What is the purpose of extra <div> wrappers? - html

I occasionally see the following construct:
<div id="main-header-wrapper">
<div id="main-header">
<span>foo</span>
<span>bar</span>
...
</div>
</div>
There is nothing at all between main-header-wrapper and main-header. Why would one want to use the outer wrapper when there is already one level (i.e. main-header)?

There are multiple aspects that could make a difference:
Some layouts require this combination. If it is needed in your case depends on the css-rules applied. See this question for some details.
JavaScript code may read/manipulate the DOM identifing the nodes by their id

Related

BEM naming convention: am I on the right path?

I have the following piece of html code...
<div class="testimonials testimonials--scale testimonials--increase-shadow">
<div class="testimonials__image-wrapper">
<img class="testimonials__image" src="./assets/images/passion/money-box.jpg" alt="money box: for the poor">
</div>
<div class="testimonials__edge-touch">
<h2 class="headline headline--black headline--small headline--margin-bottom-large ">Fourth Created Forth Fill Moving Created Subdue Be</h2>
<div class="flex flex--align-items-center">
<img class="flex__margin-right-tiny" src="./assets/images/icon/passion_1.svg" alt="circle target">
<p class="paragraph paragraph--grey">GOAL: $2500 </p>
<img class="flex__margin-right-tiny flex__margin-left-auto icon-positioning" src="./assets/images/icon/passion_2.svg" alt="signal sign">
<p class="paragraph paragraph--grey">RAISED: $1533 </p>
</div>
<p>Read More</p>
</div>
</div>
There is 5 blocks 'testimonials, flex(display: flex), headline(for the headers), paragraph and button block'.
* is it a good code?
* what can I do for it to make it better?
It's okay for majority of cases, except of some parts like testimonials--increase-shadow and testimonials--scale.
Let's review the BEM quickly;
Block:
Referring to official documentation, Block Encapsulates a standalone entity that is meaningful on its own, in your case testimonials.
Element:
And elements are Parts of a block and have no standalone meaning, in your case testimonials__image-wrapper.
Modifier:
Flags on blocks or elements to change appearance, behavior or state, in your case headline--black.
Based on that, if you'd like to scale and add shadow to your element, you can have it defined as one variation (modifier). But what you're doing is more of an atomic approach of creating helper classes and adding it as a variation.
Reasoning:
Even though testimonials--scale can count as a modifier, but I presume, you're just adding scale to your testimonial, and that's a helper class. If you do name it like that, you'll limit yourself to only use that for the testimonial block which decreases reusability.
If you need a helper class, just name it globally like scale-up. As helper classes really do not count as modifiers. A good example of a modifier could be a heading and a heading--second where heading-second might have smaller font and different line-height and maybe different color. But simply making it heading--small-font or heading--green would only make your life harder.
Try to abstract a modifier into a more reusable class.
Fore more comprehensive read, check this out

what's the difference between block__element__element and block__element-element in BEM

For example:
<div class="menu">
<div class="menu__item">
<div class="menu__item-title">
</div>
</div>
</div>
There's some solution like menu__title.
But if menu has its own title, then how to recognize menu's title and menu item's title?
The main difference is that block__element__element is not a valid BEM selector. The markup you showed in your question is the CORRECT way of naming your elements.
Create a block
If a section of code might be reused and it doesn't depend on other
page components being implemented.
Create an element
If a section of code can't be used separately without the parent
entity (the block).
The exception is elements that must be divided into smaller parts –
subelements – in order to simplify development. In the BEM
methodology, you can't create elements of elements. In a case like
this, instead of creating an element, you need to create a service
block.
More info in the official documentation: https://en.bem.info/methodology/quick-start/#should-i-create-a-block-or-an-element
If you want to have Menu title, the markup should look something like this:
<div class="menu">
<h2 class="menu__title">..</h2>
<div class="menu__item">
<div class="menu__item-title">
</div>
</div>
</div>
BEM gets a bit tricky when you have "children" of an element. But either use the menu__item-title naming convention or rethink your element, perhaps it can be separated and reused as a Block?

Where to put semantically meaningfull blocks in twitter bootstrap skeleton?

this is my first question, so please, do not judge strictly. The essence is in follows: I imagine block structure of document as a printing press - but very remotely, of course - because press already hase content and semantic, while div's structure of document - only skeleton for it, and both mentioned subjects must be added. An object of concern to me is where I should put this semantic in document skeleton, formed with twitter bootstrap and defining structure - for example:
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12">
Content, which must be wrapped in some semantically meaningfull element - like, for example - article-preview class
</div>
</div>
</div>
I see two different ways, but dont know, what way is better practice in marking down html documents:
1) Adding semantic class to element, which already have class that forming my document structure - col-xs-12 - or press in my analogy.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12 article-preview">
'Content, which must be wrapped in some semantically meaningfull element like, for example - article-preview class'
</div>
</div>
</div>
2) Or adding brand new semanit block under structuring block and putting my content here:
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12">
<div class="article-preview">
Content, which must be wrapped in some semantically meaningfull element - like, for example - article-preview class
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
I apologize if the question seems a little stupid to you, but I thinking about it for really long time and from now on can not do anything until it is resolved.
Thank you!
I will prefer the second way. Because bootstrap cols have their own styles and structure, so if you have additional styles or codes try to do like second way.
I think we should keep the bootstrap structure.
Go with the first approach because I feel the second approach will make your code long unnecessarily.
With the first approach as well you can add your custom styles. just add your stylesheet after the bootstrap css.

How to specify state with BEM?

Using BEM CSS class syntax, lets say I have an element with the following class:
...
<div class="purchase__module2__heading__tooltip">...</div>
...
Now lets say there is an event or something where this "tooltip" becomes active or visible. What is the proper way to express this with BEM? Do I replace the current class so now it becomes:
...
<div class="purchase__module2__heading__tooltip--active">...</div>
...
or do I add it
...
<div class="purchase__module2__heading__tooltip purchase__module2__heading__tooltip--active">...</div>
...
Or can I just do something simple like this:
...
<div class="purchase__module2__heading__tooltip active">...</div>
...
I think the answer is #2, but it seems very drawn out. #3 is nice and simple but I can't tell if this follows proper BEM guidelines or not.
If you're modifying a block or element you must include the base class as well.
For example
<div class="block">
<div class="block__element">...</div>
</div>
could have the block modified as:
<div class="block block--modifier">
<div class="block__element block--modifier__element">...</div>
</div>
or the element modified as:
<div class="block">
<div class="block__element block__element--modifier">...</div>
</div>
In either case you start needing to use multiple classes.
Looking over your example of:
<div class="purchase__module2__heading__tooltip">
It's clear that you're nesting too deeply, preventing yourself from being able to reuse the majority of your code.
Given the names you're using, I'd guess that what you actually have is:
a purchase module (.purchase-module)
with a heading (.purchase-module__heading)
a tooltip (.tooltip)
The markup could look something like:
<article class="purchase-module">
<h1 class="purchase-module__heading">
...heading text...
<span class="tooltip">...</span>
</h1>
</article>
Note how making the tooltip active now just requires changing a short class:
<span class="tooltip tooltip--active">...</span>
That's the ideal with BEM.
You are right and the answer is #2.
Here's why:
https://en.bem.info/methodology/faq/#why-include-the-block-name-in-names-of-modifier-and-element
https://en.bem.info/methodology/faq/#how-do-i-make-global-modifiers-for-blocks
BTW, you shouldn't keep DOM structure in naming. And here's why: https://en.bem.info/methodology/faq/#why-does-bem-not-recommend-using-elements-within-elements-block__elem1__elem2

How to name nested elements using BEM and SMACCS

I just started out using BEM and SMACCS for my stylesheets but have run into some trouble as far as naming deeply nested elements in the DOM. Say for instance I have a div called .main-container. Nested inside the first level of the main-container is an additional div which by convention would be named .main-container__article.
<div class="main-container>
<div class="main-container__article></div>
</div>
This is where things get confusing. Inside that article div let's say I have a header followed by a paragraph that has a nested span tags. Do I continue prepending classes with main-container__article as so?
<div class="main-container>
<div class="main-container__article>
<h1 class="main-container__article__header">Heading</h1>
<p class="main-container__article__copy">
<span class="main-container__article__copy__intro-text>Example text.</span>
</p>
</div>
</div>
How far down does the rabbit hole go when it comes to naming parent/child elements? Is there a point where you reset at the second-level element and go from there?
<div class="main-container>
<div class="article>
<h1 class="article__header">Heading</h1>
<p class="article__text">
<span class="article__text__intro-text>This is example text.</span> for a paragraph
</p>
</div>
</div>
BEM naming shouldn't resemble DOM structure because otherwise you won't be able to change markup without changes in CSS.
So for your example I'd make it like this:
<div class="main-container">
<div class="article">
<h1 class="article__header">Heading</h1>
<p class="article__copy">
<span class="article__intro-text">Example text.</span>
</p>
</div>
</div>
There's also a quite powerful thing called mixes, which gives possibility to mix different BEM entities on the same DOM node:
Heading
Example text.
So now you may apply CSS to article block and main-container__article element separately which is very useful when you need to reuse article outside main-container.
.main-container__article__copy__intro-text
definitely doesn't help the readability and maintainability of your stylesheets.
I suggest to break such giant blocks into several smaller blocks. If you do this, you can reuse your styles - in your example you couldn't use the article-block somewhere else.
I would "reset" everytime you can encapsulate a block which can potentially be used in several places in your app/website.