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What Say You About CSS Frameworks?
- December 12 2007
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There has been some talk recently about frameworks. Some for, some against and some on the fence. As someone who has not tried her hand at a single established framework, I have to say I am rather ambivalent about them. When I first read about the first CSS framework, my initial thoughts bordered on the negative. I was constantly arguing in my mind about the extra bloated code. Then my mind raced to the unsemantic code. And it went on and on …
When we talk about a “framework” in the context of web development, we’re basically talking about a set of tools that’s designed to help you quickly build some sort of web application. Maybe that application is a content-management system for a business. Maybe it’s an online store. Maybe it’s a social application like Flickr or del.icio.us. Whatever the application is, a good framework is designed to ease some of the burden of its development by handling common, tedious or repetitive tasks for you.
James Bennet
Then one day, after working on the umpteenth site, a thought struck me. I was being stupid. I was bored of doing the same thing over and over again. Why? As most sites I worked on, there were usually 2 interfaces. One for the customer/user, and one for the administrator. Most administration sites essentially shared common information and were usually were heavy on data entry.
So, out came the idea to start “branding” all the administration sites I was working on. Why not create a basic framework for the layout, the effects and the user experience. So I did, and I have to say, it reduced my workload considerably. It has also helped the backend programmers in my team as they came to realize they were able to position things effectively without my help as the conventions were more familiar to them – there were less complaints of “I think I screwed up the layout, it looks ok in IE, but not in Firefox”.
Ultimately, it’s up to you if you are so inclined to use frameworks. If you are able to find shared patterns at your projects which could benefit greatly from a single framework, go for it. And if you are your the author of your own framework, there is no reason it could not be semantic. Also, don’t forget to do something good with all the extra time you find on your hands.
If there’s one time where I wish I hadn’t used a sensationalist title for an article, “Please Do Not Use CSS Frameworks” would be it. It’s not that I’m completely against the use of frameworks, and I’m going to have to handle the repercussions that have resulted from titling the article in that way.
As we all know, there has been quite a bit said about CSS frameworks, the pros, the cons, the who-cares. At the end of the day, I think many people (myself included) spoke about CSS frameworks when we really meant to talk directly about a CSS framework in particular. I’m not against CSS frameworks in the general sense of the idea; I use a reset stylesheet. Many people consider that alone a CSS framework.
I apologize for the sensational title of my article, if I could change it, I would, and I’ve posted a couple more articles directly in response to that piece to clear the air regarding my stance on CSS frameworks and the associated issues that come with it:
At What Point Do Semantics Not Apply?
CClosing this Chapter on CSS Frameworks
I think my only issue (for lack of a better word) with some of the larger pre-built CSS frameworks are the grid systems. I should have named and written my article in a more appropriate manner.
I’m with you regarding the fact that it is up to the designer/developer whether or not to use CSS frameworks. I’m thrilled so many people have become involved in the ‘debate’ — it really shows maturity of Web design. I think you and I have come to much of the same conclusion about CSS frameworks, and also shared a very similar thought process. Scary at first, but when you sit down and think about it (and realize you don’t have to use something pre-built), a CSS framework can be truly helpful.