Web Development Recipes

Book excerpt: Modern web development is so much more than just HTML and CSS with a little JavaScript mixed in. People want faster, more usable interfaces that work on multiple devices, and you need the latest tools and techniques to make that happen. This book gives you over 40 concise solutions to today's web development problems, and introduces new solutions that will expand your skill set---proven, practical advice from authors who use these tools and techniques every day. In this completely updated edition, you'll find innovative new techniques and workflows, as well as reworked solutions that take advantage of new developments. Web development is constantly changing, and you need to stay on top of your game. Discover a wide spectrum of web development techniques, from how to improve the way you present content, to solutions for data analysis, testing, and deployment. In this edition we introduce new tools, add new recipes, and modernize old ones. You'll use Vagrant to automate server setup, and you'll discover new ways to develop blogs and static sites. You'll learn how to use Grunt to script the deployment of your web project, and use Angular to build a single-page app. You'll learn how to make content stand out with simple cross-browser styles; create animations that work well everywhere without plugins; and create lightweight, responsive layouts. We'll show you how to use preprocessors like CoffeeScript and Sass; write tests for your code; use Git and Dropbox to collaborate; configure and secure the Apache web server; use virtualization to set up your own servers automatically; and much more. Whether you're new to front-end development, or you've got a few years of experience, you'll become a more versatile developer by finding out how---and why---to use these solutions in your next project. What You Need: Your favorite text editor, the most current version of Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari, and a working knowledge of HTML and JavaScript. Familiarity with command-line interfaces is a plus.