Comments on: 8 tips for “scaling” CSS Development http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/ Tidbits about software development, entrepreneurship, and our product, Ronin Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:00:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Lu Wang http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-13 Lu Wang Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:28:11 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-13 @NICCAI: Precisely. When you're dealing with CSS development that truly scales (more than 1 or 2 developers), you need to have the maintenance ease. I think some readers might be forgetting that this article is not about design specific CSS. This is about CSS in the wild where who-knows-what is changing with large CSS code-bases. IE specific selectors is a new one on me - I've never been fond of altering the DOM for CSS needs. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that one. @NICCAI: Precisely.

When you’re dealing with CSS development that truly scales (more than 1 or 2 developers), you need to have the maintenance ease. I think some readers might be forgetting that this article is not about design specific CSS. This is about CSS in the wild where who-knows-what is changing with large CSS code-bases.

IE specific selectors is a new one on me - I’ve never been fond of altering the DOM for CSS needs. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that one.

]]> By: NICCAI http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-10 NICCAI Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:00:48 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-10 Unlike Sarven, I think Rule #4 is very important and often overlooked because of its lack of purity. If you're building an extremely complex web application, having IE specific declarations below their standards-based declarations is extremely important from a maintenance standpoint. I don't advocate the use of "hacks" however, but I do encourage IE specific CSS selectors. You can create these by using conditional comments around a wrapper div just inside the body tag. Unlike Sarven, I think Rule #4 is very important and often overlooked because of its lack of purity. If you’re building an extremely complex web application, having IE specific declarations below their standards-based declarations is extremely important from a maintenance standpoint. I don’t advocate the use of “hacks” however, but I do encourage IE specific CSS selectors. You can create these by using conditional comments around a wrapper div just inside the body tag.

]]> By: Sarven Capadisli http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-9 Sarven Capadisli Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:35:46 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-9 "Don’t put IE specific hacks into their own file." is a bad recommendation and is more costly to maintain. Consider if/when the IE styles become obsolete; by mixing these up with the core CSS file, you would have to go and weed them out when the time comes. The extra IE stylesheet on the other hand can be simply unlinked. The difficulty you are are facing has to do with CSS specificity. Once you are comfortable with it, you know exactly which style from which stylesheet gets applied. At the end of the day the styles only for IE is fairly minimal. This is hardly an issue nowdays. “Don’t put IE specific hacks into their own file.” is a bad recommendation and is more costly to maintain. Consider if/when the IE styles become obsolete; by mixing these up with the core CSS file, you would have to go and weed them out when the time comes. The extra IE stylesheet on the other hand can be simply unlinked.

The difficulty you are are facing has to do with CSS specificity. Once you are comfortable with it, you know exactly which style from which stylesheet gets applied.

At the end of the day the styles only for IE is fairly minimal. This is hardly an issue nowdays.

]]> By: Lu Wang http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-6 Lu Wang Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:13:18 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-6 @fred: Use folders as part of your file structure just like you would any part of your source code. Also, nothing sucks more than being on revision #568 (a real number I've seen) because everything is thrown into one huge CSS file. @fred: Use folders as part of your file structure just like you would any part of your source code. Also, nothing sucks more than being on revision #568 (a real number I’ve seen) because everything is thrown into one huge CSS file.

]]> By: Marcus Cavanaugh http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-5 Marcus Cavanaugh Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:50:35 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-5 I'd add that you shouldn't be afraid to compartmentalize into several different files -- combination and minimization are optimization techniques, but they needn't affect your workflow (of having multiple files for development). I’d add that you shouldn’t be afraid to compartmentalize into several different files — combination and minimization are optimization techniques, but they needn’t affect your workflow (of having multiple files for development).

]]> By: Fred http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-4 Fred Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:58:27 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-4 I think using a hundred different css files (ex layout.css, contact.css) is pointless unless you're using a framework. It just makes things harder to find. And if you're using some sort of versioning system, it shouldn't be a big deal to make and track changes. Just my opinion. I think using a hundred different css files (ex layout.css, contact.css) is pointless unless you’re using a framework. It just makes things harder to find. And if you’re using some sort of versioning system, it shouldn’t be a big deal to make and track changes. Just my opinion.

]]> By: Veera http://blog.roninapp.com/2008/09/22/8-tips-for-scaling-css-development/#comment-3 Veera Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:01:14 +0000 http://blog.roninapp.com/?p=16#comment-3 Useful information. Also, following a naming convention for class names, element IDs will also help. Useful information.

Also, following a naming convention for class names, element IDs will also help.

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