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 CSS variables, a.k.a CSS Custom Properties - why you might want to use them, why they’re better than various preprocessor’s variables, and pitfalls to watch out for and avoid. 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 3:25 - What --example-name, represent custom properties called using var() Overwrite with a more specific style Use JavaScript to append .style.setPropert( How are they scoped? Just like normal CSS Can be set on :root {} Can be set on any element down 9:10 - Why Uses: Can make more sense if used semantically var(–accent) vs var(–yellow) Independent values for things that can’t be broken up: box-shadow: 2px 2px 2px 2px red transform: rotate(var(–rotate)) scale(2); Inline properties can be picked up by regular CSS (color, size, etc.) hey Themes that can easily be changed at runtime for entire app 19:15 - Calculations You can use them inside of calc() Animations 20:10 - Bummers Not super well supported just yet (IE 11) No good fallback other than manual fallback Syntax - Old Browsers, Fallbacks and Polyfills series Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 PostCSS Custom Properties 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

3 Joulu 201825min

In this episode Wes and Scott bring you their holiday gift guide - things, ideas or experiences that would make great gifts for any developer, ranging from a few bucks to a few hundred bucks. Contentful - Sponsor Contentful is a great way to manage your data. Update once and publish everywhere. Contentful gives you a ton of flexibility and reliability and everything you need to build excellent front-end content without having to worry about the back-end of your site. Check out contentful.com/syntaxfm and get a free pair of socks! 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 3:57 - Foodie Gifts Hot Sauce Merfs Every Cholula Hot Sauce Jalapeno from Trader Joes Blue Top Creamy Buffalo Everything but the bagel Spice Loose leaf Teas from Teahaus.com Wes’ Tea Steeper Scott’s Tea Mug & Steeper Flavored Salts (No link, just go find them) Savory Spice Shop Rainbeers - make it yourself Beer Making Kit Umai Dry Steak Aging and Charcuterie Bags 11:27 - Experiences Knife Skills Class Butchering Class Cooking Class Float tank Subscription Massages 18:15 - Subscriptions Headspace Spotify HBO Go YouTube TV MeUndies Underwear Subscription Memrise LastPass Magazines Mantry Crates Kids Crates 23:07 - Books / Audible BadBlood Beat the bank - for Canadians Only American Kingpin Rich Dad / Poor Dad Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground Anything You Want Essentialism The E-Myth Revisited 29:47 - Clothes Uniqlo Jeans - w/ elastic Carhart Beanie (TOQUE) Naked and Famous Raw Selvedge Denim Jeans Skinny Guy Weird Guy Nudie Raw Selvedge Denim “thin Finn” “Unbranded” Raw Denim Custom Leather Belt TNF Fanorak Windbreaker Hoodies Adidas Black-on-black NMD crewneck Champion Hoodie Sneakers Nike Airmax 270 Jordans DonTrip RayBans with mirrors Original Wayfarer Sunglasses Under Armour Boxer Jock Underwear Reebok Boxer Brief Underwear dvlpr.io Merch 39:08 - Gadgets Mechanical Keyboards CTRL Keyboard WASD Keyboard Code Keyboard Ergodox 10W qi Wireless Fast Charger Charging Pad USB C Gadgets 8-in-1 USB Type-C Hub with HDMI USB C Hub LaCie Rugged USB-C Hard Drive Koomus Car CD Slot Magnet Mount for your phone Anker Portable Battery Extra Long Braided Phone Cables Lighting Micro USB USB-c Anker USB Power Block 4 ports with Fast Charge 6 ports with Fast Charge Wifi Hotspot SkyRoam Solis Magnet Breakway USB-C Cable that handles 87w Tello Programable drone High end mini screwdrivers MaxCraft 7-in-1 iFixIt 64 bit set 48:00 - Smart Home Google Home Ring Doorbel Nest Doorbell Ring Floodlight Security Camera EcoBee WeMo Plugs TP Link Smart Plug Leviton Smart Wifi Dimmers LIFX Bulbs Sonoff $5 wifi Switch 54:40 - Grooming and Wellness Seki clippers CBD balm A nice comb Burts Bees Lip Balm in a tin 58:57 - High End Apple AirPods Bose QC 35 Wireless Headphones Samsung QLED TV - very high end Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level 1 Typescript Course Wes’ updated course platform 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 Marras 20181h 5min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about installing dependencies vs rolling your own - the advantages and disadvantages, and how to know when to do either. 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 2:15 - Reasons To roll your own Learning Experience Fun Features Add your own features Lightweight - only use what you need 8:08 - Reasons not to roll your own Battle Tested Actually Tested Time Money Experience 11:27 - Fork Something needs extra features Upstream your changes 13:10 - Some Examples Fetch + function vs Axios Date functions vs Stack Overflow copy/paste Lodash vs your own - try it with map/reduce/filter first, but lots of cases need Lodash Links React PowerPlug Lodash Axios Stack Overflow 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

26 Marras 201819min

It’s another potluck episode in which Wes and Scott answer your questions! This month - raising your rates, full stack designers, JWT, VS Code tips, and more. 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. React in Action - Sponsor React in Action by Mark Thomas from Manning Publications is a great way to learn React. It’s a clearly written, example-rich book, introducing front-end developers to the React framework and related tools. Not everyone likes learning from a video. If that’s you, React In Action is a great book that covers everything you need to know. Also be sure to check out this page for 40% off all manning books and videos. Show Notes 2:29 I listened to your episode on Freelancing and I was wondering how to justify an increase in my hourly rate. You mentioned that you just increased it to $100/hr and nobody griped, but I seem to have a steady stream of clients who want things for free or nearly free and I usually have that fear that if I charge them more, then I won’t get the business. Thoughts? 6:55 I’ve started a YouTube web development channel. Recently, I was approached to produce content for money for another website. For some reason, I immediately thought I might be taken advantage of (I’m pretty new and it’s odd to be offered something like this so quickly, no?) if accepting. What do you think? Should I create content for a (small) website that I never heard of or continue with YouTube (or both)? 14:00 I’ve read on Twitter that React.Context can be a good replacement for Redux. Why? 18:40 What’s it like running a podcast?! 24:03 I’ve seen a rise in the term “full-stack designer”. Is this a title you think will become a real thing? Someone capable of overseeing a project from concept to prototype? Thanks! 27:36 What has been the most awkward situation you’ve been in as a dev? 31:20 Do you have any good resources on JWT? I’m unclear when my front end needs to send what to my back end, to ensure my sites and only my sites can get the data requested from my server. Thanks for everything you do! 35:34 How do you move selected text horizontally (or vertically) in VSCode? I’ve seen it in Wes’ videos and I tried to ask him on Twitter, but I’m sure that is a chore to keep up with. I’ve googled a ton, but the only thing I found was an extension that adjusts indentation, which is not really what I’m after. 38:57 How do you recommend providing feedback on “bad” code to a developer more experienced than you, without coming off as an uppity, know-it-all junior who just read a bunch of textbooks?? 42:39 How do you set up an IP whitelist? I am just getting started managing databases and I am using Mongo Atlas. They require an IP whitelist for all connections. Developing from my computer is fine because I can just add my IP to the whitelist, but what do I do if I actually want to make my API or website public? Just whitelist everything? That sounds like a terrible idea… Links useReducer Full Stack Radio Ep 98: Ryan Chenkie - Securing Single Page Applications ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Jelle’s Marble Runs Wes 1: Good Quality Baking Sheet Pans Wes 2: Pre-cut Parchment Paper Sheets Shameless Plugs Scott’s Pro Gatsby 2 Course Wes’ Advanced React Course - use the code SYNTAX for $10 off 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 Marras 201852min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about how to be well liked at work - dealing with difficult co-workers, being a better co-worker yourself, and general tips for improving your people skills. 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 5:01 - Foster a culture of asking “why” and “how” 7:58 - Show your own mistakes 9:26 - Be understanding of people’s life situations and accommodate them accordingly 11:36 - Be okay with people taking your time 13:10 - Don’t take up other people’s time 15:40 - Be nice 15:57 - Share things 16:50 - Respect personal space 18:08 - Respect people’s time Links Adam Grant - Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success 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

19 Marras 201824min

In this episode Wes and Scott discuss React Hooks - what they are, why you might want to use them, their differences with regular classes, and more. 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. 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 2:30 Function components 4:50 What are React hooks? 8:12 What problem does this solve? 12:00 State hooks 21:50 Context hooks 26:02 Effect hooks 36:46 Reducer hooks 40:40 Ref Hooks 48:00 Libraries already using React hooks Rehooks → Listing of hook libraries React Spring React Measure Formik Immer 50:30 Resources Dan Abramov’s Talk Harry Wolf Use Hooks Newsletter Awesome React Hooks ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Bad Blood Wes 1: Swindled Podcast Wes 2: Scrub Brush Drill Shameless Plugs Scott’s Pro Gatsby 2 Course Wes’ Advanced React Course - use the code SYNTAX for $10 off 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 Marras 201859min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about stickers and break down Wes’ entire process for creating and selling his sticker packs. Check out Bos.af for more info. 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 6:08 Design 9:23 Printing 16:08 Types of Stickers 19:34 Selling 21:43 Envelopes, stamps and shipping 30:47 Returns 32:42 The future Links Bos.af Patrick DePuydt Alibaba Sticker Mule Shipstation 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

12 Marras 201835min

This week Scott and Wes are live at JAMstack_conf with games, Spicy JAM Tips, Q&As and more. Netlify — Sponsor Netlify is the best way to deploy and host a front-end website. All the features developers need right out of the box: Global CDN, Continuous Deployment, one click HTTPS and more. Hit up netlify.com/syntaxfor more info. Show Notes 7:14 - Spicy JAM Tips Set default headers in your request library - this way it comes along for the ride on every request Don’t get hung up on “static” - static sites can be as dynamic as needed Don’t wait to use new tech - progressively enhance and gracefully degrade where needed There are many JAMStack libraries in the sea - there are many different approaches so don’t be afraid to experiment Side projects are key to learning - test out new tech on smaller projects first and get comfortable with it 10:10 - This, That or Both? Evo RX - High end Carbon Fibre Road Bike or Library for composing asynchronous and event-based operations in JavaScript? Jumpsuit - A rap/rock group from Flint Michigan or a minimal React/Redux Framework? Aphrodite - React Styling Library or Best Selling Erotic novel? Yugo - A minimal static site generator built in O-CAML or a super mini hatchback built in the former Yugoslavia? C-Control - A modern state management library for web components or studio headphone mixer? Yakbak - A recordable HTTP testing interface or a popular 90’s electronic toy? Joose - A hip east coast juice bar or a metaobject system for JavaScript? Easy Rooter - A client side object oriented router written in modern Vanilla JavaScript or a drain cleaning plumbing apparatus popular among local plumbers? Aqueduct - A server-rendered ORM and oAuth 2.0 based framework built in Dart or a early 2000’s pop group hailing from Venice Beach? Gort - A 1980’s animated series cartoon villain or a CLI Toolkit for RobotOps written in Go? Raptorize - A jQuery plugin that plays a Velociraptor screech or A popular DIY spray on truck bed liner? 21:13 - Stumped! Question 1: What does “age” console.log to and why? let age = 26; age /= 2; console.log(age); // ?? Question 2: What are all seven types in JS? Question 3: How do you pronounce “specificity”? Question 4: What is event delegation and when might you want to use it? Question 5: What is CSS @supports for? Question 6: An arrow function takes in an unlimited number of arguments - how would you capture them? Question 7: What is the difference between .slice() and .splice()? Question 8: How would you calculate the number of milliseconds since midnight of January 1, 1970? Question 9: What does “age” console.log to and why? const age = console.log(100) || 200; console.log(age); 31:26 - Overrated or Underrated? Arrow Functions Downtown scooters Using Sass inside Styled Components Website that play sound in the interface The amount of JS frameworks Soft close toilet seats GraphQL ES6 Destructuring Instapots Implicit Return CSS Houdini Service Workers and Offline Applications Modern Design Tools - Figma, FramerX, Moudlez, Sketch, Studio Decorators Optional Chaining Proposal 42:35 - Q+A with Scott and Wes Since this is your first time meeting, what was the thing that surprised you the most? If you could create any Tycoon game, what would you create? In 2018, how concerned should we be about no-JS users? How many spaces should a tab be? How important is integration testing and the decentralized ecosystem? What are your thoughts on the new React Hooks API? Are we going to have a serverless function architecture apocalypse? Are you ever going to create an online course together? How will the future look for component-based design? What’s your least favorite jam? What would be your goto headless CMS? What do you disagree on? Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level Up Pro Subscription Wes’ Advanced React Course 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 Marras 20181h 3min