Resizing a window might seem like an insignificant task in web development, but it actually ties quite a few concepts from JavaScript and Typescript, and plays a crucial part in ensuring a responsive and user-friendly design. In the context of a dynamic UI/UX, the ‘window resize’ function is paramount. Everyday examples could include a sidebar that shrinks upon window resizing to give a seamless reading space, or a gallery image adjusting itself to prevent distortion. The modification is done reactively by listening for a window resize event.
The issue at hand is performing an action contingent on window resizing, this can be managed with Typescript and DOM manipulation very succinctly. We will leverage Typescript’s typechecking and scalability to organize our solution.
window.addEventListener(‘resize’, () => {
let width = window.innerWidth;
if(width <= 768){
// action to perform when window size is less than or equals 768px
}else{
// action to perform when window size is more than 768px
}
});
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Understanding the Code
The code provided works by immediately invoking an anonymous function each time the window is resized. This anonymous function gives us access to the event object, which carries valuable information about the ‘resize’ incident. Inside the function, we define two conditions; one for when the window’s inner width is less than or equals to 768 pixels and another for when it’s more than that. This divide is generally used to differentiate between mobile and desktop devices.
Evolution of Window Resizing
Window Resizing is a product of the evolved world of responsive web design. Unlike earlier days when websites were built for standard screen sizes, the current demands have changed monumentally. With an undeniably wide range of devices with varied screen resolutions, it’s critical that our design adapts to the individual viewing platforms, offering an optimized and easy on the eyes layout.
Javascript Events and Typescript
Returning to our solution, the essential part here is understanding how to use JavaScript events with Typescript. The ‘resize’ event is just one of the many events that JavaScript provides to determine different states and actions on a webpage. ‘click’, ‘hover’, ‘mousedown’ are few examples. Coupling these events with Typescript lets developers create cleaner, maintainable code with the strong typing of Typescript and the flexibility of JavaScript.
Debouncing for Efficiency
One final point to consider is that the ‘resize’ event fires continuously, for as long as the window is being dragged. This could mean a critical hit on the performance if your event listener function is heavy. To alleviate this, we use a concept called ‘Debouncing’. Debouncing in JavaScript is a practice used to limit the time between invocations of a function. Here’s an example of how we could debounce our resize function.
let debounceTimeout;
window.addEventListener(‘resize’, () => {
clearTimeout(debounceTimeout);
debounceTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
let width = window.innerWidth;
if(width <= 768){
// action to perform when window size is less than or equals 768px
}else{
// action to perform when window size is more than 768px
}
}, 100);
});
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That's about it. With the explanation complete, it should now be easy to understand and implement functionalities like window resizing with JavaScript and Typescript. Happy coding!
