Create your own patterns for css and layouts or use frameworks "ready to use"

HTML & CSS
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I had wanted to create my own patterns, grids, styles for buttons, panels, etc., this because often using a framework like bootstrap, foundation or other, sometimes we carry things that do not really use, adding that in many cases the customize it quite time consuming and actually ended up consuming the same time as if you did it yourself from scratch, in addition to the fact that many developers (myself included) want something quick and easy to use but we ended up paying the price and this is our site or application ends up looking like a lot of places where they did the same. I’ve been wanting to create something of their own but make it reusable for someone else and allow easy use just enough, but I always had in mind of “Why reinvent the wheel to get?”.

I would like to know the views of many about what they consider pros and cons of creating your own micro-framework or patterns to styles and layouts for their developments vs use frameworks like bootstrap or foundation and then customize them (thinking that we must always do so we do not seem all websites).

Thanks and best regards!

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Bradley, I agree with you and in fact have ‘my own’ micro-framework and also customised version of both Bootstrap and Foundation (still choosing between the two).

Ninety-nine times our of one hundred I use a custom build as I then know all of its strengths and weaknesses and if it needs amending then I fully know how it works.

I also have this tendency to want to do as much as possible in the HTML and CSS only adding JavaScript if needed, but I have a feeling this is just a personal strangeness

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quizical, I don’t know if you had this feeling but i think that when you only use any framework, the knowledge of pure css is less, this may be when you come to the web development and start with a framework.

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Bradley_Suira Yes I agree with you there

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I agree that creating a “personalized” micro-framework would be the ‘easiest’ method overall. I have thought about doing just that, especially since I am getting more involved with creating WordPress themes. Bootstrap and a couple others, have been a great help and time saver, but like you said, the time spent tweaking it can be more effort than just building your own. Keep us informed as to what you do and good luck.

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Over the last few years I have used mainly Bootstrap as base for my websites, together with a small customization extension. The main reason is the near ubiquitousness (I had to google that word :wink: ) which makes it very probable that most users have already the CDN version cached in their browser. I even wrote a blog post on this topic (shameless self-promo here: http://blog.adriansandu.com/to-framework-or-not-to-framework/).

I also agree with the fact that a beginner would do better to learn the ins and outs of CSS before diving into a framework. Once you have a solid base it’s easy to get the best out of any framework. In the end they are just tools, meant to make our work easier, even though they get abused my many people.

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I’m the same, possibly because I have limited knowledge of js, but also css is getting better and learning new tricks all the time, its potential is widening.

I have not tried using frameworks. I want to create the css myself, partly as a way of learning more and improving my skills in the process. A framework may be the quick, easy option, but may not help me in the sense of becoming more experienced at css.

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The only pattern I use is a CSS grid I created myself after extensively using the following grids: The 960 Grid System (http://960.gs/), the grid from the Skeleton boilerplate (http://getskeleton.com/#grid) and the custom CSS grid generator of the Variable Grid System (http://grids.herokuapp.com/).

This is my CSS grid: http://codepen.io/ricardozea/pen/d6ab6e0293be9b6bac2e16ad37942ed5?editors=110

As you can see, all you need to do is change the width on line 17 to anything you want, everything else will automatically fall into place.

Other than that, I don’t use any other patterns because each project has its own patterns so reusing them from other projects isn’t something that works for me.

I am not a fan of CSS frameworks. At all.

I used Bootstrap for a few months at this one job but that was because they had already been working with it, so I didn’t have any option. The experience was alright.

If you’re in a team, using a CSS framework makes a lot of sense because it levels the playing field for everyone, especially for those web designers/developers with big egos because everyone has to adhere to the same rules set by the framework.

However, if you’re building something yourself using a CSS framework is more work than necessary unless you’re putting something up fast.

Building something custom based on a CSS framework is just too much backwards engineering.

In the past I also used the 320 and Up boilerplate from Andy Clarke (http://stuffandnonsense.co.uk/projects/320andup/) [project that is no longer maintained] and although I was able to finish my project, I knew I wasn’t going to use it ever again. The sheer amount of SCSS partials was too overwhelming, editing something meant having to hunt down the partial and then the line, rather than overriding the original values with a custom rule.

My patterns are more on my workflow: I have a Sublime Text snippets for a full HTML5 page (https://gist.github.com/ricardozea/4155401) and a basic one too (https://gist.github.com/ricardozea/4155405) and a lot more.

I keep a personal list of Gists in GitHub that I reference all the time: https://gist.github.com/ricardozea. I use GistBox extension for Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gistbox/caoihfibgoiiakncomhccbflmlgjaohf?hl=en

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