"I don't get JavaScript. I can't make components from scratch. My mind goes blank when I stare at a blank JavaScript file. I guess I can't do it because I don't know how to think like a programmer".
Sounds familiar? You're not alone, my friend. Many people faced the same problem when they try to write JavaScript.
No more.
Let today be the day where you learn to think like a programmer.
Since I code on both Windows and Mac, I want my Visual Studio Code shortcuts to be interchangeable on both systems.
So I dug deep into Visual Studio Code's keyboard shortcuts for both systems and made my personal customisations.
I want to share these customisations with you so you can use them to rock at Visual Studio Code too 😃.
When I got my Windows computer, the first thing I did was to set up Windows so it [mirrors the writing system I had on Mac][1]. I also [mirrored Mac's modifiers as much as possible][2].
Then, I set up my [Windows development environment][3] (with Windows Subsystem for Linux) on my new Windows computer.
Next, I had to do was to make Visual Studio Code on both Mac and Windows play nice.
By "play nice", I meant:
When I set up my computer, I had the chance to take another look at the shell I'm using. The three main ones out there are Bash, Zsh, and Fish.
I knew of Bash. I used Zsh previously. But how would Fish fare? I've heard great things about it, so I tried it out.
I want to share which one I chose and how I went about setting it up.
Mac changes the brightness of your screen automatically. It brightens up when you're in a bright place. It dims when you're in a dark place. They do it elegantly and slowly. Most of the time, their brightness adjustment is great.
The same cannot be said for Windows. I noticed huge changes in the screen's brightness (which causes me to get distracted). I hated it, so I removed it.
Turns out, it's not as easy as you think it should be.
I write A LOT. When I got my Windows PC, the first thing I did was to change the keyboard so it's the same as my Mac's keyboard.
I want to show you how to do this. It'll help if you're transitioning from Mac to Windows! (Or if you want to use both at the same time, like me).
I did a post-mortem for Build Your Developer Brand (which I gave last Friday). I wanted to share this review openly in case anyone is interested in my thoughts.
Here's a funny piece of data from the survey I sent out last week:
I finally understood how to work with Node, Express, and MongoDB. I want to write a comprehensive tutorial so you won't have to go through the same headache I went through.
After a [horrible experience][1] with my 2018 Macbook, I decided it was time to buy a Windows device as my backup machine. I chose to use Windows as a backup because:
I ended up buying a Surface Laptop 3.
Setting up Windows was harder than I imagined. It was especially hard because I wanted this Windows machine to mirror everything I do on Mac.
In this series of articles, I'll explain everything I did to configure my new Windows machine. This should help you out if you're switching from Mac to Windows.
When I need to check a person's details on Convertkit, I need to log in to Convertkit and search for the person's email address. This process takes time, energy, and clicks.
I'm not in the state to check a website when I'm doing work. I want to find the person's information quickly and get stuff done.
So I created a command line interface for [Convertkit][1].
When you build JavaScript components, you need to manage focus for both keyboard users and screen readers. The WAI-ARIA specs say there are two ways to manage focus:
element.focus and tabindexaria-activedescendantWhich should you use and why?
I did in-depth research on these two methods and I'd like to share my findings in this article. Take a seat and grab some popcorn because it's going to be a long article.
Accessibility is a big part of JavaScript. If you build anything with JavaScript, you need to make them accessible.
I've been afraid of touching accessibility for a few years now. This fear magnified when I began writing the accessibility lessons for [Learn JavaScript][1].
Today, I want to share with you why I became afraid of accessibility, and how I overcame this fear.
This is the third article in the Learn JavaScript design series. Today, I'll talk about how I built the Account and Component Page.
This is the second article where I explain how I designed Learn JavaScript's course portal.
I had to reconfigure my Macbook after sending it for repairs. During the reconfiguration period, I noticed the instructions I linked to in ["Setting up a local MongoDB connection"][1] were outdated.
Here's an updated version on how to install MongoDB on a Mac.
Learn JavaScript is my flagship JavaScript course. It helps people go from knowing nothing about JavaScript to becoming a professional JavaScript developer.
Today, I want to share with you how I designed Learn JavaScript's course portal.
<Image src="/assets/2020/ljs-portal/login.png" alt="Learn JavaScript login page." />
I built a login system with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript when I made Learn JavaScript's student portal. I'd like to share this system with you since it seems to work well.
If you create JavaScript widgets, one of the key parts to accessibility is managing focus.
To manage focus, you need to find keyboard-focusable elements.
When I saw the CSS Tricks redesign, I was hooked. I loved the links with gradients. I told myself I'm going to use gradient links for my next project.
That's what I did for Learn JavaScript's course portal. The links look like this:
<Image src="/assets/2020/multi-line-gradient/link.gif" alt="Blue color link with blue underline. When hovered, the text has an orange to yellow gradient; underline becomes solid orange." /> I want to share what I learned about creating gradient links