Beauty is the removal of superfluities. This statement by Michelangelo isn’t only about aesthetics. Masters of various professions have made similar statements. And the ones who didn’t often showed a similar attitude to their craft and life. Empty spaces in a painting give weight to the parts that aren’t empty. Mechanisms with fewer moving parts break less. Fewer components in software mean fewer things can go wrong.

In this article, we’ll talk about the best React Bootstrap template and themes. Both React and Bootstrap are frameworks that let you use existing functionality in your web applications. Using them is the software analogy of fewer moving parts in a mechanism. By using Bootstrap templates, you trade some versatility for speed and reliable operation. If you need components not supported by Bootstrap, you’ll want to use other solutions. But when used right, Bootstrap saves time and helps avoid potential compatibility issues. To know what templates to choose and how to use them, keep reading!

What You Need to Know About Bootstrap

We’ve written so much about React it’s hard to find an article in our blog that doesn’t have a paragraph on it. Today, we’ll pay more attention to Bootstrap. So, what is Bootstrap? In short, Bootstrap is a FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) CSS framework. It serves to develop a responsive cross-platform front-end with an emphasis on mobile platforms. It also serves as a design templates library for interface components like typography, forms, navigation, and more. Bootstrap helps front-end developers create gorgeous integration-ready interfaces that are also design-conscious. But it has other uses besides building web apps from scratch. Like integrating new design elements into your ReactJS project. Bootstrap’s ready-made kit packages help you integrate these elements into your project.

Bootstrap Pros

Integrating Bootstrap into your project has many advantages:

1. Time Efficiency

Have you ever tried coding the traditional way, using Notepad or a similar text editor? If you have, try and see the size of the files you wrote by hand. Now compare that with the weight of a complete piece of software. Now imagine how much time writing every line of code by hand will take. Bootstrap libraries have functions and components you don’t have to create from scratch. Bootstrap doesn’t need programming skills beyond the basics of HTML-CSS-JavaScript tandem. If you know basic website design, adding Bootstrap will be easy. Additionally, Bootstrap documents every component it contains.

2. Consistency

Twitter programmers Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton developed Bootstrap in 2011. Their goal was a framework that eliminated any consistency issues. If you create a project with Bootstrap, it looks the way you intend on any platform and browser. This fact helped Bootstrap become one of the top front-end frameworks on the market today.

3. Conducive to Teamwork

Bootstrap is what you would call beginner-friendly. It is easy to learn and needs minimal training. The detailed documentation that we have mentioned helps avoid any ambiguity. If a new person joins your project’s team, they’ll have no issue learning this framework and seamlessly joining the work process.

4. The Grid System

When creating a page layout, a good grid is necessary. Bootstrap is divided into 12 fluent and responsive website content columns. It allows developers to create desktop-specific elements by hiding them in the mobile version and vice-versa. And the predefined classes each component possesses also make the grid much easier and faster to understand.

5. Responsiveness

As nowadays all the initial searches are run through mobile devices, the website’s responsiveness is as important as it ever was. And guess which framework is all about creating mobile-friendly websites? That’s right – Bootstrap is. Add that to the Grid System and you’ll get a website that passes the required level of responsiveness, with little effort.

Bootstrap Cons

Of course, Bootstrap has its downsides. Let’s make a rundown of all the things about Bootstrap you’ll want to avoid.

1. It creates similar websites

Websites and interfaces built with Bootstrap usually look fine, with little that can go wrong or look out of place. But Bootstrap’s creators aimed for consistency above versatility and it shows. Creating standardized interfaces is a different task from creating recognizable website designs. Bootstrap’s consistency comes at a cost of end results looking alike. The more you use Bootstrap the more Bootstrap-y everything will look. It is possible to override and change style sheets manually but it kills a big part of why we use Bootstrap.

2. It can be heavy

We’re used to devices getting thinner and lighter. Perhaps that’s why it’s hard to wrap our heads around how heavy software has grown. Bootstrap-based projects are no exception. Using Bootstrap often causes your web app to grow too heavy for casual mobile browsing. This issue can be manually resolved, but, again, this messes with the purpose of Bootstrap.

3. Learning Curve

Bootstrap’s learning curve is less steep than, for example, Angular’s. Still, it is there, especially in the Grid and the component attribution department. A beginner usually spends quite some time studying those before using Bootstrap casually. Luckily, it’s a one-time investment. Bootstrap’s documentation covers the newer version adaptation once you’re familiar with it.

The Best Bootstrap Has to Offer

Bootstrap’s best sides are, of course, the quickness and seamlessness of web development. Especially for mobile devices. On the other hand, Bootstrap inflates the websites’ weight and makes any attempts at originality harder. Should you use Bootstrap? As is often the case, the short answer is ‘it varies’. Bootstrap has its pluses and minuses. And it’s your usage of it that determines which outweighs the other. To give you a better idea of where to start, we’ve picked eight of our favorite React Bootstrap templates. They vary in design and functions but we believe each one can be of interest. Let us dive in!

Top React Bootstrap Templates/Themes

Coming up is our list of the best React Bootstrap Templates.

1. Material Dashboard 2 React

• Link
• Live Preview
• Pro Version Price – 69$

Coming in at number one on our list is Material Dashboard 2 React by Creative Tim. As you can deduct from the name, Material Dashboard 2 React is not just a template but a fully functional Admin Dashboard with lots of cool features. Let’s give them a quick rundown:

• Google’s Material Design inspired design;
• Over 70 individual elements for your front-end: like buttons, inputs, navbars, nav tabs, cards, alerts, and many more. Each of the elements mentioned above is customizable in color;
• Example Pages to get inspired by, show to the potential clients, or get a jump-start on your development;
• Full documentation built by the developers.

So, all in all, we can describe Material Dashboard 2 React as a reliable and beautifully made Bootstrap template. If you want to lighten the process of web project creation, give it a go!

2. Argon Dashboard React

• Link
• Live Preview
• Pro Version Price – 89$

At number two, we have the Argon Dashboard React by Creative Tim. This open-source Bootstrap Dashboard contains over a hundred different components. Choose and combine them as you wish! Argon Dashboard React’s every component has plenty of color variations that you can adjust with SASS files. Many hover and focus variations are yours to experiment with.

At the same time, there are example pages and detailed documentation. There’s enough guidance for you to learn the ropes. So, despite the hundred-something components, the Argon is easy to navigate. Give it a try, and see this balance of simplicity and versatility for yourself!

3. Shards Dashboards Lite React

• Link
• Live Demo
• Price – Free

The third entry on our list is Shards Dashboard Lite React by design revision. Consider it a little treat we would like to add for all the lovers of free templates. The first good thing about Shards Dashboard Lite is that it’s free of charge, but that’s the first of many things. Shards Lite is responsive and lightning-fast. It’s built from scratch but follows all the best modern development practices. That stands true for every template within the Shards Dashboard Lite React. It has over a dozen custom components and more than a thousand and a half icons from FontAwesome and Material icon packs. If you want to start with a free React Dashboard Template and see where to go next, try Shards Dashboard Lite React. It will probably be a while before you have to upgrade.

4. Light Blue React Template

• Link
• Live Preview
• Price – $99

We take pride in the product that comes next. The Light Blue React Template is Flatlogic’s product, and it’s quite a heavy hitter. Admin dashboards are our specialty, and we spared no effort this time. The Light Blue React can cover you as an admin dashboard, a booking management system, or an app for promo deals. We paid a lot of attention to design, too. Light Blue’s visuals are unobtrusive and, well, light. If you plan to work with an interface for hours on end, you want a subtle design that you barely notice is there. Add customizable stylings, and you’ll have an idea of why you should try the Light Blue.

5. CoreUI Bootstrap Admin Template

• Link
• Live Preview
• Pro Version Price – $69 to $249

Built on Bootstrap 5 and React.js, CoreUI is a simple template to handle. CoreUI boasts mobile and cross-browser compatibility. But we can say the same about other templates on this list. Likewise, for the long-term support. What sets it apart is the dedicated support from developers. If you face issues with CoreUI, you can get qualified guidance from the people who wrote the damned thing. CoreUI is a responsive, cross-browser template with lots of features and no requirements for your design skills. Give it a try!

6. BizLand

• Link
• Live Preview
• Price – Free to $34

Now we get to sixth place on our list, which means we are about to talk about BizLand. BizLand is a Bootstrap template that is most fitting for business and corporate projects. BizLand helps manage consulting, finance, tax information, insurance, and more. It has a slick “it’s all about business” design and vibe. BizLand comes with all the features and components a good React Bootstrap template needs. But the thing that made us love BizLand was the way it works. React components improve the speed of development but often make the website slower. That’s not the case with BizLand. The interface is fast and smooth, so the user experience will be fantastic. BizLand is responsive and functional, comes with well-commented code and its file structure is easy to deal with. A definite catch of a Bootstrap template.

7. Creative

• Link
• Live Preview
• Price – Free to $29

One might nitpick and say that calling a template Creative can be ironically uncreative. Nonetheless, Creative more than deserves the seventh spot on our list, as it is stylish and quite practical. Creative contains a bunch of features. SB Forms-based working contact form and UX-friendly navigation contribute to the consistent experience. And the HTML markup and custom SASS layout make things intuitive. Creative will be a great fit for your next Bootstrap-based, especially if it is a small business or a creative agency.

8. Coming Sssoon Page

• Link
• Live Preview
• Price – Free

And now it is time to wrap up this list. But we cannot do it without mentioning the last, eighth, entry, which is Coming Sssoon Page. Let’s use your deductive abilities once again and with their help, we can come to the conclusion that this light, easy-to-use Bootstrap 3 template is going to be most fitting when it comes to a project that is going to launch in some time in the future. With the help of the Coming Sssoon Page, you can create a beautiful and engaging page of this kind that can help you establish a following even before your project actually starts its life.

How to Create your React Dashboard Template

Is this list a complete piece of guidance? Not necessarily. There’s a legion of templates out there, and we cannot give full credit to each one that deserves it. Still, we manage to try hundreds of templates and pick a few that stand out. Some do so with their dependency, others with their smooth operation. But each item on the list is a solid piece of software that does its job. But if none of them made an impression on you, we have a solution – creating your own! Don’t worry! It’s neither difficult nor time-consuming. Keep reading to know more!

You can also create your own React-based Bootstrap-looking template with the help of Flatlogic’s Full-Stack Web App Platform! Here’s how you do it:

Step #1. Choose a name for your project.

Despite perceived simplicity, this step might as well be the hardest one, as you will have to think of a name that can befit your project. And also, the other steps are even easier.

Step #2. Choose a stack for your project.

As we are creating a React-based template, we need to choose the React option for the front-end. Backend and database can be entirely of your choosing.

Step #3. Choose a design for your project.

Here, we should say, it is better to choose the Transparent variant, as it is Bootstrap-based.

Step #4. Choose a schema for your project.

That is right, you don’t even have to spend time creating a schema yourself, as there are ready-made variants for you to choose from.

Step #5. Review and generate your project.

Just assure yourself of your choices and press the «Create Project» button.

And what you will have on your hands is a brand-new beautiful React-based Bootstrap-looking template.

Conclusion

Bootstrap is a tool that you should definitely try, if you haven’t already, as you will find it greatly simplifies the not-so-easy process of web projects creation. And that’s it for today! We hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as we did. And, as always, have a nice day and feel free to read more of our articles!

Suggested articles

• Top 20+ Bootstrap Dashboard Templates to Use Absolutely Free
• 10+ Noteworthy Bootstrap Admin Themes Made With the Latest Version of Vue
• Bootstrap vs. Material-UI. Which One to Use for the Next Web App?

The post Top 8 React Bootstrap Themes for Enthusiasts and Pros appeared first on Flatlogic Blog.

Business software development is a complex and ever-evolving field, and the tools used to create software can have a major impact on the success of a project. Visual Studio is a popular software development platform, but it may not be the best option for every project. For those who are looking for alternatives to Visual Studio, there are many options available, each with its unique features and benefits.

In this article, we will give you a better understanding of the different Visual Studio alternatives, their features, and how to choose the best one for your project. You will also be provided with a comprehensive comparison of the various options to help you make an informed decision.

Why Do You Need an Alternative to Visual Studio?

Visual Studio is one of the most commonly used integrated development environments in the known universe. A full set of tools for all the stages of developing apps: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Cloud – you name it – Visual Studio can do it. But being the most famous doesn’t necessarily mean that it fits your needs. That is why sometimes you need some Visual Studio alternatives, especially when working on specialized business software projects that may require different functionalities or a more tailored development environment to efficiently meet project requirements and objectives.

Despite being a multi-billion dollar company and striving for perfection, Microsoft is not even close to creating a perfect product. Each of their products, including Visual Studio, is full of little and big imperfections, bugs, and pet peeves one can find. The Visual Studio’s biggest problems are:

• It is a large program that takes up the most space on your computer. If your computer is not powerful, you can also face a slow rendering process
• There is no option for auto-saving, so you can lose all of your progress in a moment if anything does not according to the plan;
• The command-line interface can be irresponsive at times;
• Integration with DevOps, such as GIT, requires improvement;
• If you are a newcomer to programming, it can be a pickle to navigate in search of necessary options and features.

IDE vs. Code Editor

Before we get down to business, we should also discuss the difference between an IDE and a code editor. 

In two words, IDE is a set of tools that all work together: text editor, compiler, build or make integration, debugging, etc. Typically, IDE is tied down to one coding language/framework.

On the other hand, we have code editors, and tools, that are implied to do just that – edit codes. The main advantage of code editors is the fact, that they, unlike typical IDEs, can be used to work with any coding language or framework of your liking.

The main idea of the trading high functionality of IDE for a code editor is the fact, that you will not have to get used to a new language or a set of tools if you switch from one IDE to another, which is quite inevitable. And, vice versa, you sacrifice the simple workflow you get accustomed to using the code editor for the vast function and productivity you gain using an IDE. Any IDE has all the features of a code editor, but a code editor won’t provide you with the full toolset of an IDE.

Free Online IDE Software

1. IntelliJ IDEA

MORE INFO

IntelliJ IDEA, unlike all the previously mentioned IDEs, is not free, which is a con. But on the other hand, you get a rich toolset for software development. Packed to the brim with integrated tools that help your software development process to be more efficient, productive, and precise. It should also be mentioned that IntelliJ IDEA streamlines both client and server-side scripting, which is quite useful. So this is one of the best Visual Studio alternatives on the market.

2. Eclipse

MORE INFO

Eclipse is an IDE aimed at Java development. One of its main benefits is compatibility with many languages: C, ABAP, Haskell, C#, C++, Ada, Lasso, JavaScript, Python, and many many more. It is free; compatible with Mac, Linux, and Windows devices; and includes a full-featured and powerful Java IDE. The system is extensible and a central workspace allows for high adaptability. And though it is most fitting for Java applications, it can be implied to make different language solutions.

3. Xcode IDE

MORE INFO

Apple devices-oriented IDE, that is, surprisingly for such things, free of charge. The interface is quite assistive, helpful, and intuitive, which is nice at the beginning of usage. During your coding process, Xcode IDE automatically provides you with suitable resources for your particular coding process, while it does not interrupt the actual development. The navigation is smooth due to The Assistant Editor and The Jump Bar. Different preinstalled and customizable working schemes are at your disposal and application testing no matter the device targeted.

4. NetBeans

MORE INFO

Free IDE and Java-based, NetBeans runs on a modular architecture. The best things about this IDE are the vast toolset, a powerful code editor, and the usage easeness. It only supports desktop usage.

5. OutSystems

MORE INFO

Let’s be straight: OutSystems is pricey software, but it’s worth it. It provides you with stable functionalities and mobile support. OutSystems will help you to build, develop, and tailor apps to run on any device and apply to any business needs.

6. Code::Blocks

MORE INFO

Back to the free stuff (we know you like it). Code::Blocks is an open-source IDE with free IDE solutions turned up to the max. The toolset is also quite extensible. But the thing to write home about is the Code::Blocks debug framework, which includes custom memory dumps, code, and info breakpoints, disassembly lists, and many other useful features.

7. CLion

MORE INFO

Smart, multilanguage, easy navigation and project startup are the words to describe CLion. This IDE provides instant analysis and detects possible errors in the process. It also has the Run & Debug tool to leave zero to no chances of making mistakes. A personalized editor lets you customize the interface to your tastes. IntelliJ Platform extensions can help you tailor your workplace and provide you with additional support, integrations, and frameworks.

8. AWS Cloud9

MORE INFO

This IDE runs on a cloud-based platform, which means that it is not only compatible with many programming languages, it also allows online collaboration for code-building, encouraging you to have your development environment flexible and efficient. Besides all the above-mentioned facts, its web-based nature defines the existence of such built-in features as a code editor, debugger, and possibility of adding input commands and supporting software, that is real-time savers.

9. Rider

MORE INFO

Rider may be new.NET IDE and it may be based on the IntelliJ platform, but it has already found quite many fans due to its good searching and navigation facilities making it easier to understand unfamiliar code, ability to run on multiple platforms including Windows 10, Linux distros and macOS and the inclusion of all the coolest ReSharper features. Its performance on low-end machines may be slower and sometimes it feels like C# support could be a bit better, but this one deserves at least a try.

10. Oracle JDeveloper

MORE INFO

If your goal is to build a state-of-the-art app on a tight budget – Oracle JDeveloper is the IDE for you, as it provides you with a seamless and simple Java-based app-building process completely free of charge. Furthermore, it is applicable for the app’s full lifecycle management, from building to testing and deployment. You can compare current and previous iterations of your apps in the built-in version manager, which also proves helpful from time to time.

11. BlueJ

MORE INFO

BlueJ is a Java development environment that is interactive and user-friendly. BlueJ is not the best option for big-scale development and it can be good for those who have just begun their programming way. But don’t rush to write it off. One can also use BlueJ for interactive creation and invocation of objects.

12. Arduino

MORE INFO

We are ending this list on another open-source IDE. Arduino allows you to both write and upload code to a working environment here and now. Its main benefit, though, is its ability to function as an on-premise application and as an online editor, direct sketching, board module options, and integrated libraries. You can also expect system features such as board module options, direct sketching, project documentation, external hardware support, and sketch sharing.

Paid Code Editors

13. Sublime Text 3

MORE INFO

This one is what you’d call a game-changer. An open, lightweight, and, most importantly, exceptionally responsive code editor that is ready to edit as soon as you open it. Another point worth making about this editor is the excessive and ever-growing number of available plugins that allow you to customize your Git plugins, color pickers, and the overall outlook of the program. Sublime Text 3 is free of charge if you are ready to deal with quite nagging pop-ups reminding you to buy it. And, on one hand, the full price of the license is only 80$, but on the other, you can find some competitive products that are completely free.

14. Codespaces

MORE INFO

Codespaces is a cloud-based code editor, which means extended collaboration possibilities and the possibility of working from anywhere. Codespaces also functions offline, which is a nice touch for a browser-based code editor. It has Git repos support, a built-in editable command-line interface to edit, run, and debug your apps from any device, and that’s not to mention some extensions.

For additional synergy, Codespaces launches straight from GitHub. And let’s put the final nail in the coffin and rest this case: even though Microsoft plans to introduce pay-as-you-go prices for Codespaces, for now, it is very much free.

15. Atom

MORE INFO

Let’s move on from a Microsoft-developed code editor to one, that was developed by GitHub, which is owned by our friendly-neighborhood multinational tech corporation – Atom. Heavily influenced by the funky new styling of Sublime Text in its infancy, Atom is quick and reliable. But there are a couple of important differences between the two: Atom code editor, unlike Sublime Text, is free. It is integrated with Git and GitHub.

But as every rose has its thorns, Atom has a history of performance and stability issues that have, thankfully, had a significant diminish over the process of its maturing. It does launch at an insignificantly slower pace than other code editors, but what is a couple of seconds in the grander scheme if they provide reliability and usage quickness?

16. Brackets

MORE INFO

With our next entree, we break free from Microsoft’s products only to stumble into another corporation’s creation. Nothing to complain about here – corporations know a thing or two (or a couple of dozens) about making usable products. This time, it’s Brackets from Adobe. An open-source and quite well-rounded code editor that unfortunately is not divided of shortcomings: Brackets supports fewer languages for syntax highlighting than its competitors.

But what it does support is CSS preprocessors like Less and Sass, because of its primary focus on front-end technologies. In addition to preprocessors, there is a feature you can find useful when editing CSS: you can hotkey small sections of an HTML page to pop out to then edit the CSS rules that are affecting the selected elements. So, less time to waste on searching around the code to fix styling problems.

Brackets have several unique features to investigate that are mostly configurable via the menus, unlike most of the other editors. Despite all these downsides, Brackets is one of the best Visual Studio alternatives for now. Regarding its notable downsides, this code editor: has speed and reliability. On the other hand,

17. Vim

MORE INFO

Strictly speaking, Vim is a command-line software, that is natively included in Linux OS and macOS, with the availability to be downloaded and used on Windows. Vim is navigated entirely by the keyboard, which can improve the speed and efficiency of its usage, but only if you are ready to learn how to operate it. Customizable to a much higher degree than its competitors, Vim allows you to create customized commands.

But bear in mind that due to the lack of any UI, the learning curve is very steep. Although, if you are persistent enough, you can get an incredibly stable and fast code editor, that would, no doubt, boost your productivity and grant you magic powers.

Is There Anything Better Than Visual Studio?

You know, it is a controversial issue. From our side, we recommend you pay close attention to such IDEs and code editors as Atom, IntelliJ IDEA, CLion, and Brackets. However, this list is highly subjective and has missed a couple of noteworthy IDEs. Read our new article about what an IDE is and how to pick the best online IDE for your needs. Stay thirsty for knowledge, keep experimenting, and find your best!

Suggested articles

• React.js vs. React Native. What are the Key Differences and Advantages?
• Functional Components vs. Class Components in React.js
• Angular vs. Bootstrap – 6+ Key Differences, Pros, and Cons

The post 12+ Best Visual Studio Alternatives to Try in 2023 appeared first on Flatlogic Blog.

React templates (or React dashboards) are sets of ready-to-use parts of code built using React technology for the development of dynamic user interfaces. React templates usually consist of different pages with a pre-built design, stand-alone components, styling (like color themes, icons, fonts, and background styles), plugins, widgets, and libraries. 

React templates, with their range from complete pages to customizable UI components, streamline business software development, offering developers pre-built code blocks that simplify the creation process and reduce the need to start coding from scratch.

React templates are used by all-level developers, starting with novices with little or no coding experience and ending with experienced gurus of programming. Templates are useful both for start-ups with a limited budget and for big enterprises that need to standardize the tools used in the development processes within the company. 

In this article, we concentrate mainly on React admin dashboard templates since React templates are becoming more and more popular among developers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using React Admin Templates

Templates are made for one reason – to make developers’ lives easier. However, they have both pros and cons. There is a great variety of template types, but they all are united by similar ideas.

Pros:

• Template is a good starting point for a project 

Templates are good for starting a new project. They can help to set up the development environment with a few actions, to build a user interface with pre-built components, deploy the skeleton of the whole app, provide you with well-tested and useful functions and modules, and much more. 

• Templates are dynamic, they can be extended and complemented

If a template was made locally for the needs of a certain group of developers, they can enhance it with new tools, new practices, new elements, and components. If the template was developed by a third-party team, you get the option to extend it on your own in most cases, otherwise, templates from the Internet are compatible with the majority of popular tools and libraries. Third-party teams often support developed templates and keep them up-to-date with new features. 

• Templates save hundreds of development hours

Building an app from scratch costs a lot and requires professionals from different fields. Depending on the type of template you use it can save hundreds of hours.

• Templates speed up the development process

As a result of the previous pros, using a template can have a great impact on development speed since you accelerate some stages of app development with template opportunities.  

• Templates save money 

Admin dashboard template development is rather expensive. Based on the average developers’ rates in the US the cost of such a template starts from $25,000-50,000. While the cost of a template is less than 100$. Furthermore, software companies that use admin templates and themes can offer services for lover prices to clients, since they have already had a basis to get started with. Additional customization tends to be much quicker and cheaper than building something from scratch.

• Templates are easy to use

Templates are well-organized and have good documentation. Also, there is a development team that can help when you face constraints using its product. 

• Templates offer compatibility and follow the best practices

All components and configurations in templates are well-tested and compatible with the latest technologies. Furthermore, the majority of good templates follow the best practices and offer the best and effective solutions for particular problems making it easier to deliver a high-quality product.

Cons: 

• Using component templates give your app a generic look

Apps built on top of a template with ready-to-use pages or components are determined by the elements it includes. On the other side, templates cost less than the development from scratch because they are supposed to sell hundreds of times.

Meanwhile, customization of included elements is limited by the options that developers of the template give you. It’s important to stick to the styles of components that make it hard to create an app with a unique look. Making a custom solution with new styles and functions on the base of a template can result in writing low-quality buggy code, while the development becomes very time-consuming.  

• Code quality

The code quality can be poor. Developers can try to guarantee clients the quality of a template by providing free customer support for a certain period of time or using other methods to show that their product is well-coded. Additionally, they sometimes use a contact center technology for a more professional and personalized approach to customer support. However, using a ready unpopular solution is risky, because you don’t know how much time developers spent optimizing it and what level of skills they had. You can also face a situation when the code contains a lot of dependencies you don’t want to see in your app. It happens when developers of a template try to cover as many needs as they can and build a universal template for all possible cases. 

• The absence of the support of developers

Sometimes you can face a problem you don’t know how to solve or you guess that your solution can ruin the logic of other elements in the template. The support of the initial developers is essential here and sometimes it is the only possible solution to a problem. However, the quality and frequency of responses from a team of developers can leave much to be desired. Popular solutions are less prone to the lack of support, but the response speed increases respectively since more people need help.  

• Bundle size can be big

Templates imply that you will build the app with instruments that it contains. Thanks to the modular nature of React using UI components kits you are allowed to cut out unnecessary elements, however, to get rid of useless stuff for your app also takes development time.  

• Restricted expandability 

Looking for a template you should keep in mind the needs that the template must meet. Every template has customization options and offers a wide set of settings to developers. However, when you need to go beyond these options, you can face a lot of problems and time-consuming issues and even regret that you decided to choose a template. All templates have their limits when it comes to adaptability and expandability. 

How to Build a User Interface With React

To understand better what React template is, dive deeper into React technology. Below we provide some key concepts about React library for you know:

• React is about reusable and customizable components 

It is a JavaScript component-based library that uses declarative programming for building cross-platform interactive user interfaces. React apps consist of components. They are the building blocks of any complex or simple user interface. Components are independent and reusable pieces of the UI like buttons, input fields, lists, headers, tab bars, grids, etc. Developers can plug them in and out, rearrange, reuse, share, and transfer between different projects. All components work well across different platforms and provide great customization options.

And here we come to component definitions: a component in React is a JavaScript class or function that accepts arbitrary inputs (or props, short for “properties”), returns a React element, and declares what should appear on the screen. 

• There are two types of components in React: function components and class components

Both types of components are equivalent to React and provide the same functionalities. The difference is that class components offer more features while the code with functional components is easier to read and rewrite.

React uses declarative programming, which allows developers to design a simple view for every state and then delegate the responsibility of keeping the app views consistent while you have to worry only about the state. 

• Use create react app to start local application

Create-react-app is a command-line tool that allows developers to generate a new React project and to set up the development environment with a pre-configured webpack and a bunch of tools for the developers and provide a better developer experience. It is a super popular option among web developers and it has more than 92k on GitHub.

Create-react-app is a multifunctional and valuable tool for React developers. It saves hours of development time both for newbies in React and for professional programmers and allows developers to get started to write the code of an app immediately after create-react-app finishes setting up the development environment. 

Create-react-app is a suitable solution for learning React and for building new SPAs (single-page applications). However, some cases require more appropriate tools than create-react-app, for example, building a server-rendered website with Node.js, or a situation when you want to use React without in-build tool dependencies, or if you need more customization opportunities.

• Use more JavaScript libraries to make a powerful application

React is a library for building user interfaces, so you need to use many other libraries to build a full-fledged app. That is why configuring the right development environment with React is a real and serious problem that can become rather challenging for an individual developer to solve. The configuration shouldn’t stand in the way of getting started on a new project. The proposed solution is create-react-app.

React has: 

• React, JSX, ES6.
• Static type checker with Flow that helps you spot errors during development.
• Optional TypeScript support that can be enabled for a new project or added for an existing one. 
• Autoprefixed CSS and an opportunity to import CSS files.
• Jest as a fast unit test Node-based runner with version control integration that run tests related to the files changed since the last commit.
• A build script that creates an optimized build of the app in one command.   
• Quick update of all tools in the build with a single command.

What Types of React Templates Exist?

Free and Premium Templates

Free themes and templates are often developed by independent coders, with limited support. Some developers offer free templates as a stripped-down version of premium offerings. Free templates have a minimum number of features and elements, don’t provide wide customization options, typically have poor quality and little functionality that doesn’t cover the needs of the majority of modern apps. Free templates get updates and improvements very seldom or don’t get it at all after the release. However, there are some well-coded templates on the Internet that are worth attention.

An example of such a free React template with a satisfactory quality is a React dashboard. 

Premium templates, on the other hand, cost money and are supported by a company or a group of developers. Premium templates offer a higher level of code quality, a few months of free updates, support from the team of developers, a wide range of features, or an additional bonus from the developers. Buying a premium template, you buy not only the template itself but the service from the team of developers and their time that is already included in the price of a template.   

As a good example of a premium React template you can try the Sing App React.

Admin Templates and UI Kits

An admin template is a set of premade web pages that you can delete, rearrange, customize, and fill with images, videos, text, icons, etc. to build a complete web app.

React components are bits of code that can be reused throughout the app. Apps templates contain blocks of components based on the same principle – you can put these blocks anywhere in your app, customize, regroup, and create a complex user interface with them. 

Admin Dashboard Templates

An administration panel or dashboard serves as a “back office” of apps. It is a separate app with limited access to users that have a visually simple, functional, and intuitive interface that allows adding/editing/updating, and deleting any content on the main web app. Some admin templates come with specific UI elements and prebuilt pages for the development of the “front office” of a web app. 

React material admin dashboard template is an awesome premium admin template that suits any type of web application.

It is built with the Material UI framework that follows Material Design principles. It goes with fully responsive UI elements, an E-commerce section powered with Node.js, and truly friendly and competent support of the team of professional developers. The template has a free stripped-down version you can download and utilize for your app. 

UI component kit is a set of designed/styled components that can be used either to build a complex user interface from scratch or to complement an existing interface. All elements within a set are usually based on a common design system and created by professional designers.

Component kits have modular nature and allow you to arrange components such as buttons, cards, forms, input groups, within a set as you need. All components in the library are user-friendly, cross-browser, customizable on some level, and independent from each other. There are universal kits with components that are suited for any type of apps. Others target narrow groups of apps and are designed especially for a certain sphere. 

React Suit and React Infrastructure Template

React suit is an example of such a narrowly focused component library for enterprise system products. 

The component library can become a good solution for projects without a designer. You make a prototype for an app, find a kit with fitting styling, and built layouts based on the components the library offers. In that case, developers can focus on providing a great user experience and necessary functionality while the kit takes care of how the app will look like. 

React infrastructure templates help to deploy the development environment with necessary and modern tools for development. No matter what code you are going to write, you need a set of instruments that is most likely will be 80% the same from project to project, so infrastructure templates are some type of boilerplates for React. They aim at providing optimal development experience using best practices, most efficient tooling, simple and clean project structure. 

The most-known example of that kind of templates is a create-react-app. 

Create-react-app is a great tool to get started a new React app with several commands. You don’t waste time setting up Webpack, Babel, and other familiar tools. They are preconfigured and hidden so that developers can focus on the code and business logic of the application. Create-react-app also has an “ejection” feature that copies all configs and dependencies into your project so you have full control over them.

React boilerplate is another example of a tool that helps to tackle the confusing React ecosystem and optimize the development environment. It contains tools like React Router, Reselect, Jest, ESLint aimed to help you manage performance, routing, asynchrony, styling, etc. Comparing to create-react-app, React boilerplate is not for beginners to React and requires a certain level of knowledge. You can take a closer look at that template if you are going to build a complex full-fledged single-page application, otherwise, it’s better to skip it. These days when the Internet is full of templates, tools, tutorials, it became possible to pick up the tool just as you need to according to the functions that your app requires. It’s not a good idea to choose a tool with a bunch of different features 80 percent of which you hardly can apply in your app.

Landings

Landing pages are standalone web pages designed with one goal: to call users to act. React is designed to build interactive web interfaces that perfectly lead to an increase in user engagement and conversion rate.

Material-UI & ReactJS is a page kit with more than 45 templates for landing pages in different spheres of business, such as E-learning, coworking, e-commerce, service. You can use these page examples out of the box, or build your own landing pages based on the beautiful components in the package, switching between the component blocks on different pages and taking advantage of them all. Material-UI & ReactJS is a premium template, so it goes with comprehensive documentation, free customer support, and free updates.

Admin Templates for E-commerce

Light Blue React Node.js is an admin template for building e-commerce apps. The developers made a great tool to build your own online store.

You shouldn’t worry about how your app will look like because professional designers created a simple and clean interface. You don’t need to worry about the backend of an app or shop dashboard since the template has a full-fledged admin template with a customizable dashboard and an interface to manage categories, orders, and goods.  

Templates for a Specific Purpose

E-commerce is quite a broad concept, that is why developers make universal templates for that sphere that suit any type of business: grocery, food, medicine, etc. However, universal templates ignore the specificities of every business and its clients. Here opinionated templates appear.

Accounting Template

A great example of an opinionated template is Bookkeeper. It is a responsive template using which you can build a professional accounting system admin panel. The distinctive feature of the template is the gorgeous and stylish view of the layouts that may increase the usability of your application.  

React Native Starter

A mobile template made with React Native. A premium template with modern and creative design that is built for start-up companies, news-aggregating services, bookkeeping apps, promo deals mobile applications, and many more.

React Native Starter has

• modular architecture,
• calendar app,
• chat app,
• sign in/sign up screens,
• ui-testing, and many more.

React User Management Template

This template was designed specifically for easy integration almost into any app. User management in one of the most common features in any apps. This template helps you to create, delete, and manage users. So you need just several commands in the terminal to see the working app.

You Might Also Like These Articles

• Top 7+ Node.js React Templates and Themes for Your Admin Panel
• Top 7 Awesome Vue Material Admin Dashboard Templates Worth Your Attention
• Top 10 Angular Material Admin Dashboard Templates

The post What Is React Template? React Template Definition appeared first on Flatlogic Blog.

Traditionally, the only way to effectively embed videos onto a webpage was with the use of Adobe Flash. Consumers were required to have the Adobe Flash plugin in order to see videos which most people have but still creates a level of separation. Newer systems such as HTML 5 and JavaScript include video proponents that don’t require a Flash plugin. The HTML 5 has methods to embed a video on a webpage while its properties can be manipulated with JavaScript. 

HTML 

Video embedment is initiated with the use of the <video> tag.  There are then a number of attributes that can be included in the code to adjust the video as preferred. Along with typical controls buttons for volume and progress, these can include options for the height and width of a video, making a video loop back to the beginning after playback ends, a mute “true” or “false” option to control the playback sound, an option to display an image or ‘poster’ before playback commences and an autoplay option. 

JavaScript 

The HTML5 <video> tag can be connected with JavaScript from where users can have control of all the same features as well as set up more intricate and complex video settings and user interactions via the mouse and keyboard. JavaScript connects with HTML5 through the Document Object Model (DOM) interface which allows users to translate video information. When writing code instructions for videos with JavaScript, users are advised to use MediaElement which supports media files and streaming content and allows for the control and monitoring of videos and their players. 

Managing Videos 

Now we know how to embed them and organize playback, let’s look at how to manage video files. 

• Responsive Sizing 

Responsive videos follow the same concept as responsive images in that their size is dependent on the format and size of a user’s device. Such parameters can affect how the video is cropped as well as it’s quality when played. Whichever way the height and width is limited, videos will always maintain their shape, otherwise known as aspect ratio. Common ratios include the standard 4:3 and Instagram 1:1. If height and width don’t match the aspect ratio, the extra space will be filled with a background colour. 

The sizes can be set in two ways. Firstly by setting the width to 100% and the height to auto. This forces the video to expand to the maximum size possible. Alternatively, video controls can be set to max-width which allows videos to be played at a specific size but is more flexible as the width can be reduced if necessary. 

“optimizing the video sizing for various forms of receptacle devices can create a user-friendly and attractive usage of video on a website for all viewers,” says Tom Harwood web developer at Britstudent and Writemyx.

• Text Tracks 

“A simple solution to making videos more interactive, unique, and accessible to users is to utilize the Text track function,” says Shauagh O’ Doherty, tech writer at Australia2write and Nextcoursework. Tracks are used to embellish videos with subtitles, captions, and timed descriptions. They are positioned on top of the video using the <track> tag. Specific languages can be selected, and multiple tracks and types can be included in one video. 

• Format 

Maybe the most important aspect of video embedment and embellishment is the format features. The wrong format can prevent a video from being played on a specific device. Designers should use a preferred format and a backup format to ensure playability on a range of devices. They do this by defining the <source> of the video which acts as the default, followed by extra <source> tags that provide the backups. 

Conclusion

Managing videos with HTML 5 and JavaScript need not be as complicated as many users first assume. The specific tags may take some practice to become comfortable with but with practice, coders will be embedding videos with ease and without the need for Flash. 

Michael Dehoyos is a marketing expert who imparts his expertise as a content marketer and editor at Phdkingdom and Academicbrits while contributing writing to numerous sites and publications including Originwritings. Additionally, he offers marketing consultancy to companies in need of strategy. 

You might also like these articles:

• Top 7 React Admin Dashboard Templates
• How to Create React Native AirBnB-like App
• Web and UI JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries

The post Using HTML and JavaScript to Manipulate Videos appeared first on Flatlogic Blog.