Part of the Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

Scalable CSS Frameworks

Practical CSS tips for sites with many pages, many developers, or many users.

Have you ever tried to reuse a CSS class only to discover that it behaves completely differently inside a div instead of a table? So many of today's production web sites suffer from bloated, location-dependent CSS that is difficult to debug and slow to load.

So how do we code CSS so that it can scale across many pages, many developers, or many users? And can it be done in a way that doesn't bog down your page speed?

Get the answers from Graham Randall, PhD, CTO of Normal Modes and architect of the Brainiac content management system. In this webinar he'll teach you the basics for how to architect a CSS component library.

Avoid the pitfalls of bloated, fragile,
single-use CSS

Your developers shouldn't be spending so much time debugging in FireBug.

• Understand how location-dependent styles and id selectors contribute to code bloat.
• See how many commonly accepted "best practices" aren't really best practices.

Design a component library based on the principles of Object-Oriented CSS.

Create reusable "legos" by following two simple rules:

• Separate Structure and Skin
• Separate Container and Content

Use new tools for DRYing up your CSS.

Bloated CSS is a natural consequence of missing functionality in the CSS language.

• Discover how preprocessors like SASS and LESS encourage code reuse.
• Eliminate browser hacks with Compass.

Seamlessly handle the growing diversity of screen sizes.

Today's websites have to be usable on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smart phones.

• Use media queries to tailor your site layout to the client's browser.
• Learn when responsive design is appropriate, and when its not.

If your development team is struggling to make your current CSS work, or Google is penalizing your site for slow downloads, you can't afford to miss this webinar.

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About Graham Randall

Graham Randall, Ph.D. has been programming computers for over 20 years. Ranging from fault-tolerant data acquisition systems for AirTouch Cellular to Java compilers at Borland to atomic-scale simulations of DNA on government supercomputers, he has tackled some of the most challenging computational problems in the industry. As the Chief Technology Officer of Normal Modes, he puts this experience to use designing software solutions for its clients that not only integrate business processes, but are also scalable and reliable.

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