5 Ionic Framework App Development Tips and Tricks

Ionic is an incredibly useful framework for building HTML5 hybrid mobile apps. It is a great starting point for creating Cordova/Phonegap mobile applications, providing common components that can be reused and adapted. Ionic provides a useful CLI (command line interface) that allows you to create, compile, run and export mobile apps with ease. It has gone beyond just a front end framework and is continuously adding new features. Even if all you need is to put together a prototype before building a native app or responsive web app, Ionic is a great choice.

There is plenty of documentation on the Ionic framework, along with plenty of guides to AngularJS (which Ionic currently requires for its JS components). Thanks to this and a simple SDK, it is easy to get a quick prototype completed. However, when learning how to develop with Ionic, there were a bunch of little things which I was still uncertain about how to approach correctly. Often the info existed somewhere but it took a bit of hunting around the web (or trialling a few solutions) to uncover.

In this article, I wanted to provide an overview of some of the most useful things I uncovered, in the hope that it helps new developers get their own apps up and running faster.

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by Charles Muzonzini via SitePoint

Make Your Website Interactive and Fun with Velocity.js (No jQuery)

Special thanks from me go to James Hibbard and the developers behind Velocity for reviewing this article. Also to users and developers who contribute and have contributed to Velocity over the years.

In this article I introduce Velocity.js, a fast and high-powered JavaScript animation engine by Julian Shapiro. By the time you go through all the demos, you'll be able to use Velocity.js to create your own animations and make your website more interactive and user-friendly. All of this without using jQuery, just vanilla JavaScript.

This is the third article in the series Beyond CSS: Dynamic DOM Animation Libraries.

Here's what I have already covered:

• Animating the DOM with Anime.js touches on how best to use animation on the web and when you could consider using a JavaScript animation library instead of CSS-only animation. It then focuses on Anime.js, a free and lightweight JavaScript animation library
• Fun Animation Effects with KUTE.js introduces you to KUTE.js, a free and feature-rich JavaScript animation library.

What You Can Animate with Velocity.js

Velocity.js is a powerful library, which puts the DOM at your fingertips! It lets you animate:

• Numeric values of CSS animatable properties, including colors
• Transforms
• SVG properties
• Scroll events, both relative to the page or to a container element inside the page
• Fade and slide animations.

In general, Velocity animates one numeric property value at a time. For instance, if you want to translate an element along both X and Y coordinates, you can't use something like translate['10px', '15px']. Rather, you should accompany the translate property with its corresponding axis, like this: translateX: '10px', translateY: '15px'. There is one feature called forcefeeding, which Velocity makes available to let you specify two values at the same time. I'm going to introduce forcefeeding later in this article.

Options

Velocity's options object gives you quite a bit of flexibility in crafting your animations.

Here's a list of the options you'll see in the demos for this article:

• Duration: how long each animation lasts. The unit of measurement for duration is milliseconds
• Easing: Velocity supports most jQuery UI easing types, CSS3 easings, i.e., "ease", "ease-in", "ease-out", and "ease-in-out", bezier curves, step easing, and even cool spring physics. You can play with this demo to see the spring physics option in action
• Loop: how many times the animation should be repeated. If you set this option to true, it will run indefinitely
• Delay: how long to wait before the start of an animation.

A full list of options, is available on Velocity's docs page.

Syntax

If you're a jQuery user, Velocity.js makes things easy for you. In fact, Velocity has the same API as jQuery. To get started:

Download Velocity, include it on your page, and replace all instances of jQuery's $.animate() with $.velocity().

Velocity.js Docs

However, you don't need jQuery to work with Velocity, and you are not going to use jQuery for the demos in this article. The syntax will be a bit different from what you would use if jQuery were included. Here's what it looks like:

[code language="js"]
Velocity(element, {property: value}, {option: optionValue});
[/code]

To chain another animation on the same element, just add another Velocity call after the previous one:

[code language="js"]
Velocity(element1, {property: value}, {option: optionValue});
Velocity(element1, {property: value}, {option: optionValue});
[/code]

To apply an animation to multiple elements at the same time, just cache all of the elements into a variable and call Velocity on that variable, no need to write your own loop. For instance:

[code language="js"]
const elements = document.querySelectorAll('<div>');
Velocity(elements, {property: value}, {option: optionValue});
[/code]

You can use px, %, rem, em, vw/vh and deg. If you don't add a unit, Velocity assumes an appropriate unit for you, usually px.

Velocity also supports operations with +, -, * and /, as well as relative math operations by adding an equal (=) sign after each operator, e.g., '+=3em'

Velocity.js Forcefeeding: Passing Initial Values

Instead of letting Velocity.js query the DOM to get an element's initial value, you can set it yourself using this syntax:

[code language="js"]
Velocity(element, {
translateX: [endValue, startValue],
backgroundColor: [endValue, easing, startValue]
}, {
//options here
});
[/code]

In this case, you pass an array of two, optionally three, items:

• The first item is a value for the final state of your animation
• The second, optional, item is an easing option applied to that specific property
• The starting state of your tween, that is, the values you explicitly set for that specific property at the beginning of the animation, is the the last item in the array.

You can read more on forcefeeding on Velocity's docs.

Taking Control of Velocity.js Animations

You can stop, pause, reverse and resume all Velocity calls on an element using this syntax:

• To stop: Velocity(elem, 'stop');
• To pause: Velocity(elem, 'pause');
• To reverse: Velocity(elem, 'reverse');
• To resume: Velocity(elem, 'resume');

Armed with these basic instructions, you can start diving into some practical examples.

Demo: Falling Ball

Start with a simple ball falling from the top of the page.

Continue reading %Make Your Website Interactive and Fun with Velocity.js (No jQuery)%

by Maria Antonietta Perna via SitePoint

Serverless Apps With Firebase Cloud Functions

25 Design Conferences That Will Blow Your Mind in 2017

The key for personal and professional growth is self-development and lifelong learning. Visiting and contributing to any relevant events, such as conferences, trainings, meet-ups, or summits, are a great way to do both.

With the user experience and user-centered design taking center stage in the technology product development recently, not only UX experts, but everyone involved in the industry should keep up with the recent advances in the field.

So here is a list of the must-visit UX & design conferences for 2017.

April

UX in the City: Oxford

• Location: Oxford, UK
• Date: April 20-21
• Cost and Tickets: 1-day ticket - £216 ($265), 2-day ticket - £420 ($516), Workshop ticket - £480 ($590), Workshop & 2-day conference ticket - £810 ($995). All prices are valid until March 10.

UX in the City are practical events for the UX community held across a number of locations in the UK. Taking place in Oxford, the event will bring design professionals and scholars from the leading UK universities to speak about UX, share practical experience, case studies and tutorials. The keynote speaker is the Head of Design Management at Capital One, Kristin Skinner.

More Info: Official website / Twitter

Generate Conference 2017

• Location: New York City, USA
• Date: April 27-28
• Cost and Tickets: $375 - Conference pass; $499 - Workshop pass; $749 - Conference + workshop ticket.

A must-visit event for web designers, Generate Conference takes place across several locations including, New York (April 27-28), San Francisco (June 9), and London (September 20-22). The first event will feature 2 days, full of hands-on workshops and talks from world-class industry experts.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

May

UX Immersion: Interactions

• Location: Portland, USA
• Date: May 1-3
• Cost and Tickets: $1,975 (the offer expires on April 6).

The event is centered around new techniques and methods of interaction design. Featured talks will include such subjects as, enterprise design for small screens, guidelines for creating animations, Design Thinking, Lean UX, and Mapping Experiences.

More Info: Official website

HOW Design Live

• Location: Chicago, USA
• Date: May 2-6
• Cost and Tickets: $895 (1-day pass) - $1,925 (Big pass). The prices are valid till March 21. Special offers available for groups and students.

The HOW Design Live conference is one of the largest annual events aimed at creative professionals. Every year, it gathers about 4,000 design, business and technology professionals from all over the world to share experiences, improve their skills and preview new tools presented at the venue. With over 80 sessions, 13 keynote speakers, and numerous workshops and master classes, the event provides endless opportunities to foster your creativity, improve professional skills, explore new tools and products, and create connections.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

UX London

• Location: London, UK
• Date: May 24-26
• Cost and Tickets: £425 ($522) for a one-day ticket (standard price expires on April 3), £1,125 ($1,383) for a three-day pass.

This three-day conference will focus on digital product design, the basics of service design, explore the emerging trends in design and UX, and investigate new platforms and modes of interaction. The main speakers include design experts from Google, Capital One, Uber and Nike, as well as a number of independent professionals and authors.

More Info: Official website / Twitter

TYPO Berlin 2017

• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Date: May 25-27
• Cost and Tickets: € 649 ($689)

The biggest and most successful design event in Europe. The 3-day conference covers a wide variety of topics including, typography, graphic design, digital media, technology, culture, entertainment and business. This year’s TYPO Berlin will host over 60 presentations, various workshops, interviews, and discussions from more than 60 speakers.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

June

Los Angeles Awwwards Conference

• Location: Los Angeles, USA
• Date: June 1-2
• Cost and Tickets: $475 – $550

Held by Awwwards is a Digital Thinkers Conference and a go-to resource of web design inspiration. The conference will focus on a number of hot topics: UX/UI Design, Virtual Reality, Semiotics & Wearables. The event will feature 20 inspirational talks by the leading industry influencers; including, the Founder of Behance, Matias Corea, UX Lead for WebVR at Google, Josh Carpenter, and a former UX Designer at YouTube, Google and Digg, Marc Hemeon.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

UXPA 2017 International Conference

• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Date: June 6-8
• Cost and Tickets: $900-$1,900 (early bird tickets for members); $1,000-$2,000 (early bird tickets for non-members). Special offers for students and single day tickets available,

UXPA 2017 International Conference is considered to be one of the most influential user experience annual events in the world. The event offers optional pre-conference courses as well as a three-day conference with keynote talks by the industry experts from Microsoft, Facebook, and IBM.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

Enterprise UX 2017

• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Date: June 7-9
• Cost and Tickets: Conference only - $1,595 (early bird pricing - $1,395), Conference + Workshops - $2,290 · (early bird pricing - $1,990). The early bird offer expires March 12.

Rather than covering basic UX topics, the conference deals with the problem of designing high-scale, complex user experiences for large organizations. Providing inspiration and success stories from companies like Hewlett-Packard, Pacific Gas & Electric, and SAP. The event will be useful for mid- and senior-level UX practitioners.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

99U Conference

• Location: New York City, USA
• Date: June 7-9
• Cost and Tickets: $999 - $2,999 (Patron Ticket).

The 99U Conference is an annual event featuring inspirational talks and workshop sessions by the industry leaders and design practitioners. This year, the conference will host a number of international speakers, including, design experts from Instagram, Airbnb, and Adobe.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

UX STRAT Europe

• Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Date: June 15-16
• Cost and Tickets: €795 ($840)

UX STRAT is a series of events focusing on UX, CX, and Product & Service Design. Taking place in Europe (Amsterdam, June 15-16) as well as in the USA (Boulder,CO, September 18-20), the conference gathers industry leaders and design practitioners sharing their experience and real-life cases on how to innovate, conduct design research, analyze complex data, structure teams, and sell ideas and visions to executives.

More Info: Official website / Twitter

July

Inspirefest 2017

• Location: Dublin, Ireland
• Date: July 6-8
• Cost and Tickets: Early Bird tickets - €295 ($311), Regular - €395 ($417). Group and academic offers available.

Inspirefest is an international event dedicated to technology, science, design and the arts. The conference features a number of inspirational talks and discussions from the leading experts in science, tech and innovation, including representatives from, Nokia, Mashable, and Intercom.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

International Conference of eXperience Design 2017

• Location: Beijing, China
• Date: July 12-16
• Cost and Tickets: ¥ 3,500 (about $30) - ¥20,000 (about $175). Special offers are available before March 31.

The conference, hosted by IXDC, is one of the world’s most influential events in the field of UX and design. It is dedicated to the subjects of user experience, design strategies and their role in the business. With over 5,000 participants, 13 keynote speeches, 37 summits and 96 workshops held by some of the most prominent industry influencers, the conference is definitely a must-visit.

More Info: Official website

Design & Content Conference 2017

• Location: Vancouver, Canada
• Date: July 17-19
• Cost and Tickets: Early bird offer - $795 - $1195 (expires on March 31); Standard price - $895 - $1295 (expires on June 24); Late - $995 - $1445 (expires on July 17).

The conference brings together design professionals and content strategists in order to, “shape the future of the web”. Featuring some outstanding speakers from Facebook, Microsoft, Buzzfeed, and the New York Times, the event will offer a day full of workshops, two days of talks and multiple additional activities to facilitate networking between the attendees.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

August

UX Week 2017

• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Date: August 29 - September 1
• Cost and Tickets: Early Bird Price - $2,395 (expires on March 31), Regular price - $2,795.

The event is organized by the service design experts from Adaptive Path: a part of Capital One. This year, the UX Week conference will welcome design professionals from all over the world for the 15th time. The full agenda is still to be announced.

More Info: Official website / Twitter

UX Australia 2017

• Location: Sydney, Australia
• Date: August, 8-11
• Cost and Tickets: $600 (workshops) - $800 (main conference). The prices are valid until June 30 (limited number of tickets).

UX Australia is a 4-day conference: 2 days of hands-on workshops and 2 days of presentations and case studies, focused on user experience design. The agenda and speakers are still to be announced, as the organizers are accepting presentation proposals until 17 March.

More Info: Official website / FB / Twitter

Continue reading %25 Design Conferences That Will Blow Your Mind in 2017%

by Valeriia Timokhina via SitePoint

Not Not Creative

Brutalist One Pager for the upcoming 'Not Not Creative' event to be held in Portland later this month.

by Rob Hope via One Page Love

Building a Python Code Review Scheduler: Sending Review Requests

Essentials by Grooow

Smart long-scrolling Landing Page promoting the 'Essentials' template pack for Cornerstone page builder. The Single Page website is build using Cornerstone of course;) Lovely little touch with the animation within the Pro tier of the pricing table.

by Rob Hope via One Page Love