What IDE should I use?
An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software suite that consolidates basic tools required to write and test software. Most Front End Devs work with code editors. Some may say code editors are not technically IDE, while most use the terms interchangeably.
An IDE is an essential part of any developers tool kit if you work in front end usually a great code editor is one that features a well-designed, super efficient, and ultra speedy user interface. There are several that do this well, there are also folks who think it's super important but it doesn't really matter. Ultimately it is a tool and none is necessarily better than another or "Best" you just choose the one that will make you a more efficient coder. The one you use is a matter of preference however here is a short list of the most popular.
Once you've been programming for a bit you realize that the minimum requirements for front end code editors is that they assist you with a few essential functions such as syntax highlighting, suggestions to an extent and indentation, some may also have an integrated terminal, but then if you start trying out a few you start to develop a preference.
Someone may personally use a certain editor when first learning then perhaps switch to another since a professor or a tutorial instructor used it and it was easier to following along with the same editor. Keep in mind also most of these editors will offer the ability to add extensions and these can make programming much easier. If you search the web you will find tons of opinions on the best editors and the most popular extensions. The best part about extensions is that they are usually available to use, no matter the editor you have.
Here are some recent articles and videos about this topic:
As a Java backend developer that would like to do more front-end, do you need a strong level in CSS to become a front end developer?
As a frontend developer you would create the part of the website the user interacts with. You create an experience that follows a design, and shows data that usually comes from an api. In some cases the frontend also sends back structured data back to this api.
Styling a page or component is only part of the job of a frontend developer. A frontend developer also must keep in mind user experience (UX) and accessibility, must create a maintainable codebase where parts of the code can be re-used, and must create a usable interface between the frontend and the backend.
Without any knowledge of CSS you can still set up a basic websites with full frameworks such as Bootstrap, who hide the nitty gritty details of styling behind predesigned components, with some basic styling options (e.g. centering) in the form of classes. With basic knowledge of CSS you can also use utility first frameworks such as Tailwind, who hide common use-cases behind easy to use classes, while helping you to keep a consistent layout across devices and browsers.
How much CSS you actually need depends on the task you want to accomplish. If you create Wordpress templates, you likely will spend a lot of time on styling, but a lot of styling will be basic and a small part will consist of figuring out how to override some plugins styling without breaking the page. If you create frontend applications that consume backend apis, you will spend much more time on frontend logic rather than the visual details, will likely be able to use frameworks for the most part, but may need to create custom components from scratch. If your job is to create iphones out of pure CSS you probably need a lot more experience with CSS.
As a last note I want to add that there is nothing wrong with leaning on frameworks to create presentable applications. You can use the developer console to learn how frameworks manage to accomplish certain styling. There are also plenty of examples out on the internet for problems people encountered when trying to accomplish certain tasks, with solutions you can try out yourself in case you get stuck.
What is the best place to buy a domain name?
Cloudflare sells domains at cost.
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How do I host a website on GitHub?
You can use GitHub pages.
- Go to your repo, and select the Settings tab.
- Inside settings, go to the GitHub pages section.
- Choose the source code for your page from the Source options and click Save.
- You'll see a message in GitHub pages section with your sites URL.
How do you prioritize what you want/need to learn about new techniques and technology?
New technology, techniques and frameworks will always come along especially if you are a JavaScript developer. One way to prioritize is to decide whether you really need the technology, or you are jumping ship because of the hype that the new technique, technology or framework promises. If you need the technology then go to the specific thing or the basic concepts that you want to learn about the technology rather than learning every single aspect/codebase of the technology. If it is in terms of implementation read the particular bit you need to implement and work with that. Jumping from technology to technology will throw you off course and you might end up being a jack of all trades and a master of none. Learning is incremental and you learn as you go not learn first then implement, it rarely or never works. Lastly it is never about the technology, technique or framework it is about how good you as the developer do the implementation.
Who are some of the top influencers in Front-end Development?
What books should I read to learn JavaScript?
You can read those books