Unlock the Power of Responsive Design with Fresnel
In today’s digital landscape, providing an exceptional user experience (UX) is crucial for any web application. With the majority of users accessing websites through mobile devices, tablets, and desktops, responsive design has become a must-have in modern web development. In this article, we’ll explore the Fresnel package, a game-changer in responsive design for server-side rendering (SSR).
What are CSS Media Queries?
Media queries allow developers to define different styling rules for various viewport sizes. Traditionally, we create HTML elements and then use CSS to describe how they’ll behave on different screen widths via media queries. For instance, we can change the background color of a square element when the viewport width reaches 480px.
Introducing Fresnel
Fresnel revolutionizes the traditional media query approach by transferring its breakpoint logic to the React ecosystem. This open-source npm project, created by Artsy, is easy to use and trusted by developers worldwide. Fresnel’s API enables us to use MediaContextProvider and Media components to build a solid foundation for responsive web applications.
How Does Fresnel Differ from Conditional Rendering?
While conditional rendering works fine for client-side rendering, it falls short when implementing server-side rendering (SSR) solutions. Fresnel shines by rendering all breakpoints on the server, allowing us to properly render HTML/CSS before React has booted. This significantly improves the UX for users.
Building a Responsive App with React and Fresnel
Let’s create a color card application that switches its layout for mobile and desktop views. We’ll use Fresnel to render the breakpoints on the server, ensuring a seamless UX.
Initializing the React App
We’ll start by creating a new project folder and initializing a new React project using npm init -y. Next, we’ll install the necessary dependencies, including Express for the backend and Fresnel for responsive design.
Modeling Data in React
We’ll separate the data from the app logic by creating a data folder with a colors.jsx file containing an array of color names.
Creating Breakpoints
We’ll define specific breakpoints using the createMedia function and export mediaStyle, which we’ll inject into the server-side.
Creating Components
We’ll create four separate files for the DesktopComponent and MobileComponent, along with their respective CSS files. We’ll use grid templates to define the columns and rows for the desktop view and a single-column layout for the mobile view.
Implementing Frontend with Fresnel
We’ll create an App component that will render the components based on the viewport size. We’ll use Media and MediaContextProvider to control which components should be displayed on which viewports.
Setting Up the Backend
We’ll create a server folder with an index.jsx file, using Express to provide the functionality for server-side rendering. We’ll generate HTML on the server and send the markup as a response.
Configuring Builds
We’ll use esbuild to bundle our files for SSR. We’ll set up scripts in package.json to run the build commands for both the frontend and server files.
Testing the React App
Finally, we’ll run the app using npm start and test it in the browser. We’ll see how the responsive design works seamlessly across different viewport sizes.
Takeaway
In this article, we’ve explored the power of Fresnel in responsive design for server-side rendering. By rendering media breakpoints on the server, we can provide an exceptional UX for users. Next time you need to build a responsive React app, remember Fresnel as your secret weapon.