Using CSS to Deal with Widows
In typography, a 'widow' is the last line of a paragraph, which falls alone on the following page or column. On the web, this can be easily tackled with CSS.
Articles
Development, page 13 of 19
This is a very broad category within my articles which encompasses any aspect of web development, from initial design and architecture to coding, testing, and deployment.
Below you will find a subset of articles from my blog specifically about Development. This is an area that I have worked with for many years, and have managed to write about quite a few times. There are three hundred thirty‑two collected together for you below.
Using CSS to Deal with Widows. 
Use Greater‑Than and Less‑Than Symbols in JSX. Use Greater‑Than and Less‑Than Symbols in JSX
Render greater‑than and less‑than symbols in JSX safely, using strings or HTML entities while avoiding parser confusion and awkward React output.
Reducing Image Brightness with CSS. Reducing Image Brightness with CSS
Reduce image brightness with CSS filters, including brightness(), animation, dark‑mode eye strain, visual treatment, and where filter effects are useful.
Commenting in JSX. Commenting in JSX
Comment in JSX without breaking React parsing, including curly‑brace block comments, why HTML comments fail, and gotchas around rendered output clearly.
GetStaticProps vs. getServerSideProps in Next.js. getStaticPropsvs.getServerSidePropsin Next.js`GetStaticProps` vs. `getServerSideProps` in Next.js explained with build‑time and request‑time data fetching, trade‑offs, and practical page examples.
Creating a Discernible Name for Icon Links. Creating a Discernible Name for Icon Links
A common issue I come across when auditing sites with Lighthouse is the "Links do not have a discernible name" error where links don't contain text.
Interpolation: Sass Variables Inside calc(). Interpolation: Sass Variables Inside
calc()One of the most common pitfalls for developers new to Sass is string interpolation: why isn't their var behaving as they expect when inside a calc() function?
Building Custom Hooks in React. Building Custom Hooks in React
Building custom hooks in React explained with reusable stateful logic, naming rules, composition examples, and why hooks share logic rather than state.
What is a Static Site Generator? What is a Static Site Generator?
Static site generation has continued to grow and grow in popularity. I try and explain what one is, and why it might be suitable to you or your project.
Static Generation vs. Server‑Side Rendering in Next.js. Static Generation vs. Server‑Side Rendering in Next.js
Compare static generation and server‑side rendering in Next.js through freshness, request‑time data, performance, SEO, operational cost, and page intent.
Redirect a Default Netlify Subdomain to Your Custom Domain. Redirect a Default Netlify Subdomain to Your Custom Domain
When you set up a custom domain in Netlify, the default `netlify.com` subdomain still returns your app, which can lead to duplicate content. It is an easy fix.
Break Out of CSS Nesting with Sass. Break Out of CSS Nesting with Sass
On the occasion that you need to break a single (or several) CSS rules out of the nested structure of your CSS, the Sass @at‑root rule is exactly what you need.
Advanced Sass: Loops. Advanced Sass: Loops
Use Sass loops more deliberately, including while, for, and each patterns, generated selectors, readable output, and where loops beat repetition.
Hiding Empty Elements with CSS. Hiding Empty Elements with CSS
Hide empty elements with the CSS :empty pseudo‑class, including strict matching rules, whitespace caveats, supported selectors, and practical UI uses.
Disabling Text Selection Highlighting with CSS. Disabling Text Selection Highlighting with CSS
User‑select makes stopping visitors from selecting items on‑page easy, and can be combined with ::selection to capture the browsers where user‑select is absent.
Prepending PHP to a Page in Gatsby. Prepending PHP to a Page in Gatsby
Need a little PHP inside a Gatsby build? This guide shows a pragmatic way to prepend server‑side code when a fully static approach is not enough.
If Not Internet Explorer Conditional HTML. If Not Internet Explorer Conditional HTML
Conditional comments were once the standard way to target Internet Explorer. This guide shows how the non‑IE pattern works and where it catches people out.
Throttling vs. Debouncing in JavaScript: Managing Event Frequency. Throttling vs. Debouncing in JavaScript: Managing Event Frequency
The differences between throttling and debouncing in JavaScript, including practical TypeScript code examples. Optimise event handling and improve performance.
