What are the possible complications that could arise from implementing this system for designing web pages?

Question

What are the possible complications that could arise from implementing this system for designing web pages?

Feeling frustrated with the limitations and compatibility issues of CSS, I decided to create a new approach for structuring webpages. Instead of relying on CSS, I developed a javascript library that reads layout instructions from XML files and uses absolutely positioned divs in an HTML document.

This system allows for easy customization of page layouts without the need for extensive CSS styling. You can view an example here.

The beauty of this method is that it gracefully degrades to plain HTML if javascript is disabled, while still maintaining separate styling options. This not only simplifies cross-browser compatibility but also enables more complex layouts to be achieved with minimal effort.

Some advantages of this system include the ability to: fill available width or height, align elements within containers, pad elements without increasing size, evenly space elements, set floating behaviors, and more. These functionalities are often difficult to achieve using CSS alone.

Despite its benefits, I acknowledge that this unconventional approach may have drawbacks. What potential issues do you foresee with using this system for webpage layouts?

For those interested, the code can be found on Github.

javascript css web-applications

Answer 1

Answer №1

Attempting to rewrite CSS in your own way may seem like a good idea, but it comes with limitations. While it might work for you, the rest of the world relies on standard CSS.

It's usually easier for one person (you) to learn and follow an established standard like CSS, rather than trying to convince others to adopt your custom method. Collaborating with others becomes more challenging as they would need to learn your unique approach instead of using their knowledge of CSS and HTML.

If you switch workplaces, you may find resistance to implementing your method over CSS. This could lead to either convincing others to adapt or having to relearn CSS to align with industry standards.

Seeking assistance from peers may prove difficult if they are accustomed to working with CSS. However, support for CSS-related issues is readily available. Remember that going against the grain in web development practices can create political and community challenges alongside technical ones.

Answer 2

Attempting to rewrite CSS in your own way may seem like a good idea, but it comes with limitations. While it might work for you, the rest of the world relies on standard CSS.

It's usually easier for one person (you) to learn and follow an established standard like CSS, rather than trying to convince others to adopt your custom method. Collaborating with others becomes more challenging as they would need to learn your unique approach instead of using their knowledge of CSS and HTML.

If you switch workplaces, you may find resistance to implementing your method over CSS. This could lead to either convincing others to adapt or having to relearn CSS to align with industry standards.

Seeking assistance from peers may prove difficult if they are accustomed to working with CSS. However, support for CSS-related issues is readily available. Remember that going against the grain in web development practices can create political and community challenges alongside technical ones.

Answer 3

Answer №2

You have come up with a new and improved system for organizing webpage layouts. It's worth noting that CSS already has preliminary blueprints for similar systems:

For more information, check out this overview from January 2013, which follows up on an earlier 2011 overview.

These proposals are still in the drafting phase. Some may end up being discarded or merged into other specifications. Some web browsers already incorporate parts of these specifications, typically under vendor prefixes.

While you can't fully utilize these features in your CSS at present, it's advisable to consider their design when creating your library. Incorporate aspects of their designs that offer robust layout tools or that are well-structured for future compatibility.

Instead of developing your own JavaScript library and XML syntax, consider using existing JavaScript polyfills like:

Integrate these polyfills with CSS using the draft's syntax for optimal results.

If these polyfills aren't comprehensive or stable enough for direct use, you can still reference them in your library or draw inspiration from their code.

Answer 4

You have come up with a new and improved system for organizing webpage layouts. It's worth noting that CSS already has preliminary blueprints for similar systems:

For more information, check out this overview from January 2013, which follows up on an earlier 2011 overview.

These proposals are still in the drafting phase. Some may end up being discarded or merged into other specifications. Some web browsers already incorporate parts of these specifications, typically under vendor prefixes.

While you can't fully utilize these features in your CSS at present, it's advisable to consider their design when creating your library. Incorporate aspects of their designs that offer robust layout tools or that are well-structured for future compatibility.

Instead of developing your own JavaScript library and XML syntax, consider using existing JavaScript polyfills like:

Integrate these polyfills with CSS using the draft's syntax for optimal results.

If these polyfills aren't comprehensive or stable enough for direct use, you can still reference them in your library or draw inspiration from their code.

Answer 5

Answer №3

"Struggling with the limitations and compatibility issues of CSS, I often found myself resorting to JavaScript to achieve the desired layout for my webpages," indicates a lack of mastery in utilizing CSS efficiently. Setting up a solid, universal CSS structure can be challenging much like mastering JS, with plenty of room for error in both areas.

It appears that your example functions on a 100% height page, which becomes simpler once you establish html and body as height:100%. This makes aligning and vertically positioning boxes straightforward.

In response to your inquiry: relying solely on JS for styling can be more resource-intensive compared to using CSS. It is likely that your solution will perform worse than a well-crafted CSS or CSS+JS approach. Browsers are optimized for executing CSS-triggered reflows efficiently, making JavaScript alternatives significantly slower. While using JS for specific styling may be necessary at times when CSS lacks certain features, it may result in rerunning the entire algorithm in JS code each time, rather than leveraging faster native compiler libraries available for achieving the desired layout.

Answer 6

"Struggling with the limitations and compatibility issues of CSS, I often found myself resorting to JavaScript to achieve the desired layout for my webpages," indicates a lack of mastery in utilizing CSS efficiently. Setting up a solid, universal CSS structure can be challenging much like mastering JS, with plenty of room for error in both areas.

It appears that your example functions on a 100% height page, which becomes simpler once you establish html and body as height:100%. This makes aligning and vertically positioning boxes straightforward.

In response to your inquiry: relying solely on JS for styling can be more resource-intensive compared to using CSS. It is likely that your solution will perform worse than a well-crafted CSS or CSS+JS approach. Browsers are optimized for executing CSS-triggered reflows efficiently, making JavaScript alternatives significantly slower. While using JS for specific styling may be necessary at times when CSS lacks certain features, it may result in rerunning the entire algorithm in JS code each time, rather than leveraging faster native compiler libraries available for achieving the desired layout.

Answer 7

Answer №4

There are no major issues with this approach, but it is important to ensure consistent output across different browsers. You may also encounter challenges when dealing with varying amounts of elements on the page, such as in a photo gallery or comment section. From my experience, using numerous small elements positioned absolutely can negatively impact the performance of the page, especially once you reach around 50-100 elements. To address this, consider following Google Images' method by setting elements to display: inline-block, controlling their widths, and allowing them to wrap naturally.

Addtionally, achieving points #1 and #2 can easily be accomplished using CSS with position: relative on the parent and position: absolute on the children. For point #3, you can resolve it by applying box-sizing: border-box to the child element. While padding-box is an option, it is not as widely supported.

CSS3 offers solutions for many of your concerns, including features like CSS3 columns and the calc function. For example, to center an element with dynamic dimensions, you could use:

left: 50%;
top: 50%;
margin-left: calc(-width / 2)
margin-top: calc(-height / 2)

Answer 8

There are no major issues with this approach, but it is important to ensure consistent output across different browsers. You may also encounter challenges when dealing with varying amounts of elements on the page, such as in a photo gallery or comment section. From my experience, using numerous small elements positioned absolutely can negatively impact the performance of the page, especially once you reach around 50-100 elements. To address this, consider following Google Images' method by setting elements to display: inline-block, controlling their widths, and allowing them to wrap naturally.

Addtionally, achieving points #1 and #2 can easily be accomplished using CSS with position: relative on the parent and position: absolute on the children. For point #3, you can resolve it by applying box-sizing: border-box to the child element. While padding-box is an option, it is not as widely supported.

CSS3 offers solutions for many of your concerns, including features like CSS3 columns and the calc function. For example, to center an element with dynamic dimensions, you could use:

left: 50%;
top: 50%;
margin-left: calc(-width / 2)
margin-top: calc(-height / 2)

What are the possible complications that could arise from implementing this system for designing web pages?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

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