Potluck — Freelancing × Leveraging your experience × Component size × Dealing with mediocrity × How to spend “extra time” × Rust vs Node × Free hosting? × More!

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about code quality tooling - how to get your code extra nice and clean, and the tools that will help you along the way. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. Show Notes 3:11 - ESLint / JSHint / Linters in general Eslint took over as a flexible solution for code style and quality Use plugins and presets to set your rules for different types of project Don’t be afraid to tweak rules, they are not the word of god 10:55 - Prettier Strictly formatting Can work with or without ESLint Provides an enforceable standard for teams Configurable Prettier for CSS, PHP, GraphQL, etc. 18:46 - VS Code Red underlines like spellcheck for code Tooltip for lint errors Fix on save vs fix on command Links ESLint JSHint Prettier Wes’ dotfiles Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

28 Tammi 201926min

In this episode Scott and Wes talk about the freelance client lifecycle—from gathering requirements, to project hand-off, and everything in between. Techmeme Ride Home Podcast From Techmeme.com, Silicon Valley’s most-read news source, The Techmeme Ride Home podcast is a short daily podcast about the day’s tech news. Mark Zuckerberg called Techmeme the one news source he definitely follows. New episodes are published every day at 5p.m. You can check out the show here, or search for “Techmeme Ride Home” in your favorite podcast player. LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session replayer and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free at https://logrocket.com/syntax. Show Notes 03:29 - Gathering Requirements Probably the most important part of the process. If you botch this, you’ll be dealing with change orders and scope-creep throughout the entire project. Poor planning is why agencies have project managers and why many freelancers hate their clients. Ask lots of questions Get lots of examples Break down each page into functionality Ask about budget Clarify who will be updating the site Do this in person if possible 17:00 - Quote Figuring out the quote Break it down into major functional areas that don’t necessarily depend on each other. Multi-staged quotes are great because if it’s too expensive, the client knows they can add additional features later in the project. Explain the tech you will use in relation to how it will help their business, or how easy it will be for them to manage. Presenting the quote List what will be included List what won’t be included Make your quote valid for two weeks Create a template that looks professional Our agency had a professional template, printed on heavy paper in an embossed folder with our logo on it. You don’t have to go this far, but experience matters. Think Apple. You can quote more if you have a higher perception of quality. 30:20 - Timelines Timelines should include hard dates. You should have a “hard on” and and “hard off”. Assume 24-hour turnaround on questions Be generous with your estimates. Under promise, over deliver. Quoting time is a huge skill 35:58 - Contract You best have one Spell out what the client is getting (from quote) At the very least, have the client sign your quote Clear communication and a good relationship is extremely important Use online templates, or have a lawyer create something specific 41:09 - Setting Expectations Don’t make yourself available 24/7 Establish a professional environment by not being too casual Your choices will set the course for your relationship Don’t be too quick to reply to email Schedule emails for 10a.m. Links Syntax 036: Hasty Treat - Freelancing Hot Tips docracy Boomerang for Gmail ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: The Great Suspender Wes: Food Busker YouTube Channel Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level 1 Styled Components Course Wes’ Courses Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

23 Tammi 201953min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about tidying up your code - why it’s important and how it can make your (dev) life better. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. Show Notes 3:24 - Removal Unneeded comments Unused CSS Unused Functions 8:06 - Organizing A system that works for you Know when to break things out into a new file, components, functions otherwise Index file works sometimes - other times it’s too much work 11:45 - Tiding Up Refactoring bad/old code Non-ironically, does this code spark joy? Unused Functions Add in comments Folding - use a code formatter CSS Links Tidying Up with Marie Kondo Better Comments VS Code Prettier ESLint Nicole Sullivan - Object Oriented CSS Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

21 Tammi 201921min

In this episode Scott and Wes talk about work life balance. These tips aren’t hard-and-fast - part of the beauty of being a web developer is that you do get to enjoy some flexibility. Work is a big part of our live and these are tips that will hopefully allow you to get the most enjoyment out of both work and life.   Sanity.io - Sponsor Sanity.io is a real-time headless CMS with a fully customizable Content Studio built in React. Get up and running by typing npm i -g @sanity/cli && sanity init in your command line. Get an awesome supercharged free developer plan on sanity.io/syntax.   Freshbooks - Sponsor Get a 30 day free trial of Freshbooks at freshbooks.com/syntax and put SYNTAX in the "How did you hear about us?" section. Show Notes 8:06 - Know when you work best The 9-5 isn’t for everyone - you know when you work best, so use that to your advantage 9:39 - Work when it’s time to work, life when it’s time to life Don’t do laundry during work time 11:08 - Make it clear to family members when you are working Wishy-washy in-between can cause tension - are you working? Can I interrupt you? Working after hours Text if you need me 14:34 - Have a defined space for work If I bring my laptop downstairs, I don’t bring a charger Clean yo nasty desk space It’s a mental shift when you sit down - “okay now I am working” 21:14 - Know how to “zone it” Headphones Music or podcasts Block all distractions Close email Pay attention to what gets you there, when it stops working, change it up 24:46 - Keep hobbies Away from screens Physical or relaxing or both 26:37 - Exercise Good for mind and body Huge gains long term and short term 27:31 - Prioritize your to-do list One reason many people over-work is that they feel they have too much to do Add items to your to-do list when they pop into your head - out of your head, into your system 31:28 - Walk away from difficult problems Your brain will chew on problems as time goes on and help you solve them Literally take a walk outside 34:04 - Meetups, conferences or tutorials Reinvigorate your hunger for coding and make you happier both at home and work Easy to get burned out from working too much (or not paying enough attention to your work) Links Wes’ Head Bob Spotify playlist Portable Text from Sanity Portable Text Forget about Gutenberg, no seriously What you need to know about block text ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott 1: Todoist Scott 2: Notion Wes: PassSource Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level Up Tutorials Pro Wes’ Courses Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

16 Tammi 201944min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about CSS Grid Level 2 - aka subgrid. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. Show Notes 3:27 - CSS Grid Level 2 and subgrid CSS subgrid will allow you to place grid-items’ children along the same lines at the parent grid 5:40 - How it works - Why do we need it? What problem do we have right now? Create your grid as normal - you can create columns, rows, named lines, etc. Your grid-item will also be display grid - this is nothing new - just regular nesting of grid The magic comes in when you want to define the rows and or columns of the sub-item. You can inherit the parent item’s grid-rows / columns by simply saying display: subgrid 11:19 - Browser support It’s about a year out Links Sentry is hiring Grid Level 2 and Subgrid by Rachel Andrew Css Grid Level 2 specs CSS Grid Level 2: Here Comes Subgrid Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

14 Tammi 201915min

It’s another potluck episode in which Wes and Scott answer your questions! This month - thoughts on frameworks for 2019, React Native, when should you start freelancing, where to start with JS, cron jobs, split testing and more! DevLifts — Sponsor DevLifts - Thad and JC are on a mission to make web developers healthy. They’re currently offering two options: The first is Fit.Start - perfect for beginners or those looking to get back at it. Use the coupon code “syntax” to get 50% off the fit.start plan. The second is DevLifts Premium - for those looking for a laser-focused approach and maximum accountability. Use the coupon code “tasty” to get 50% off the premium plan. Check it out today! Just for January their eight-week plan is back. Use the coupon code “newyear19” to get $50 off. Kyle Prinsloo’s Freelancing & Beyond — Sponsor Kyle Prinsloo teaches you everything you need to know about freelancing, including how to quit your job, earn a side-income and start taking control of your life. Check it out at https://studywebdevelopment.com/freelancing and use the coupon code “syntax” at checkout to get 25% off. Show Notes 1:40 Where is the best place to start with JS coming from WordPress? 5:36 How do you set up cron jobs? What are the best tools to use, should they run on their own server or on the application server, etc.? 17:13 What new skills, frameworks, projects are you look forward to learning in 2019? 21:35 Do you use any software for tracking analytics on your site and do you ever use this data to run split tests? If so, what is your preferred method for running split tests? 28:24 What’s your best tip for young coders to stay productive and not lose time? 32:08 I’m 17 and learning web dev. I’m pretty concerned about my skills and feeling some impostor syndrome. Is it ok to start freelancing? 37:26 What is React Native? How do people tend to use it? If you want a native and web app, do they share code? Links WordPress Gatsby Javascript30 Dead Man’s Snitch Corntab Syntax106: A Look Forward to 2019 Drip Segment.io Hotjar ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Tiding Up on Netflix Wes 1: Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level 1 Styled Components Course Wes’ Courses Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

10 Tammi 201951min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about CSS units (e.g. rems vs ems, px, ch, vmax), when and why you want to be using them, tips and tricks, and more! LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session replayer and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free over at https://logrocket.com/syntax. Show Notes 2:32 Typography with CSS units 12:04 Pixels 15:17 Viewport units 15:51 ch units 16:35 inch/cm for print 17:19 Percentages 18:10 Media queries 19:41 Flexbox (flex-grow) 20:28 CSS Grid: flexible units: 1fr 2fr Links Sentry Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

7 Tammi 201924min

In this episode Wes and Scott take a look back at 2018 as well as a look forward to what’s coming in 2019. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. CSS In Depth and In Motion - Sponsor Electron in Action from Manning Publications guides you, step-by-step, as you learn to build cross-platform desktop applications that run on Windows, OSX, and Linux. As a Syntax listener, you can get 40% off all their books and courses by visiting deals.manning.com/webdev and using the coupon code syntax40 at checkout. Show Notes 3:00 - What was hot in 2018? Tooling got easier GraphQL got easier and more accessible New GraphQL companies left and right CSS has gotten more awesome React Improvement in React Dev Tools JavaScript frameworks overall Edge adopting Chrome engine Microsoft bought Github Vue continues to impress and evolve VS Code continued to get amazing 31:29 - Predictions for 2019 Headless CMS game is going to get really real We’re gonna see rails for JavaScript start making some noise React will continue to see growth Design tools will get more code-y (Figma, etc.) VueJS will continue to see growth Developer Experience Tools will continue to get easier Wasm Code splitting easier ES6 Modules in Node Server Side Hot reloading 41:00 - Scott’s Year in Review Released 12 courses Major growth in Level Up as a platform Hired first employees to work and grow site Greatly improved quality and video production Gave first conf talks and spoke internationally 44:03 - Wes’ Year in Review Released two courses - CSS Grid and Advanced React Started work on JavaScript course Delegated lots of development to contractor Continued to work well with assistant Spoke at lots of confs Live Syntax! Grew Instagram Continued hot tips on twitter 47:00 - BIG ANNOUNCEMENT We’re both having babies! 48:09 - Wes’ Goals for 2019 Keep doing what I’m doing! New Website! JavaScript course Platform upgrades - been in the works for months - working on a faster rollout CSS course? VS Code course? More React? 8 YouTube Videos Instagram to 30k Parental Leave 52:26 - Scott’s Goals for 2019 Courses First non-Scott LUT courses (big plans / announcements here ) Parental Leave Major platform updates that are stuck in bottleneck More hires, more growth More free content More teaching from real world code Codebase to Hooks & Suspense Links Next.js Gatsby Parcel Hasura Prisma TakeShape GraphCMS Contentful WPGraphQL Apollo Github VS Code Microsoft Edge WordPress Svelte Vue.js Syntax 067: Goal Setting ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Fake or Fortune? Wes: Heavyweight Shameless Plugs Scott’s new course on design systems Wes’ Courses Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

2 Tammi 20191h