Category: Web

As you’re probably a little tired of me constantly reminding you…….the pace of change in the field of web development often bewilders and confounds me. The need to keep apace with developments in all things web related forever competes with my aim of keeping paying clients happy. It’s a dynamic and challenging environment to work in. A need to survive and excel in equal measure.

So after mastering HTML and CSS to a pretty decent level and having a good understanding of the basics of JavaScript and jQuery, there was so much more to learn. I enjoyed growing familiar with the major CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap and Foundation. Throughout this time, I’ve tinkered with a few text editors. I’ve used Brackets, Atom and Sublime Text, before finally settling on the latter.

My experience of using FTP and a web host has increased and I’ve overcome my fear of using the terminal. In fact, I actually welcome the opportunity of using terminal commands. My mastery of git and github continues apace but I’ve yet to really use git within a large development team. The joy of learning SASS to replace vanilla CSS has been a highlight of my learning.

I then moved on to having a good stab at developing a clear, solid web working environment. I’m sure every team of web developers have their own unique environment. This will have been developed over a long time and I’m keen to work with such an experienced team. I decided to learn gulp as opposed to grunt as my chosen task runner but it seems both have been overtaken by Webpack. The need for me to move on to learning React grows by the day. It’s on my list.

The journey continues and I’m enjoying the frustrations as much as the successes I savour in my daily battle to simplify my web development workflow.

Hello my friends, I can’t believe it’s so long since I posted on my blog. There’s no real reason for such a lack of commitment. I guess I’ve been busy, but diving into web development has meant I’ve rarely had much spare time in recent times. I think I got into a really good routine when starting my blog. I do regret losing that routine. I will aim to be more disciplined during the following weeks.

My progress in web development has continued at a decent pace. My freelance roles continue to be a mix of print and digital work. I still enjoy print design and it’s good to bring continual diversity to my work. But my ultimate focus remains on all things web related. It’s such an exciting, fast-moving world. I still use the whole range of resources on the web – Lynda, Udemy, Code School, TutsPlus and of course YouTube.

I’m pleased to say the fruits of my labour can be viewed on my portfolio site (www.hegartycreative.com) where I’ve posted my latest work www.md7events.com. I worked on the site for a friend of mine who organises viewing of sports events at high-end bars in London. He also intends organising days out at the horse racing. I’m sure the site will develop in the months to come. I’m very happy with the design and the build of the site. It’s fully responsive and I think it’s a good showcase of my skills. It would be wonderful to get some feedback from you.

My focus now will be on building more sites. I think I’ve continued to concentrate on learning stuff on tutorials and online courses. I love learning new stuff and I think I’m guilty in focusing more on learning and not simply ‘doing’ by building sites and applications which will showcase just what I can achieve.

And naturally, I need to spend more time on my blog. I’ve had a busy time generally and I regret now sharing my ups and downs with you. Over the next few days, I’ll fill you in on all the latest news. I’m loving the Olympics, was enthralled by the test series with Pakistan and very excited at the start of the football season. London continues to both delight me and make continuous, draining demands on me. But I’ve enjoyed a rollercoaster summer. Lots to look forward to.

I’ve been spoiled this week on the networking front. On the back of being looked after royally at a networking event organised by Outreach Digital, I had a really enjoy evening attending my first WordPress meet up hosted by the guys at WordPress London.

Continue reading “WordPress, beer and pizzas”

I don’t think I’ll ever be a natural when it comes to networking. I’ve attended numerous networking events in London in recent months. If you have an interest in all things web-related, then you could spend every evening at some tech event being held across London. Last night was an event which was both enjoyable and I’m sure productive for many who attended.

Continue reading “A productive and enjoy evening networking”

So I’m delving deeper into WordPress and enjoying discovering just how powerful and flexible the tools are at your disposal when building web pages and posts. I was a little fearful in my earlier WordPress post as to how restrictive your powers will be to really customise the look of your site.

Continue reading “Child themes in WordPress”

As discussed before, I’ve greatly enjoyed the challenge of learning to code. The learning curve will forever be challenging and while the journey has not exactly taken over my life, it has consumed much of my time during the last year.

Going back to a year ago when I started my course at General Assembly, I focused on learning the basics of HTML5 and CSS3, before tackling JavaScript. It was really only after the course, that I started to discover all the tools and resources on the web which can make your life a whole lot easier for a budding web developer.

Continue reading “Growing to love WordPress”

So my education in all things web related continues at a pleasing pace. Some days I progress better than others, but on the whole I’m feeling ever more confident. The key for me to problem solving and the ability to think clearly when faced with a seemingly intractable hurdle.

Continue reading “Steady and happy progress”

So I’ve used both Bootstrap and Foundation on a regular basis. Both frameworks are easy to work with and offer both real assistance and flexibility when building websites. But I’ve been looking around for a lighter grid system and this weekend, I’ve enjoyed experimenting with the Responsive Grid System.

Continue reading “An alternative to the CSS frameworks”

My mother has the view that cleaning the house is ‘therapeutic’. I run a pretty clean and ordered flat, but I can’t claim getting busy scrubbing the dishes and hovering my carpet gives me such a feeling of wellbeing. That was until I spent a few hours decluttering my desktop.

Continue reading “Sleeping easy with a clear desktop”

Okay, so I’ve heard for sometime now at the various networking events I attend that Github is the best thing since sliced bread. I’m behind the times here but belatedly, I’m jumped on the bandwagon. And now I know why the geeks rave so much about Github.

Continue reading “The joys of Git and GitHub”