
  • The final module, still in progress, will explore using a CMS and additional functionalities.
  • Mixing SAS and SCSS in one HTML file is possible by importing partials or regular CSS files into the main SAS file.
  • Bootstrap can be useful for projects, especially for learning purposes, but it's advisable not to rely solely on it for web development skills.
  • Learning for 30-45 minutes daily can be effective, with consistent small sessions often better than longer, less frequent ones.

01:50:12

Mastering SCSS for Effective Web Design.

  • The fourth module covers custom layout pieces and how to approach them effectively.
  • The fifth module focuses on using astroscope CSS and integrating it with ACMS.
  • The course does not cover 3D website projects, as that realm is handled by other experts.
  • SCSS and Sass file extensions represent two different syntaxes for the same language.
  • SCSS remains relevant for larger projects despite some seeing it as dying off.
  • Learning SCSS can be beneficial for larger projects, offering ease of control and customization.
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