Month: December 2016

A workflow to help keep me sane

Putting together a website will always seem an incredibly complex process for me. I’m still to be convinced that a modern web development workflow really needs to be so complicated. I guess a robust, cross-browser, multi-device, engaging site needs a file system that’s complex and comprehensive.

I’ve put together a workflow which has taken some months to refine, tweak and hopefully perfect. It works for me and, for now, it serves my purposes. I have no doubt it will forever remain a work-in-progress. I use gulp to help manage all the files and to keep the monotonous tasks to a minimum. It helps me at the level I’m at now and sure there are added plugins which can help me.

I’d love any feedback or comments.

A valuable new JS animation library

There are so many new framework, plugins and tools out there which a web developer needs to keep more than an eye out for. It’s a pretty exhausting process. Your focus is on keeping your boss and clients happy but you need to find the time to try new stuff out and find out ways to streamline and improve your workflow. Some of the new stuff works for you, and others pass you by. I’ve recently stumbled across GreenSock and I was immediately taken by what it had to offer. GreenSock is a GreenSock, the light, but powerful JavaScript framework which makes it easy to animate HTML elements.

I enjoy learning about JavaScript so I was keen to give GreenSock a go. I like it very much. The extensibility is fantastic and the plugin library is robust. The ease of use, clear documentation and community support has made GreenSock a benchmark product. I sense it will save me a good few hours of work going forward.

I did spend time learning Flash in the past but when the entire industry shifted to JS and CSS based transitions there were very few libraries who gave same performance. GreenSock appears to have filled the void. It quickly helps you give your web pages a polished look. It’s not open source, which is not a great concern at the moment for me. There is an option to upgrade and pay a yearly feel for some bonus plugins. I won’t upgrade yet but I’m sure it’s something I’ll consider in the future.

I’ve created a website to showcase the projects I intend working on during the coming weeks. I hope you’ll return and give me feedback when I have built up a few projects.