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Javascript Templating

Javascript templating is a fast and efficient technique to render client-side view templates with Javascript by using a JSON data source. The template is HTML markup, with added templating tags that will either insert variables or run programming logic.

The template engine then replaces variables and instances declared in a template file with actual values at runtime, and convert the template into an HTML file sent to the client.

Mustache

Mustache is a logic-less template syntax. It can be used for HTML, config files, source code — anything. It works by expanding tags in a template using values provided in a hash or object.

It is often referred to as “logic-less” because there are no if statements, else clauses, or for loops. Instead, there are only tags. Some tags are replaced with a value, some nothing, and others a series of values.

mustache.js is an implementation of the mustache template system in JavaScript. It is often considered the base for JavaScript templating. And, since mustache supports various languages, we don’t need a separate templating system on the server side.

A Guide to Flexbox

display This defines a flex container; inline or block depending on the given value. It enables a flex context for all its direct children. .container { display: flex; /* or inline-flex */ }

flex-direction This establishes the main-axis, thus defining the direction flex items are placed in the flex container. Flexbox is (aside from optional wrapping) a single-direction layout concept. Think of flex items as primarily laying out either in horizontal rows or vertical columns.

  1. row (default): left to right in ltr; right to left in rtl
  2. row-reverse: right to left in ltr; left to right in rtl
  3. column: same as row but top to bottom
  4. column-reverse: same as row-reverse but bottom to top

flex-wrap By default, flex items will all try to fit onto one line. You can change that and allow the items to wrap as needed with this property.

  1. nowrap (default): all flex items will be on one line
  2. wrap: flex items will wrap onto multiple lines, from top to bottom.
  3. wrap-reverse: flex items will wrap onto multiple lines from bottom to top.

flex-flow This is a shorthand for the flex-direction and flex-wrap properties, which together define the flex container’s main and cross axes. The default value is row nowrap.

justify-content flex items within a flex container demonstrating the different spacing options

This defines the alignment along the main axis. It helps distribute extra free space leftover when either all the flex items on a line are inflexible, or are flexible but have reached their maximum size. It also exerts some control over the alignment of items when they overflow the line.

  • flex-start (default): items are packed toward the start of the flex-direction.
  • flex-end: items are packed toward the end of the flex-direction.
  • start: items are packed toward the start of the writing-mode direction.
  • end: items are packed toward the end of the writing-mode direction.
  • left: items are packed toward left edge of the container, unless that doesn’t make sense with the flex-direction, then it behaves like start.
  • right: items are packed toward right edge of the container, unless that doesn’t make sense with the * flex-direction, then it behaves like end.
  • center: items are centered along the line
  • space-between: items are evenly distributed in the line; first item is on the start line, last item on the end line
  • space-around: items are evenly distributed in the line with equal space around them. Note that visually the * spaces aren’t equal, since all the items have equal space on both sides. The first item will have one unit of space against the container edge, but two units of space between the next item because that next item has its own spacing that applies. space-evenly: items are distributed so that the spacing between any two items (and the space to the edges) is equal.

flex-grow

  • two rows of items, the first has all equally-sized items with equal flex-grow numbers, the second with the center item at twice the width because its value is 2 instead of 1.

  • This defines the ability for a flex item to grow if necessary. It accepts a unitless value that serves as a proportion. It dictates what amount of the available space inside the flex container the item should take up.

  • If all items have flex-grow set to 1, the remaining space in the container will be distributed equally to all children. If one of the children has a value of 2, the remaining space would take up twice as much space as the others (or it will try to, at least).

flex-shrink This defines the ability for a flex item to shrink if necessary.

flex-basis

  • This defines the default size of an element before the remaining space is distributed. It can be a length (e.g. 20%, 5rem, etc.) or a keyword. The auto keyword means “look at my width or height property” (which was temporarily done by the main-size keyword until deprecated). The content keyword means “size it based on the item’s content” – this keyword isn’t well supported yet, so it’s hard to test and harder to know what its brethren max-content, min-content, and fit-content do.

align-self

  • One item with a align-self value is positioned along the bottom of a flex parent instead of the top where all the rest of the items are.

  • This allows the default alignment (or the one specified by align-items) to be overridden for individual flex items.

align-content

  • examples of the align-content property where a group of items cluster at the top or bottom, or stretch out to fill the space, or have spacing.

  • This aligns a flex container’s lines within when there is extra space in the cross-axis, similar to how justify-content aligns individual items within the main-axis.

  • Note: This property only takes effect on multi-line flexible containers, where flex-flow is set to either wrap or wrap-reverse). A single-line flexible container (i.e. where flex-flow is set to its default value, no-wrap) will not reflect align-content.

  • normal (default): items are packed in their default position as if no value was set.
  • flex-start / start: items packed to the start of the container. The (more supported) flex-start honors the
  • flex-direction while start honors the writing-mode direction.

  • flex-end / end: items packed to the end of the container. The (more support) flex-end honors the flex-direction while end honors the writing-mode direction.

  • center: items centered in the container
  • space-between: items evenly distributed; the first line is at the start of the container while the last one is at the end
  • space-around: items evenly distributed with equal space around each line
  • space-evenly: items are evenly distributed with equal space around them
  • stretch: lines stretch to take up the remaining space