Chris Ferdinandi recently highlighted a JavaScript snippet showcasing clever but potentially less readable and performant code, sparking a discussion about our industry's obsession with brevity. He argues, and I concur, that prioritizing readability over cleverness is crucial, especially in production code. Brevity, while aesthetically pleasing, often leads to maintainability issues.
However, a key distinction exists between prototype and production code. As Jeremy Keith points out, prototyping prioritizes speed, sometimes at the expense of semantics or performance. Complex class naming conventions, perfectly acceptable in production, become unnecessary time sinks during prototyping.
While experimentation and ingenious techniques are valuable in prototypes, production code demands a different approach. The goal shifts from "Wow, I've never seen that before!" to "This is clear, maintainable, and easily understood by the entire team."
This principle applies equally to Sass. Deeply nested structures, while initially elegant, become unwieldy with complex designs and media queries. Consider this example:
<code>.element {
.heading { ... }
}</code>
This can easily become complex. A simpler, more maintainable alternative:
<code>.element { ... }
.element-heading { ... }</code>
This seemingly simplistic approach enhances readability and extensibility. The relationship between classes is clearer, reducing the likelihood of hacky overrides. Andy Bell's post on Sass ampersands further illustrates this creativity-vs-practicality tension.
Ultimately, CSS and JavaScript lack rigid coding rules. The optimal approach depends on the project. But for production, prioritizing boring, easily understandable code over clever, concise code is essential. Prototypes, however, should remain a playground for experimentation and unconventional techniques. Let's embrace wild, experimental prototypes, but reserve straightforward, maintainable code for production environments.
The above is the detailed content of Clever code. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
Hot AI Tools
Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free
Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos
AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.
Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover
Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!
Hot Article
Hot Tools
Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor
SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use
Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment
Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools
SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)
Hot Topics
What is 'render-blocking CSS'?
Jun 24, 2025 am 12:42 AM
CSS blocks page rendering because browsers view inline and external CSS as key resources by default, especially with imported stylesheets, header large amounts of inline CSS, and unoptimized media query styles. 1. Extract critical CSS and embed it into HTML; 2. Delay loading non-critical CSS through JavaScript; 3. Use media attributes to optimize loading such as print styles; 4. Compress and merge CSS to reduce requests. It is recommended to use tools to extract key CSS, combine rel="preload" asynchronous loading, and use media delayed loading reasonably to avoid excessive splitting and complex script control.
External vs. Internal CSS: What's the Best Approach?
Jun 20, 2025 am 12:45 AM
ThebestapproachforCSSdependsontheproject'sspecificneeds.Forlargerprojects,externalCSSisbetterduetomaintainabilityandreusability;forsmallerprojectsorsingle-pageapplications,internalCSSmightbemoresuitable.It'scrucialtobalanceprojectsize,performanceneed
Does my CSS must be on lower case?
Jun 19, 2025 am 12:29 AM
No,CSSdoesnothavetobeinlowercase.However,usinglowercaseisrecommendedfor:1)Consistencyandreadability,2)Avoidingerrorsinrelatedtechnologies,3)Potentialperformancebenefits,and4)Improvedcollaborationwithinteams.
CSS Case Sensitivity: Understanding What Matters
Jun 20, 2025 am 12:09 AM
CSSismostlycase-insensitive,butURLsandfontfamilynamesarecase-sensitive.1)Propertiesandvalueslikecolor:red;arenotcase-sensitive.2)URLsmustmatchtheserver'scase,e.g.,/images/Logo.png.3)Fontfamilynameslike'OpenSans'mustbeexact.
What is Autoprefixer and how does it work?
Jul 02, 2025 am 01:15 AM
Autoprefixer is a tool that automatically adds vendor prefixes to CSS attributes based on the target browser scope. 1. It solves the problem of manually maintaining prefixes with errors; 2. Work through the PostCSS plug-in form, parse CSS, analyze attributes that need to be prefixed, and generate code according to configuration; 3. The usage steps include installing plug-ins, setting browserslist, and enabling them in the build process; 4. Notes include not manually adding prefixes, keeping configuration updates, prefixes not all attributes, and it is recommended to use them with the preprocessor.
What are CSS counters?
Jun 19, 2025 am 12:34 AM
CSScounterscanautomaticallynumbersectionsandlists.1)Usecounter-resettoinitialize,counter-incrementtoincrease,andcounter()orcounters()todisplayvalues.2)CombinewithJavaScriptfordynamiccontenttoensureaccurateupdates.
CSS: When Does Case Matter (and When Doesn't)?
Jun 19, 2025 am 12:27 AM
In CSS, selector and attribute names are case-sensitive, while values, named colors, URLs, and custom attributes are case-sensitive. 1. The selector and attribute names are case-insensitive, such as background-color and background-Color are the same. 2. The hexadecimal color in the value is case-sensitive, but the named color is case-sensitive, such as red and Red is invalid. 3. URLs are case sensitive and may cause file loading problems. 4. Custom properties (variables) are case sensitive, and you need to pay attention to the consistency of case when using them.
Case Sensitivity in CSS: Selectors, Properties, and Values Explained
Jun 19, 2025 am 12:38 AM
CSSselectorsandpropertynamesarecase-insensitive,whilevaluescanbecase-sensitivedependingoncontext.1)Selectorslike'div'and'DIV'areequivalent.2)Propertiessuchas'background-color'and'BACKGROUND-COLOR'aretreatedthesame.3)Valueslikecolornamesarecase-insens
