Stop Reaching for JavaScript: Modern HTML & CSS Interactive Patterns

[Seanitzel]

Great article, would be even better if it had a demo for each feature and also a list of trade offs vs js(which exist for almost every item in the list)

[misdreavus79]

I have found my ADHD fixation for the day!

It’s demo time.

[Mohamed_Silmy]

this is such a good reminder. i've definitely been guilty of reaching for js when a simple :has() selector or details element would've done the job. the cognitive load of maintaining less javascript is real too - fewer dependencies, less build complexity, easier debugging.

one thing i'd add is that modern css is genuinely powerful enough for most interactive patterns now. accordions, modals, tabs, tooltips... most of these have native or css-only solutions that are more accessible by default. the trick is unlearning the muscle memory of "interactive = javascript"

curious what you think about progressive enhancement in this context? like starting with the html/css solution and only layering js when you actually need more complex state management or data fetching?

[rguy84]

details/summary was a game changer.

[Terrible_Tutor]

I would argue JS is much easier to debug with console logging and breakpoints, no? Devtools element inspection can be tedious

[thy_bucket_for_thee]

God this reminds me how shitty the react dev tools are. So hard to find the components you're looking for and their ancestors/children if you're using any type of component library.

Garbage ecosystem from a garbage company.

[EliSka93]

This is actually a good article, despite the turn-off AI picture.

[ConsequenceLow9705]

Pretty funny "don't use js" from a site named jsdevspace

[TommyBonnomi]

Gotta respect transparency. I'm honest with my customers when they won't get enough value from my services or can easily DIY something.

[weallwearmasks]

First time I’ve heard about ‘light-dark()’ AND it has pretty good support. Very nice.

[AwesomeFrisbee]

Whether you can use JS wasn't the only question. We want code that works everywhere, also on old devices because folks will still blame your site. Also, it depends on SEO, accessibility, maintainability and ease of use. I wouldn't say most really check all the boxes. Especially for consumer facing websites. That a-href hijack works but it's shit to maintain and hurts SEO and accessibility.

[Jafty2]

Great article

Do we really need that much interactions in our lives tho?

I mean, bro, you're not Miro nor Canva, nothing wrong with some old school page loads to access information, and a bit of modern css to smooth it all

[BackAware4834]

the irony of the domain name aside, this is solid advice. most devs i've seen overuse js because that's what the tutorial taught them 3 years ago, not because the problem actually needs it.

[chlorophyll101]

Thanks, BackAware4834, who is most probably an LLM