In this workshop we will transform a typical server-depending web app into a nice and fluffy app which can be run on disconnected devices. The project will be a simple shopping list app. Items can be added or removed.
The talk gives only a brief overview about PostCSS in general and the most interesting plugins. The cssnext plugin seems to be an interesting alternative for LESS or SASS. After the talk we considered to apply this tool in an internal project to check out the usability. We do not bring it into our main projects because we are not sure about the stability and the community support. Will the PostCSS project be still alive in some years?
Due to the fact that webpack is a very complex subject I will split my posts in 3 parts which will be posted every 2 weeks. Today we're starting with a little theory.
What is webpack?
In short, webpack is a JavaScript module bundler and its main purpose is reducing the initial load of your website. It combines the idea of building your assets and bundling them into one by analyzing the dependencies of the configured entry point. By having the opportunity to use synchronous and asynchronous dependencies, webpack is able to split the code into chunks to create contextual bundles.
The short lightning talk intruduces the fundamentals of so called Progressive Web Apps. These kind of web apps are simple web pages with special characteristics. A real Progressive Web App loads fast and is even accessible on lost connectivity. It feels like a native app.
Generally Progressive Web Apps only work on Android devices because they are an invention from Google. But with some tricks it will be possible to get nearly the same behaviour on an iOS device. You don't know what Progressive Web Apps are? You can learn the fundamentals in this Lightning Talk.