Developer's Roundtable Notes

Session: Super Powers for CSS

What is a CSS Pre-processor

Mostly, a tool to make your life easier!

Technically, a language that extends the CSS.

 

Why use one?

In a word: Variables

And: Nesting, Importing, Operations

Bonuses: Formatting and Minification

Battle of the Pre-processors

less1

http://lesscss.org

sass1

http://sass-lang.com

 

 Most of what I’ll cover today is the same for both

What Can You Do With LESS?

  • Set Variables
  • Do Computations
  • Nest Parameters
  • Import Styles and Fonts
  • Create Mixins (classes)
  • Create Parametric Mixins (classes with variables)
  • Lots More Advanced things

Plus, everything else you can do with CSS

Defining Variables

These go at the beginning of your file:

 

Sass uses $ instead of @

Using Variables

 

Becomes this CSS:

 

Set the variable once, and use it throughout your stylesheet

Computations

 

Change one variable, and dependent values change as well

Mixins – Custom Classes

Use it like this:

 Much less copy pasta

Parametric Mixins (with Variables)

Use:

CSS:

 

These mixins act like functions, so you need the ()

Multiple Parameter Variables

In use:

CSS:

 

@arguments Magic

.grey-border( @width: 1px, @type: solid, @color: #ddd; ) {

   border:@arguments;

}

[/code]
Use:

CSS:

 

Importing

 

Keep your style sheets together

Operations

 

CSS:

 

Text Variables

 

Output:

 

Nesting

 

Saves time and makes CSS much more readable

Watch This

Getting Started

1. Decide which preprocessor

2. Decide how you will compile your files

3. Start writing (less)