LESS allows you to use Javascript-style variables and functions within your CSS, and to construct CSS in a way that's far more structured and manageable in the future. I'm not fluent with LESS yet, I hadn't dived-in with everyone else partly because I've been busy of late, and partly because I was hesitant due to it's apparent reliance on Javascript to work correctly. LESS is described as "the dynamic stylesheet language". I would suggest you check out the website and Bryan's excellent videos to get a better grasp of what it can do for your workflow. It basically allows you to develop your sites using LESS (or one of the others) without the need to load the LESS dependency (a small Javascript file which normally does the compiling for you when you load the site). It's been around for a few months – still in Beta stage, but from what I can see, pretty much ready to go. It compiles LESS, SASS, Stylus and other code files as you work – it provides error checking and minification for CSS and Javascript amongst others. At it's most basic level, it runs "behind the scenes" of your usual IDE (I use the excellent Coda). But what if I wanted to use the power of CodeKit & LESS on my live site? It's surprisingly easy to set-up, as long as you have the right tools…ĬodeKit is a web development tool for Mac, written by Bryan Jones ( follow him on Twitter here). And tell him I sent you.On every project, I eventually find myself having to work directly on assets on a live server. Make developer Bryan Jones happy and just buy the damn thing already. For the moment it's in a class by itself. Of course there are other similar tools, Prepros probably being the next best, but none offer the refinement of CodeKit. This thing is a treasure trove of usefulness. It's easily my current favorite app for web development simply because it automates so much without ever feeling bloated. CodeKit performs so many performance-enhancing functions with minimal effort on your part, you can’t help but be more efficient. If you’ve been dragging your feet because you don’t want the hassle of the command-line then you're out of excuses. An Essential ToolĬodeKit is as close to a no-brainer recommendation I have found for anyone who works with front-end code. The most recent update seems to have addressed some of the problems but I suspect there’s a lot more work to be done. I frequently have installation problems and even Brian, CodeKit’s developer, has said it’s been a pain to get it working smoothly (apparently he considered ditching it completely). One area I have had issues with is the Bower component installer. There are a few of these small nits and while annoying none are deal-breakers. One example is libsass, a screaming fast alternative Sass compiler which at the time of writing was not compatible with the Compass framework, though I believe that has changed.
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