In this beginner-friendly blog post, we will learn how to remove the background from an image using only CSS, specifically the mix-blend-mode property. This technique is useful for creating interesting visual effects and improving the performance of your website by reducing the need for edited images.      Why this trick is important?When you download a .png file, you might expect it to have a transparent background. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a .png file might have a solid background color, such as white or black.In such cases, you can use the mix-blend-mode property to remove the solid background color and create the appearance of a transparent background.       What is mix-blend-mode?mix-blend-mode is a CSS property that defines how the content of an element should blend with the content of the element's parent and its background. With this, you can create nice blends and colors for parts of an element's content depending on its direct background Checkout this 

Remove background from Image using CSS only. With this knowledge, you can create interesting visual effects on your website and improve the overall user experience. With you every step of your journey.

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Posted on Mar 7                      • Originally published at phuoc.ng                   Here's what we'll cover:The macOS Calculator app is a simple but powerful tool that has been included with every Mac for many years. It lets you do basic arithmetic functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The app's interface is clean and user-friendly, which makes it a go-to tool for anyone needing quick calculations.In this post, we'll explore how to create a macOS calculator layout using HTML and CSS. To make it fully functional, we'll need JavaScript to implement the real calculator. But we'll skip this part and focus solely on creating the layout.Before we get into the details, here's the final layout we'll be creating:The calculator is constructed using various elements, including a div element to display the result and several buttons that allow users to interact with it.It's all pretty straightforward. We've added div and button elements in the order they appear on the calculator, from top to bottom and left to right.The result element has the calculator__result class, while all the buttons have the calculator__key class.Let's talk about how to create a grid layout for our calculator. Imagine the calculator as a grid of 4 columns and 6 rows. To make this happen, we use the display: grid property which sets the root element as a grid container. Then, we can define the number of columns and rows in our grid using grid-template-columns and grid-template-rows.To keep things simple, we use the repeat() function to set up our grid without having to manually specify each column or row. In this case, we want a grid with 4 columns, each with a width of 4rem, and 6 rows, each with a height of 4rem. This creates a neat and uniform grid where each cell has equal dimensions.Here are the CSS styles we apply to the root element of the calculator:Let's take a closer look at the result element in our calculator layout. This is the big box at the top that shows all the calculations. We make it take up the whole first row of the layout using a special CSS property called grid-column. Remember how we talked about grid-column-start and grid-column-end in our previous post? Well, we set grid-column to 1/5. This means the element starts at column 1 and ends at column 5, effectively covering the whole top row of the layout.With this one simple CSS trick, the result element now dominates the top row of our calculator layout.Next, let's talk about the special button that allows users to enter the number zero. This button takes up two cells in our grid. To make it span two columns, we use the grid-column property to position it. We add a new CSS class with the declaration grid-column: 1 / 3; to style the zero button and set its position in the grid layout.To align the result element to the right of its cell, we can use the justify-content property with a value of end. This will push the contents of our result element to the right. We can also set the align-items property to center and add some padding to the right side using the padding-right property, to make it look more visually pleasing. Depending on the font size, you may need to manually adjust the padding-right value.By using these declarations, we have aligned the result element to the right side of its cell while keeping it centered vertically.To make our buttons look sleek and professional, we need to center their content. Luckily, we can easily achieve this with CSS flexbox. By adding display: flex to our .calculator__key CSS class, we can turn each button into a flex container. This allows us to use align-items and justify-content properties to align the content of our buttons both horizontally and vertically.In this case, we want to center the text inside each button. To do this, we simply add the following declaration to our .calculator__key CSS class:By making these declarations, the content of all our buttons will now be centered both horizontally and vertically within their respective cells in the grid layout.To make the calculator look like the real deal, we can change the background and text colors of the result and buttons. It's a simple fix. Here's an easy implementation using the background property to adjust the background color of these elements:Check out the demo below:In this post, we explored how to create a macOS-style calculator layout using HTML and CSS. We learned how to use the grid-template-columns and grid-template-rows properties to define the number of columns and rows in our grid layout.Additionally, we discovered how to use the grid-column property to adjust the placement of a grid item. By using align-items, justify-content, and display properties with flexbox, we were able to align the content of our buttons both horizontally and vertically.As you can see, the macOS calculator layout is just one example of the many amazing things that can be achieved with CSS grid.If you found this series helpful, please consider giving the repository a star on GitHub or sharing the post on your favorite social networks 😍. Your support would mean a lot to me!If you want more helpful content like this, feel free to follow me:Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use.        Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink.      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Create a macOS calculator layout. Before we get into the details, here's the final layout we'll be creating:. To align the result element to the right of its cell, we can use the justify-content property with a value of end.. Additionally, we discovered how to use the grid-column property to adjust the placement of a grid item.

Create a macOS calculator layout

Posted on Mar 7                  Hey there fellow devs! We all know that in the world of software development, productivity is key. Whether you're slinging code on the backend or crafting pixel-perfect UIs on the frontend, finding ways to get more done in less time is a universal goal. So, let's dive into some informal productivity tips that can help you supercharge your workflow, whether you're tinkering with databases or wrangling CSS.Backend Bliss: Making the Most of Your TimeAutomate All the Things: Don't waste time on repetitive tasks. If you find yourself doing something more than once, it's time to automate it. Whether it's setting up deployments with CI/CD pipelines or automating database migrations, automation can save you loads of time and effort.Use the Right Tools: Every backend dev has their favorite tools, whether it's an IDE, a database management tool, or a debugging tool. Find the tools that work best for you and stick with them. Don't be afraid to try new tools, but don't get bogged down in tool paralysis Know Your Services Inside and Out: Whether you're working with AWS, Google Cloud, or your own custom services, take the time to really understand how they work. Knowing the ins and outs of your services can help you troubleshoot issues faster and build more robust applications.Stay Organized: Keep your codebase clean and well-organized. Use consistent naming conventions, modularize your code, and comment liberally. A well-organized codebase is easier to navigate and maintain, saving you time and headaches in the long run.Frontend Finesse: Navigating the Wild World of Web DevelopmentMaster Your Framework: Whether you're a React junkie, an Angular aficionado, or a Vue virtuoso, take the time to really master your chosen frontend framework. Learn all the ins and outs, explore the latest features, and stay up-to-date with best practices.Stay Lean and Mean: Keep your frontend codebase lean and mean. Avoid bloat and unnecessary dependencies, and optimize your code for performance. Remember, every line of code you write is a potential source of bugs, so keep it simple and focused.Embrace CSS Like a Boss: CSS can be a beast, but don't let it intimidate you. Embrace the power of CSS preprocessors like Sass or Less, and explore the latest CSS frameworks and techniques. With the right tools and know-how, you can tame even the wildest of stylesheets.Test, Test, and Test Some More: Don't skimp on testing. Whether you're writing unit tests, integration tests, or end-to-end tests, testing is crucial for ensuring the reliability and stability of your frontend code. Embrace testing as a core part of your development process, and you'll thank yourself later.So there you have it, folks! Some informal productivity tips to help you crush it on both the backend and frontend. Whether you're automating deployments, mastering your favorite frontend framework, or wrangling unruly CSS, these tips can help you stay focused, efficient, and productive. So go forth and code like the wind, my friends!Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use.very nice article 😊 short, to the point, and while most of these may seem like common sense, you’d be amazed how often they aren’t used so all are worth stating! keep up the good work, mate!         Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink.      Hide child comments as well                  Confirm              For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse              Scofield Idehen - Feb 20                          Marcus Ahlfors - Feb 7                          Web Genius - Feb 6                          MK - Feb 6                  DEV Community — A constructive and inclusive social network for software developers. With you every step of your journey.    Built on Forem — the open source software that powers DEV and other inclusive communities.Made with love and Ruby on Rails. DEV Community © 2016 - 2024.          We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.

Getting Stuff Done: Productivity Tips for Backend and Frontend Devs. Frontend Finesse: Navigating the Wild World of Web DevelopmentMaster Your Framework: Whether you're a React junkie, an Angular aficionado, or a Vue virtuoso, take the time to really master your chosen frontend framework.

Getting Stuff Done: Productivity Tips for Backend and Frontend Devs

Posted on Mar 6                  The web evolves, so does the art of building web applications. Front end architecture in 2024 is about creating efficient, scalable, and user-friendly platforms. Let's cut straight to the chase and explore the seven pillars that are currently shaping the world of front end development.Front end architecture is now a complex field, with an emphasis on modular design, performance, and automation. The traditional ways of coding are being replaced with strategies that reflect the dynamic nature of the web. I'll guide you through these essentials, which are not merely trends but necessities for any modern web application.Gone are the days when design systems were a nice-to-have. In 2024, they're the blueprint for digital product design. A robust design system transcends mere component libraries, embodying a comprehensive design language that both designers and developers can speak fluently. From the simplicity of buttons to the complexity of widgets, a design system encompasses theming, typography, and icons, ensuring consistency and coherence throughout the application. Documentation is key here—each component meticulously explained for effortless reuse and extension.Imagine building with Lego blocks—each piece should snap together seamlessly, forming structures both simple and intricate. This is the essence of component reuse. By crafting components that can be reused across various segments of an application, we achieve a harmonious user interface with reduced development time. Transitioning to a composable platform means each independent block can be assembled into numerous configurations, providing the flexibility and scalability necessary for modern web applications.The performance of a web application can captivate or repel users. Optimizing assets is not just a technical duty; it's a user-centric mantra. From the compression of images to the minification of JavaScript and CSS, asset optimization directly influences user experience and search engine rankings. The key to mastery? Utilize performance tools that offer strategic insights, ensuring that every image, script, and stylesheet is a sprinter, not a jogger, in the race for efficiency.Caching is not just a technical process; it's an art that enhances the responsiveness of a web application. By storing pieces of information across different levels—from browsers to networks—we can deliver content at lightning speed. Service workers, CDN caching, and browser caching are the unsung heroes here, quietly working behind the scenes to ensure users access content swiftly and smoothly.Tools such as the Chrome Developer Console are the telescopes through which we observe the performance universe of our applications. They provide critical insights into asset impact and application behavior. By employing strategies like CSS minification and leveraging modules, we can not only improve load times but also enhance the user's perception of speed—a crucial factor in the user experience equation.As architects of the digital domain, we must write code that grows with our ambitions. Scalable and maintainable code ensures our applications can expand without crumbling under their own weight. It's about embracing best practices and patterns that have stood the test of time, like MVC or Flux, to structure our applications in a way that future-proofs them against the relentless tide of change.CI/CD pipelines are the conveyor belts of our deployment factories. They automate the mundane but critical processes of building, testing, and deploying applications, ensuring that new features and fixes are delivered rapidly and reliably. Tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, and GitHub Actions are the workhorses of this operation, driving the relentless march towards improvement and innovation.What is a design system and why is it crucial?A design system is a collection of reusable components guided by clear standards that can be assembled together to build any number of applications. It's crucial because it creates a shared language for teams and ensures consistency across products.How does component reuse benefit frontend architecture?Component reuse streamlines development, ensures UI consistency, and accelerates the development process by allowing developers to leverage existing elements rather than creating new ones from scratch.Why is asset optimization important?Asset optimization enhances user experience by speeding up load times and improving performance, which can also positively impact search engine optimization (SEO).What does caching do for a web application?Caching stores copies of files and data to speed up retrieval on subsequent requests, which reduces server load and improves application responsiveness.How can performance measurement tools impact frontend architecture?Performance measurement tools provide insights into how well an application is running, allowing developers to identify bottlenecks and optimize code for better performance.What makes code scalable and maintainable?Scalable and maintainable code is well-organized, follows best practices, and is built using patterns that accommodate growth and facilitate easy updates and maintenance.What's the purpose of continuous integration and deployment in frontend architecture?Continuous integration and deployment streamline the development process by automating the integration of code changes, ensuring that the application is tested and ready to ship at any moment, thus reducing manual errors and speeding up release cycles.In conclusion, the essentials of front end architecture in 2024 revolve around creating systems that are not only efficient and robust but also adaptable to future demands. As technology advances, these principles serve as a compass in a developer's toolkit, guiding them to build applications that are not only functional but also poised for growth and innovation.Check out our agency site, Cox Code: https://www.coxcode.ioDialogue with me on X: @benajaeroTemplates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use.        Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink.      Hide child comments as well                  Confirm              For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse              Apostrophe - Feb 16                          Himanshu Gupta - Feb 28                          Hritam Shrivatava - Feb 29                          Méschac Irung - Feb 15                  DEV Community — A constructive and inclusive social network for software developers. With you every step of your journey.    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7 Essentials for Front End Architecture in 2024. From the compression of images to the minification of JavaScript and CSS, asset optimization directly influences user experience and search engine rankings.

7 Essentials for Front End Architecture in 2024

Posted on Mar 6                  In today's data-driven world, presenting information visually is crucial for understanding complex datasets. JavaScript libraries like D3.js (Data-Driven Documents) have revolutionized how we create interactive data visualizations on the web. In this tutorial, we'll explore how to leverage the power of D3.js to create stunning and interactive visualizations that engage users and convey insights effectively.Before learning about D3.js, setting up your development environment and understanding the basics is essential. First, make sure you have D3.js installed or include it via a CDN in your HTML file:Next, let's load some sample data to work with. For this tutorial, we'll use a simple array of objects representing fictional sales data:Now that our data is ready, we can create our first visualization.One of the most common types of visualizations is the bar chart. Let's create a simple bar chart to visualize our sales data. First, we'll select the <svg> element in our HTML where we want to render the chart:Next, we'll write the JavaScript code to create the bar chart using D3.js:In this code snippet, we use D3.js to create a bar chart with SVG elements. We define scales for the x and y axes, map the data to the chart, and create rectangles for each data point representing the bars.If you open your HTML file in a web browser, you should see a basic bar chart displaying the sales data. Congratulations! You've created your first visualization with D3.js.The image above shows a chart based on the code written above.Now that we have a basic bar chart displaying our sales data, let's enhance it by adding interactivity. One common interactive feature is tooltips, which provide additional information when users hover over data points.We'll start by adding tooltips to our bar chart. Here's the updated JavaScript code:Add the tooltip style in the head tag:This code defines a tooltip element displaying information when the user hovers over a bar. We then use D3.js event handlers to show and hide the tooltip when the mouse enters or leaves a bar.When you hover over a bar in the chart, you should see a tooltip displaying the month and sales data. This simple addition makes the visualization more engaging and informative for users.While we've covered the basics of creating a simple bar chart with D3.js, the library offers many more advanced features and techniques for building complex and interactive visualizations. Let's explore some of these advanced techniques:Hierarchical Layouts: D3.js provides built-in support for hierarchical data structures like trees and treemaps. These layouts allow you to visualize hierarchical relationships in your data, such as organizational structures or file directories.Force-Directed Graphs: Force-directed graphs are a powerful way to visualize networks or relationships between entities. With D3.js, you can create force-directed layouts that simulate physical forces between nodes, resulting in visually appealing and informative visualizations.Custom Interactivity: Besides tooltips, D3.js allows you to implement custom interactive features tailored to your specific visualization needs. For example, you can create interactive legends, zooming and panning functionality, or draggable elements.Data Joins and Updates: As your data changes over time, D3.js makes it easy to update your visualizations dynamically without redrawing the entire chart. Using data joins and update patterns, you can efficiently handle data updates and ensure that your visualizations stay up-to-date with the latest data.Transitions and Animations: Adding animations to your visualizations can help convey changes and trends more effectively. D3.js provides robust support for transitions and animations, allowing you to smoothly transition between different states of your visualization.Responsive Design: With the increasing variety of devices and screen sizes, creating visualizations that adapt to different screen sizes and orientations is essential. D3.js makes it easy to create responsive visualizations that scale and reflow gracefully across different devices and viewport sizes.By mastering these advanced techniques, you can take your data visualizations to the next level and create truly immersive and interactive user experiences. On the D3.js website, they have a ton of examples to help you learn better.Now that you've learned how to create interactive data visualizations with D3.js let's explore how to integrate these visualizations into web applications. Whether you're building a dashboard, a data analysis tool, or a reporting application, embedding D3.js visualizations into your web pages is straightforward.Here's a step-by-step guide to integrating a D3.js visualization into a web application:By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate D3.js visualizations into your web applications and create compelling data-driven experiences for your users.While D3.js provides powerful tools for creating dynamic and interactive data visualizations, it's essential to ensure that your visualizations perform well, especially when dealing with large datasets or complex visualizations. Here are some tips for optimizing the performance of D3.js visualizations in web applications:Use Data Aggregation: When working with large datasets, consider aggregating the data before rendering it in the visualization. This can help reduce the number of data points and improve performance, especially for visualizations like line charts or area charts where individual data points may not be necessary.Implement Virtualization: For visualizations that display a large number of elements, such as scatter plots or heatmaps, consider implementing virtualization techniques to render only the visible elements and dynamically load additional data as needed. This can significantly improve rendering performance and reduce memory usage.Optimize DOM Manipulation: Minimize the number of DOM elements created and manipulated in your visualization. Use D3.js selection methods like enter() and exit() to efficiently update the DOM based on changes in the underlying data, rather than recreating elements from scratch.Cache Calculations: If your visualization requires complex calculations or data transformations, cache the results to avoid redundant computations. This can help improve performance, especially when updating the visualization in response to user interactions or data changes.Debounce and Throttle Events: When handling user interactions, such as mouse movements or window resize events, debounce or throttle the event callbacks to limit the frequency of updates to the visualization. This can prevent performance bottlenecks caused by rapid or excessive updates.Profile and Benchmark: Use browser developer tools to profile and benchmark your visualization code. Identify performance bottlenecks, such as slow rendering or high CPU usage, and optimize the code accordingly. Techniques like code splitting, lazy loading, and offloading computations to web workers can help improve performance.Test Across Devices and Browsers: Test your visualization across different devices, browsers, and network conditions to ensure consistent performance and responsiveness. Consider using performance monitoring tools to track metrics like page load time, rendering performance, and memory usage.By following these tips and best practices, you can optimize the performance of your D3.js visualizations and deliver a seamless and engaging user experience in your web applications.While D3.js provides powerful tools for creating interactive data visualizations, it's essential to optimize your code for performance, especially when working with large datasets or complex visualizations. Here are some tips for optimizing the performance of your D3.js visualizations:By following these optimization techniques and best practices, you can ensure that your D3.js visualizations perform well and provide a smooth and responsive user experience, even with large datasets or complex interactions.Congratulations! You've learned a bit about how to create interactive data visualizations with D3.js and optimize their performance for web applications. By following the techniques and best practices outlined in this tutorial, you can build powerful and responsive visualizations that engage users and convey insights effectively.Here's a recap of what we've covered:Basic Visualizations: We started by creating basic visualizations like bar charts and scatter plots using D3.js. We learned how to bind data to SVG elements and use scales to map data values to visual properties.Adding Interactivity: We enhanced our visualizations by adding interactivity features like tooltips and event handlers. This made our visualizations more engaging and informative for users.Advanced Techniques: We explored advanced techniques such as hierarchical layouts, force-directed graphs, and custom interactivity. These techniques allow us to create complex and immersive visualizations that tell compelling stories with data.Integration with Web Applications: We learned how to integrate D3.js visualizations into web applications by embedding them in HTML pages and styling them with CSS. We also discussed how to handle data updates and user interactions in web applications.Optimizing Performance: Finally, we covered performance optimization techniques such as using data joins and update patterns, debouncing event handlers, minimizing DOM manipulation, and using transitions sparingly. These techniques help ensure that our visualizations perform well and provide a smooth user experience.As you continue working with D3.js, don't hesitate to experiment, explore, and learn from the vast resources available in the D3.js community. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use.        Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink.      Hide child comments as well                  Confirm              For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse              Nilesh Raut - Feb 28                          Rachel Snijders - Feb 20                          Lev Eidelman Nagar - Feb 28                          Paul Laros 🇳🇱 - Jan 26                  DEV Community — A constructive and inclusive social network for software developers. With you every step of your journey.    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Creating Interactive Data Visualizations with D3.js. Here's a step-by-step guide to integrating a D3.js visualization into a web application:By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate D3.js visualizations into your web applications and create compelling data-driven experiences for your users

Creating Interactive Data Visualizations with D3.js

Google, like the rest of us, is tired of people gaming search.  Google is adjusting its search engine to filter out spam-filled websites meant to game the system and land at the top of search results. The aim is to elevate original content over web pages that seem to be designed for search engines rather than people.  Along with updating its search algorithm to elevate better-quality sites, Google is changing its spam policies to keep sites "repurposed as spam repositories" out of its search results. It wants to filter out a new wave of zombie sites -- once defunct websites that have been resurrected and are now limping along with generic, AI-generated content.In a Tuesday blog post, Google said these new tweaks will reduce the amount of low-quality, unoriginal content in its search results by 40%.On Google's radar are bad actors who use automated systems, including AI generators, to create content that appears to answer specific search queries but fails to provide meaningful information, frustrating search users, according to Google.The tech giant said it's also going after reputable websites that host low-quality content from third parties. This kind of abuse aims to leverage the site's good name to get the third-party content to rank higher in search results. In these instances, readers may be duped into reading a low-quality article from what seems to be a trusted source of information. Google is giving a warning to websites now, and said it'll begin enforcing ranking for reputable sites on May 5.Google has long been waging a war against people who try to trick its system and profit off low-quality, ad-filled sites. These sites use Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, techniques to artificially inflate the value of their webpages and rank higher in Google search results. The goal for these actors isn't necessarily to answer the questions people are asking, but instead rake in clicks for monetization.It's led to a degradation in search, with some people lamenting the breakdown of Google results. A recent study found that Google Search results are now more likely to feature lower-quality text with aggressive SEO, monetization and affiliate marketing. Researchers warned that search results will only get worse as AI-generated spam proliferates. To work around the spam, people have, for example, been tweaking their queries with the word "reddit" after a question to help filter in more relevant human-written results.Google, which makes most of its revenue from ads placed against search results, needs to find a way to improve its process, especially as people begin looking more toward AI engines like ChatGPT to answer questions directly, instead of having to scroll through a feed of blue links.Google didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Google Updates Search to Filter Out Low-Quality Spam Sites. Google is adjusting its search engine to filter out spam-filled websites meant to game the system and land at the top of search results.