CSS Container Queries

Apple has released an OS update. Packaged in with it is the latest version of Safari, 16.

Expected to be released ahead of next month’s macOS 13, Safari 16 is packed with updates, making it one of the most capable browsers available.

For web designers, the significance is the forward momentum in web technologies that enable freer design work and fewer hacks to achieve complex layouts. Little by little, CSS recommendations are being implemented to the point that using JavaScript for layout is rapidly becoming as unnecessary as it is disliked.

Some of this was announced in June in the Safari 16 beta. But a lot has been added in the last couple of months. So here’s what’s new in Safari 16 today.

CSS Container Queries

The most exciting addition to Safari 16 is CSS Container Queries.

It is hard to understate how in-demand this feature has been; if you imagine an edit button on Twitter that gifted you crypto every time you corrected a typo, you’d be getting close to how popular this feature is.

Until now, media queries have detected the whole viewport. And so, if you have an element like a card, for example, that needs to change at smaller viewports, you need to calculate the available space and adapt the element’s design accordingly. Unfortunately, this frequently gets out of sync with edge cases causing more than a few headaches for front-end developers.

Media queries are severely restrictive to modern layout methods like Grid that wrap elements automatically because there is no way to detect how the elements are laid out.

Container Queries solve this by allowing you to define styles based on the size of the actual containing element; if a div is 300px wide, the contents can have one design, and if it’s 400px wide, they can have a different design—all without caring what size the whole viewport is.

This is dangerously close to OOP (Object Orientated Programming) principles and almost elevates CSS to an actual programming language. (All we need is conditional logic, and we’re there.)

The latest versions of Chrome, Edge, and now Safari (including mobile) support CSS Grid. Even discounting the rapid decline of Twitter, this is way more exciting than any edit button.

CSS Subgrid

Speaking of Grid, if you’ve built a site with it (and if you haven’t, where have you been?), you’ll know that matching elements in complex HTML structures often results in nesting grids. Matching those grids requires careful management, CSS variables, or both. With CSS Subgrid, grids can inherit grid definitions from a grid defined higher up the hierarchy.

CSS Subgrid has been supported by Firefox for a while but is not yet part of Chrome or Edge. Until there’s wider support, it’s not a practical solution, and using a fallback negates any benefit of using Subgrid. However, its introduction in Safari will surely herald rapid adoption by Google and Microsoft and moves the web forward considerably.

CSS Subgrid is likely to be a practical solution within 18 months.

AVIF Support

AVIF is an exceptionally compact image format that beats even WebP in many instances. It even allows for sequences, creating what is essentially an animated GIF but smaller, and for bitmaps.

AVIF is already supported by Chrome, with partial support in Firefox. Safari now joins them.

AVIF support is one of the more valuable additions to Safari 16 because you’re probably already serving different images inside a picture element. If so, your Safari 16 users will begin receiving a smaller payload automatically, speeding up your site and boosting UX and SEO.

Enhanced Animation

Safari 16 introduces some significant improvements in animation, but the one that catches the eye is that you can now animate CSS Grid.

Yes, let that sink in. Combine Container Queries and animation. The possibilities for hover states on elements are tantalizing.

Safari 16 also supports CSS Offset Path — known initially as CSS Motion Path — which allows you to animate elements along any defined path. This enables the kind of animated effect that previously needed JavaScript (or Flash!) to accomplish.

Chrome, Edge, and Firefox all support CSS Offset Path; the addition of Safari means it’s now a practical solution that can be deployed in the wild.

Web Inspector Extensions

Announced as part of the beta release, Web Inspector Extensions allow web developers to create extensions for Safari, just as they would for Chrome.

Web Inspector Extensions — or Safari Extensions as they’re destined to be known — can be built in HTML, CSS, and JS, so the learning curve is shallow. It’s a good route into app development for web designers.

Because the underlying technology is the same as other browser extensions, anyone who has made a Chrome, Edge, or Firefox extension will be able to port it to Safari 16+ relatively easily. As a result, there should be a rapid expansion of the available extensions.

Improved Accessibility

Accessibility is key to an effective and inclusive web. Be like Bosch: everybody counts, or nobody counts.

When testing a design for accessibility, emulators don’t cut it. In my experience, Safari has some of the most reliable accessibility settings, especially when it comes to Media Queries like prefers-reduced-movement.

Further gains in this field mean that Safari continues to be an essential tool for QA tests.

Reduced Resets

Finally, I want to throw up my hands to celebrate the reduced number of non-standard CSS appearance settings.

For years we’ve been prefacing our style sheets with elaborate resets like Normalize, designed to undo all the assumptions browser developers make about design and the UI preferences of their engineers.

Safari 16 has reportedly “Removed most non-standard CSS appearance values.” How effective this is and how much we can rely on it given the other browsers on the market remains to be seen. However, like many of Safari 16’s changes, it’s a step towards a browser that’s on the developers’ side instead of an obstacle to overcome.

The post Exciting New Features in Safari 16 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

Source de l’article sur sap.com

14 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

SAP innove et accompagne les entreprises vers le travail du futur

Actualités, ERP & Applications, SAP, Uncategorized

Les avancées de la suite SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management transforment le développement des talents pour le travail de demain.

A Paris, le 14 septembre 2022 – A l’occasion du salon SuccessConnect, SAP SE (NYSE : SAP) a annoncé de nouvelles avancées dans les fondements de la suite SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) afin de permettre aux entreprises de mettre en œuvre une stratégie intégrée de développement des talents et de créer une force active prête pour l’avenir.

Les entreprises prospèrent lorsque leurs employés sont engagés dans leur carrière et leur entreprise, qu’ils sont correctement qualifiés, qu’ils perçoivent des perspectives d’évolution adaptées à leur profil et qu’ils ont un fort sentiment d’appartenance. Cependant, de nombreuses organisations ont du mal à avoir une vision d’ensemble des compétences présentes au sein de leurs effectifs ou des ambitions de leurs collaborateurs. Les dernières avancées de la suite SAP SuccessFactors HXM réunissent les données, l’apprentissage automatique et l’IA pour offrir aux organisations une meilleure compréhension des capacités de leur personnel et une intelligence des talents exploitable pour aligner leurs employés sur les besoins de l’organisation.

Les innovations suivantes seront disponibles au deuxième semestre 2022 :

Skills ontology utilise le machine learning et l’automatisation pour identifier en permanence les compétences d’un employé en fonction de son poste, de ses responsabilités, de ses expériences et de ses réalisations, offrant ainsi une vision globale des compétences d’une organisation à l’échelle mondiale.
Growth portfolio est une source d’information dynamique rassemblant les spécificités de chaque employé : ses compétences, ses points forts, sa manière de travailler, mais aussi ses passions et aspirations.
Dynamic teams est une nouvelle fonctionnalité qui permet aux entreprises de créer, de suivre, de mesurer et d’optimiser les résultats de leurs équipes. Les entreprises qui utilisent SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals peuvent ajouter des résultats clés objectifs (OKR) à Dynamic teams afin de suivre les progrès et de mesurer la réussite. Dans Dynamic Teams, les employés sont rassemblés selon leurs compétences et non selon leurs affinités. Ainsi, grâce au machine learning et à l’IA, SAP SuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace rend l’évolution des employés au sein de l’entreprise plus équitable.

Associées à SAP SuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace, ces innovations apportent les connaissances et l’adaptabilité nécessaires à la constitution d’une force active plus qualifiée, plus souple et plus équitable. Growth portfolio et Skills ontology permettent une individualisation des recommandations au sein de SAP SuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace, qui reflètent l’ensemble des personnalités des individus, et pas seulement leurs compétences. L’introduction de Dynamic teams transcende les structures traditionnelles pour favoriser un travail basé sur les compétences plutôt que sur les descriptions de poste. Les entreprises peuvent ainsi constituer des équipes diversifiées, capables d’obtenir de meilleurs résultats, tout en accélérant l’évolution de carrière et le développement personnel grâce à des cas pratiques.

“En nous appuyant sur notre héritage en matière de gestion des talents, nous réimaginons la manière dont les entreprises assurent la gestion et le développement professionnel de leurs collaborateurs pour répondre aux exigences émergentes du travail de demain”, explique Meg Bear, Présidente et Chef de Produit de SAP SuccessFactors. “Lorsque les gens ont la possibilité de travailler sur ce qui les passionne, ils sont plus engagés, plus performants et permettent à leur entreprise d’obtenir des résultats commerciaux hors normes.”

“SAP a créé un système permettant de gérer l’organisation du travail de demain, dès aujourd’hui”, a déclaré Josh Bersin, analyste industriel. “La nouvelle architecture et les nouvelles fonctionnalités de SAP SuccessFactors sont un bon en avant sur ce que les organisations ont besoin pour gérer, développer et habiliter leur personnel et leurs équipes.”

Ces nouvelles applications RH de la suite SAP SuccessFactors HXM sont des innovations essentielles qui fournissent un système complet de développement des talents et conçues spécialement pour les organisations afin de les aider à créer une force active durable et prête pour l’avenir.

Pour que le développement des talents soit durable et efficace, les organisations doivent favoriser un sentiment d’appartenance. Donner aux gens les moyens de s’épanouir au travail commence par l’identité. Les utilisateurs de SAP SuccessFactors peuvent désormais indiquer le nom et les pronoms personnels de leur choix sur leur profil public, ce qui leur permet de s’approprier la manière dont ils se présentent et d’être reconnus comme leur véritable personnalité au travail.

Les noms choisis et les pronoms personnels seront généralement disponibles pour tous les clients SAP SuccessFactors au quatrième trimestre 2022. Skills ontology, Growth portfolio et Dynamic teams seront également disponibles dès le quatrième trimestre 2022.

Pour en savoir plus, rendez-vous à l’événement virtuel SuccessConnect. Suivez SAP sur Twitter @SAPNews.

The post SAP innove et accompagne les entreprises vers le travail du futur appeared first on SAP France News.

14 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

Templating in Node.js Using Express Pug View Engine

Actualités, Méthodes et organisation des process IT

It is a common requirement to render dynamic content into our HTML page. Templating engines is a great way to support this feature. In this post, we will learn how to perform templating in NodeJS using the Express Pug view engine.

If you are new to Express, check out this post on getting started with ExpressJS.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

13 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

Exciting New Tools for Designers, September 2022

The Summer’s over, and we’re back at our desks to discover that the web’s best app builders, font designers, asset creators, and developers have been hard at work to deliver this bumper collection of exciting new tools for designers and developers.

Below you’ll find productivity apps, icons, gradients, AI, and some awesome new fonts. Enjoy!

CSS Scan

Forget right-clicking on a website to see how it’s coded. CSS Scan is a browser extension that lets you view the CSS styles of any element and copy them to your clipboard.

Slicons

Create stand-out UI designs with Slicons, a set of 300+ pixel-perfect icons. Light, regular, and bold versions match your typography and work with Figma, Sketch, XD, and Iconjar.

Codex

Codex is an IDE extension that lets you comment on your code like a pro. Anyone on your team can add comments, questions, or notes to any lines of code.

Gradientify

You too can leap aboard the gradient design trend using Gradientify, a collection of 100+ beautiful, human-designed gradients. Copy the CSS, or download PNGs for free.

90 Bitmap Shapes

Create unique logos, social media assets, apparel, and abstract icons using this editable set of 90 Bitmap Shapes in vector form for Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma.

BlockBee

Get paid in crypto using BlockBee. The Web 3.0 payments infrastructure integrates with the best ecommerce carts, including PrestaShop, Opencart, Magento, and WooCommerce.

Flatfile

Banish the woes of importing CSV data with Flatfile, a CSV importer that formats human-edited data files to eliminate errors and speed up B2B onboarding.

ClipDrop

Effortlessly clip the backgrounds from images in Figma with the ClipDrop plugin. One-click removes backgrounds, objects, people, text, or defects.

Craiyon

Craiyon is an AI drawing tool based on a stripped-down version of DALL-E. You can generate any image you like using a simple text prompt.

Google Headline Tool

Use Poll the People’s powerful Google Headline Tool to optimize your headlines for more effective search ads and clickable blog post titles.

Retro Postcard Effect

Embrace the trend for retro images using this Retro Postcard Effect for Adobe Photoshop. Easily drop your custom images into the placeholder layer for an instant vintage style.

Hugo

Hugo is an admin suite for freelancers that takes care of business with intelligent contracts, audit trails, and an integrated wallet, so you can focus on being creative.

CTA Examples

CTA Examples is a database of call-to-action examples for every possible scenario. So no matter what you want to persuade your users to do, you’ll find the best prompt here.

Superhuman

Create unique 3D characters to wow your customers using Superhuman. You can customize clothes, hair, and poses using 1500+ elements or choose from 500 pre-made characters.

PostHog

PostHog is an extensive set of tools built on a modern data stack. You can do more with your data by creating your own app or using one of the 50+ that are included for free.

Radix UI

There’s no need to reinvent UI components for React when you can use Radix UI. The high-quality, accessible components are perfect for web apps and dashboards.

KB Clip

Now you can create a searchable wiki for your business with a fraction of the effort thanks to KB Clip. Just highlight a Slack conversation, and transform it into an article in one click.

DropBlok

A great way to monetize your followers is with a custom app. DropBlok is a no-code tool that will build the app for you.

Blofishing Font

Blofishing is a gorgeous handwriting font that adds personality to your layouts. It’s ideal for wedding stationery, social media marketing, and anything that needs a personal touch.

Haratte Font

Haratte is an elegant font with graceful curves and a modern aesthetic. It’s perfect for logos, magazine design, social media assets, and more.

The post Exciting New Tools for Designers, September 2022 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

Actualités, Méthodes et organisation des process IT

12 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

Next.js Event Management Application Using File-Based Routing

Next.js is arguably the most versatile framework when it comes to building web applications using React. Next.js makes building production-ready applications easy. In this post, we are going to look at building a Next.js event management application.

Once we are done, our application will look like the image below:

Source de l’article sur DZONE

9 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

Are Modals In Web Design A UX Disaster?

Modals, a nifty little feature that allows you to display different messages at the top of your website, have been touted as extremely useful. Some even claim that they are helpful enough to completely replace the banner ads we all hate so much. But are modals in web design a UX disaster?

If you are unfamiliar with the term, a modal is a dialogue window appearing when a visitor clicks on a hyperlink or hover image.

Suppose you want to collect on-site subscribers or you want visitors to sign up for a freebie. In that case, you can use modals.

However, many web designers – and some website visitors – are against using modals in web design. The main argument is that it affects the user experience. But are modals in web design a UX disaster? Read on to find out.

What Do Modals Do?

Modals often appear as pop-up windows on a web page, requesting a visitor to take action. Most times, they appear following a click on a page element.

Also known as lightboxes, modals isolate the page’s main content. The user will have to complete the action requested by the modal or close it before reassessing the page.

Web designers use modals to capture a visitor’s attention. Since other page contents are inaccessible, a visitor must interact with the modal.

Cons Of Modals In UX

While there are different cons of modals in UX, they all sum up to one con – interruption. When modals appear, they interrupt whatever the user is doing.

Unlike regular pop-ups, users cannot simply ignore the modal and continue browsing. As a result, modals demand immediate attention.

A user may be interested and decide to interact with the modal. However, if the modal’s content differs from the page’s, the user could forget what they were doing after interacting with the modal.

Furthermore, sometimes modals require action related to information on the page. For example, suppose the user wants to review the information before taking action. In that case, they’ll have to close the modal since the main page is inaccessible.

Statistics show that up to 82% of users dislike pop-ups. Most website visitors aren’t knowledgeable about the technicalities of web design. As a result, they won’t be able to differentiate between regular pop-ups and modals.

After all, modals are a type of pop-up. Some users may consider modals worse since they darken the page’s primary content, making it inaccessible.

Furthermore, people want to visit a website and get what they want immediately. Hence, time is significant. Therefore, modals that require actions that take time can make a website lose visitors.

With all of these cons, you can understand why many web designers say modals are a UX disaster in web design.

Can Modals Be Useful in UX?

In some situations, modals are helpful, and they can improve UX. Many web designers swear on the usefulness of modals, and it’s not difficult to understand why.

Firstly, modals can help simplify a website’s content. For example, a user can immediately exit the page if your website is relatively complex, with lots of content and elements.

You can use a modal to explain the content on the page so that the user doesn’t get confused. Perhaps the modal can display when the user clicks on the back button. The modal can highlight the most critical content on the page and tell the user what to do next.

Secondly, modals are invaluable if you must capture your user’s attention. For example, perhaps you want to display a warning or pass any crucial information that users must know before they continue browsing.

As mentioned before, a user can easily ignore a pop-up, especially if it opens in a new window. However, with modals, the user must at least view the content before they proceed.

Thirdly, a modal can make a web page easier to navigate. It sounds ironic considering the cons, but it’s true if properly implemented. Rather than packing different elements on a web page, you can set some to display as modals.

For example, you can have a page with just text to improve readability. Then, users can click to view visual elements like images and videos as modals.

How To Use Modals the Right Way

Using modals correctly is key to ensuring they don’t negatively affect UX. Here are some ideal situations when you can use modals:

1. Display Warnings

Using modals to give users crucial warnings is ideal, especially if their subsequent actions have serious consequences.

For example, most websites display modals when users click the delete button. Deletion is always critical because, in most cases, it’s irreversible.

A practical example would be an eCommerce website where a user opts to delete items from their cart. You can use a modal to ask the user to confirm before deleting.

2. Input or Collect Information

Modals are effective in prompting users to input information. Sometimes, users must enter specific details before they continue browsing.

A practical example would be a review site where a user wants to submit a review. Before submitting the review, you can use a modal to request the user’s name and other necessary information.

3. Simplify Navigation

As mentioned before, modals can simplify a complex website. In addition, it will help a user navigate better, which is a UX boost.

A practical example would be a news site with many stories and updates. You can use a modal to highlight the day’s trending news stories so that users can visit the web pages with one click.

Conclusion: Are Modals a Disaster in UX?

In conclusion, modals affect a site’s user experience since visitors must interact with them. However, it doesn’t always have to be a negative effect.

Modals become a UX disaster in web design when wrongly used. However, if you follow good practices, modals can improve your website’s user experience.

Generally, only use modals when necessary and in a way that won’t frustrate the users.

Featured image by Freepik.

The post Are Modals In Web Design A UX Disaster? first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

7 septembre 2022/par Service comm.

15 Best New Fonts, September 2022

Typefaces give expression to text, communicating personality in a way that no other design element can. And so, we put together this collection of the best new fonts we’ve seen on the web each month.

This month’s collection of fresh new fonts includes some typefaces that push boundaries in subtle but irresistible ways, a few retro fonts that evoke specific eras, and some exceptionally well-drawn examples of classic themes.

Gazzetta

Gazzetta is a condensed typeface with soft curves and sharp joins that gives it plenty of personality at display sizes while still being highly practical.

Bacalar

Bacalar is an intriguing variable font inspired by the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The bold, simple shapes are contrasted by extreme tapers that create dynamic shapes.

Monden

Monden is a high-contrast serif with an interesting slant applied to the lowercase h, m, and n. This “kick” adds a modern richness to blocks of text.

Flecha

Flecha is a sharp typeface with precise, simplified shapes that make it ideal for digital use. There is a range of styles and weights that provide flexibility.

Wonder Varelia

Countless calligraphic script fonts are available, but few are executed with the same elegance as Wonder Varelia. It works best as concise display text.

Okkult

Okkult is inspired by 70s horror films. It’s a great alternative choice for Halloween, Stranger Things-style retro designs, and hard-rock bands.

Southern Beach

Southern Beach is a classy script typeface that feels carefree and optimistic. It would work well as the logotype for a hotel, a travel company, or a restaurant.

Connection

Connection is a beautifully drawn typeface that makes unexpected decisions to create interest in what is otherwise a traditional design.

Lokeya

Lokeya is a playful sans-serif with a distinctly modern-French style. It includes several stylistic alternatives to enliven word shapes and is excellent for brand work.

Grtsk

Grtsk is an exceptionally flexible set of fonts with two writing systems, six widths, and seven weights that are also available as one highly-practical variable font.

Beast Head

Beast Head is an expressive brush script packed with energy. It’s a great branding option for gyms, workout clothing, energy drinks, and music events.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday is a retro script font that evokes the late-60s and early-70s. It’s a laid-back option for T-shirts, branding, and editorial work.

TT Espina

TT Espina is a serif face with extreme contrasts and particularly large serifs. The bold weight swells unevenly on the counters, creating a unique aesthetic.

Spookyman

Horrifyingly, Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re looking for a spooky font for seasonal promotions, look no further than Spookyman.

Quebra

Quebra is a useful sans-serif for projects that need a range of widths. At small sizes, it feels corporate and reserved; at larger sizes, more human details begin to emerge.

The post 15 Best New Fonts, September 2022 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.