June 2022 - Web and Mobile App Development | Custom Application Development Company

How To Use Flexbox In Web Projects

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Jay

Flexbox is a powerful CSS feature that allows you to easily and efficiently manage the layout of your website. It makes it easy to create responsive designs, or even integrate dynamic resizing if you want. Flexbox is one of the most powerful CSS features for layout. It makes it easy to align elements, resize them appropriately and adapt to different screen sizes.

Why FlexBox

Flexible boxes, or Flexbox, is a new layout mode in CSS3.The Flexible Box Layout Module, makes it easier to design flexible responsive layout structure without using float or positioning. Use of Flexbox ensures that elements behave predictably when the page layout must accommodate different screen sizes and different display devices

It allows you to control the layout in a parent container. It offers some useful settings, which allow you to control the alignment of the items and to distribute the extra space. Flexbox is one-dimensional. That means it lays out its items in one dimension – either horizontally or vertically.

Benefits of CSS3 FlexBox

For many applications, the flexible box model provides an improvement over the block model in that it does not use floats
A “new” way of looking at responsive layouts
Makes “mobile first” layouts a breeze
page content can be laid out in any direction (to the left, to the right, downwards or even upwards)
bits of content can have their visual order reversed or rearranged
items can “flex” their sizes to respond to the available space and can be aligned
with respect to their container or each other
offer space distribution between items in an interface and powerful alignment capabilities

Basic Components and Terminologies

The CSS Flexbox specification describes a layout with items (flex-items) inside a container (flex-container). These items can grow or shrink in width and/or height, according to the available container space. The items “flex” to fit the parent container in the best possible way.

A flex container is declared by setting the display property of an element to either flex (rendered as a block) or inline-flex (rendered as inline). Inside a flex container there is one or more flex items.

Everything outside a flex container and inside a flex items is rendered as usual.

Flex items are positioned inside a flex container along a flex line.To make an element a flex-container, set its display property to flex.

Display: flex

Example

HTML code

Result

Flex Direction Property

You can control the flow direction of flex items by defining flex-direction. This is done on the container level, not the item level.

row (default, horizontal, from left to right)
row-reverse (horizontal, from right to left)
column (vertical, from top to bottom)
column-reverse (vertical, from bottom to up)

When we did not specify flex-direction, it used the default value, which is row. For horizontal placement, but from the other direction, you can use row-reverse. For vertical, you can use either column or column-reverse.

Example (Row-reverse)

Result

Example (Column)

Result

Example (Column-Reverse)

Result

Justify content (Horizontal Alignment property)

The justify-content property can be used not only for aligning items, but also for spreading items evenly across all the available space on the main axis.

The possible values are as follows:

Flex-start – Default value. Items are positioned at the beginning of the container

Flex-end – Items are positioned at the end of the container center – Items are positioned at the center of the container

Space-between – Items are positioned with space between the lines

Space-around – Items are positioned with space before, between, and after the lines

Example (Flex-end)

Result

Example (Flex-center)

Result

Example (space-between)

Result

Align Items Property (Vertical Alignment)

The align-items property vertically aligns the flexible container’s items when the items do not use all available space on the cross-axis

The possible values are as follows:

Stretch – Default value. Items are stretched to fit the container

Flex-start – Items are positioned at the top of the container

Flex-end – Items are positioned at the bottom of the container

Center – Items are positioned at the center of the container (vertically)

Baseline – Items are positioned at the baseline of the container

Example (stretch)

Result

Example(Flex-start)

Result

Example(Flex-end)

Result

Example (center)

Result

Flex-wrap property

The flex-wrap property specifies whether the flex items should wrap or not, if there is not enough room for them on one flex line

The possible values are as follows:

No wrap – Default value. The flexible items will not wrap wrap – The flexible items will wrap if necessary

Wrap-reverse – The flexible items will wrap, if necessary, in reverse order

Example (no wrap)

Result

Example (wrap)

Result

Flex item properties-Ordering

The order property specifies the order of a flexible item relative to the rest of the flexible items inside the same container

Example (ordering)

Result

Flex item Properties-Margin

Setting margin: auto; will absorb extra space it can be used to push flex items into different positions.

Example

Result

Setting margin: auto; will make the item perfectly centered in both axis

Result

Flex item property- Flex

The flex property specifies the length of the flex item, relative to the rest of the flex items inside the same container

CSS3 Flexbox Properties (Summary)

Display- Specifies the type of box used for an HTML element
Flex-direction- Specifies the direction of the flexible items inside a flex container
Justify-content- Horizontally aligns the flex items when the items do not use all available space on the main-axis
Align-items- Vertically aligns the flex items when the items do not use all available space on the cross-axis
Flex-wrap- Specifies whether the flex items should wrap or not, if there is not enough room for them on one flex line
Align-content- Modifies the behavior of the flex-wrap property. It is similar to align-items, but instead of aligning flex items, it aligns flex lines
Flex-flow- A shorthand property for flex-direction and flex-wrap
Order- Specifies the order of a flexible item relative to the rest of the flex items inside the same container
Align-self- Used on flex items. Overrides the container’s align-items property
Flex- Specifies the length of a flex item, relative to the rest of the flex items inside the same container

Conclusion:

Flexbox is a powerful CSS layout method that makes responsive development easier. It’s easy to understand and use, especially once you’ve used it a few times. It’s perfect for any situation where you need to make elements more flexible, reorder elements, or create a responsive layout.

While working with Flexbox, it’s important to remember that you aren’t creating a layout from scratch. Instead, you are creating a layout from a single element. All the other elements will be resized and reordered around that central element.

If you are looking to create a responsive layout, or you have lots of content on a page, then it’s a good idea to use Flexbox. It will make your layout easier to create and it will resize as the screen size changes. For more information please consult with Andolasoft.

Why Open Source Development Services are the Best Choice

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Netrananda M

The rise of open source software has led to some important changes in the tech world. Once upon a time, if you wanted to build an app or website, you’d contract with a development agency and pay big bucks for it. Today, we have more affordable options like the cheaper and more accessible open source model.

Thanks to this shift in paradigm, businesses can now develop their websites and apps at a fraction of the cost. The demand for open source software services has grown immensely in recent years, as businesses discover how much money they can save by using them instead of contracting third-party vendors to build their sites and apps from scratch.

Why should your business take advantage of these services?

Because they offer numerous benefits over traditional contracting agencies — including reduced costs, accelerated timelines, improved ROI, and Intuitive processes.

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What is Open Source?

The term open source refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. Unlike proprietary software, open source software is computer software that is developed as a public, open collaboration and made freely available to the public.

History of open source software?

Company Size

Region

Top support challenges — (Source – openlogic.com)

Types of Open-source Projects

There are 5 categories of open-source projects:

Solo
Monarchist
Community
Corporate
Foundation

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Things to Consider When Using Open Source

While planning to use an open-source project, it’s vital to assess the project’s health. Here are some common things to look for:

The quantity of contributors this project has;
Strength of technical support;
The frequency of updates (check to see if minor bugs are being fixed every week);
Whether it has proper processes documented;
Type of license applied, and if that works for your purposes.

Advantages of open source software?

Open source software is free.
Open source is flexible;
Open source is stable
Open source fosters ingenuity
Open source comes with a built-in community.
Open source provides great learning opportunities.

Disadvantages of open source software?

Open source can be harder to use and adopt due to difficulty setting it up and the lack of friendly user interfaces.
Open source can pose compatibility issues.
Open source software can pose liability issues.
Open source can incur unexpected costs in training users, importing data, and setting up required hardware.

Benefits of Open Source Software Development

1. Fast and cost-effective

If there’s one thing your business needs, its speed. Open source software development is fast. Since the code is already written, you don’t have to wait months while it’s being developed.

You can also benefit from lower costs because you don’t have to pay for the initial code creation, as you would with a development agency.

2. Build a better ROI

It’s important that you consider your Return on Investment (ROI) when choosing the right development model. With open source development, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best ROI possible.

With this model, the code is already written — so you don’t have to pay for it. You also have the option to contribute to the code base that you’re using, which can help you save even more money.

3. Flexibility while retaining ownership

Another advantage of open source software development is the fact that you can modify the code however you want while retaining ownership. If you contract with a development agency, you’re paying them to create the code. If you want to make any changes, you’ll have to pay them again.

With open source, though, you can modify the code to suit your needs and you won’t have to pay extra for it. There’s no extra cost with open source. Instead, you can repurpose the code and make it your own — while still retaining ownership. This gives you flexibility while also reducing your costs.

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4. Open source platforms are flexible by design

Open source development is flexible by design. The moment you start using it, you can customize the code to suit your needs.

When you use open source, you can modify the code and make it your own. This flexibility allows you to make changes at any time without incurring any additional costs. It also gives you the ability to repurpose the code and use it for different websites or apps.

5. Discovering the right platform is easy

Another big advantage of open source development is that it’s easy to find the right platform. The benefits of open source are many, but one of the most important ones is that there are a wide range of options to choose from.

6. Open source is the future

The rise of open source development has also led to the rise of open source talent. There are numerous skilled professionals who offer open source services on freelance websites like Upwork, allowing you to find the right developer for your project.

With open source development, the code is already written — so you can start using it immediately. You won’t have to wait for a single line of code to be written or for a developer to build it. Instead, you can use the per-existing code and get to work immediately.

I’ve worked with the team at Andolasoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

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Conclusion

Open source software allows you to develop websites and apps quickly, cost-effectively, and in a flexible manner. You don’t have to wait for code to be written or for developers to build it. You can use pre-existing code and get started immediately. You also don’t have to pay for the initial creation of the code, as you would with a traditional contracting model.

Open source development is the future of software development, and will continue to grow in popularity in the years to come. By making your project as an open-source one, you’ll definitely increase the quality of your code, and build valuable software.

If you looking any help on Open Source development or need a consultation, feel free to reach us out. We have expertise in all open source technologies like Angular JS, Node JS, ReactJS, VueJS, Ruby on Rails, PHP, CakePHP, WordPress, Laravel, and many more and can explain you how to open source a project and support during the whole process.

Way to Using Closures in PHP With Code Examples

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Jay

Closure is an anonymous function (a function without name. Ex- function (){}) assigned to a variable. When using closure one can use the variable from the immediate parent scope or the variable declared inside the global scope.

It’s essentially employed in coding to reduce the verbosity when writing functions that accept other functions as arguments.

Reducing the size of your code with ‘Closure’ will allow your PHP scripts to load faster and take up less disk space. You may also find that coding in Closure results in programs that are easier to understand and debug. Closure anonymous function makes it possible by reducing complexity, which can be challenging when dealing with dynamic languages like PHP.

Using functions closure in PHP can help to make code more succinct, expressive, and safer.

What are the Uses of Closure?

Closures are small use-once functions which are useful as parameters for callback functions like array_walk, array_map, etc.
Using closure functions in PHP can help to make code more succinct, expressive, and safer.
Closures can access private data of an object.
Closures can be used in Lazy loading

There are several ways to implement closures in PHP.

The above statement can be executed with the use language construct inside the function.

Syntax:

[code language=”css”]
function() use ($variable) { /* code to be executed */ }
[/code]

What is a Closure?

A Closure is a function that can call itself, even when it has finished executing. In other words, Closure is a function that can access variables outside its own scope. This is made possible through a process in which the function remembers and “closes over” its surrounding variables, even after it has finished executing.

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When a function is said to be “closed over” a certain set of variables, what this means is that those variables are in fact “closed” and are no longer in their original scope, but instead exist in the new scope of the function that captured them.

A closure is a function that captures its non-global variables (known as “free variables”) from the execution environment in which it was created. The closure remembers and can use those variables as if it were still executing in that environment. This is a very powerful feature that can greatly increase the expressive power of a programming language.

How to Pass a Variable inside the Closure:

There are two ways to pass a variable inside the closure.

Pass by value.
Pass by reference.

Pass By Value:

By passing a variable by value we cannot overwrite the value inside the closure scope.

Example:

[code language=”css”]
<?php
$value  = ‘this is a car’;

function myFunc()
{
$value = ‘this is a bus’;
$func  = function() use ($value)
{
echo $value;
};
$func();
}

myFunc();// this will print this is a bus.
?>
[/code]

If we overwrite a value inside the closure scope it can’t be resigned because the variable is passed by its value.

Example:

[code language=”css”]
<?php
$value  = ‘this is a car’;

function myFunc()
{
$value = ‘this is a bus’;
$func  = function() use ($value)
{
$value = ‘I have a bus’;

};
$func();
echo $value; // prints this is a bus!
}
myFunc();
?>
[/code]

To overcome such situations one can pass the variable by reference.

Pass By Reference:

By passing a variable by reference, the variable can be overwritten inside the closure scope.

Example:

[code language=”css”]
<?php
$value  = ‘this is a car’;

function myFunc()
{
$value = ‘this is a bus’;
$func  = function() use (&amp;$value)
{
$value = ‘I have a bus’;

};
$func();
echo $value; // prints I have a bus!
}
myFunc();
?>
[/code]

What is the Difference Between an Anonymous Function and Closure?

An anonymous function or lambda function, and closure are both the instances of Closure class but there is a subtle difference between them. The difference between an anonymous function and closure is that a closure can access a variable outside of its scope by using the keyword.

Advantages of Closure:

The simple advantages of using closure is that when the outer function executes all of its variables still remain in memory until the function completed its execution but in case of closures, the variables declared inside will be released as soon as the closure completed its execution.

Disadvantages of Closure:

As long as closures are active, this memory cannot be garbage collected. Therefore, closures can lead to memory leaks if not used well.

Conclusion

One of the most important aspects of programming is the ability to abstract your code, making it more general and reusable.

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Closures make it possible to write more concise and expressive code, which can help make your code more reusable.

Closures are a powerful tool that can make your code more expressive and easier to read, especially when you have nested functions or lots of logic. This can make it difficult to read and follow the code in certain scenarios.

Closures are a very useful programming tool, but they can also be powerful enough to be dangerous if not used correctly. If you’re not sure how to use them, then please contact us to get clarification or if you just want to make sure you’re using them the right way, then make sure you cross check them before continuing.

Seasoned web developers at Andolasoft leverage PHP programming language using coding best practices that results in creating highly-functional and intuitive web apps for our global customer base.