Learning to use Semantic UI wasn’t easy. Although I’ve had experience with HTML and CSS, a lot of it went out the door when learning the syntax of Semantic UI. However, after working with Semantic UI for a bit, I’ve come to appreciate its features. Unlike raw HTML and CSS, Semantic UI provides users with the ability to think about what they want in English without having to deal with the potential jargon that HTML requires for certain classes. Furthermore, Semantic UI provides a lot of features that come in handy when designing a web page. A good example is the grid feature. Grids allow me to organize and place items where I want without really needing to deal with all the complicated HTML and CSS to position elements exactly where I want them. Another example would be when I’m constructing menus. Instead of having to style my own navigation bar and position each menu item myself, Semantic UI does it for me with their “ui menu” class. Now, I can create menus with ease without needing to worry much about formatting and positioning of my bar.
Despite requiring a huge time investment to learn, UI frameworks provide those who use them a great boost in productivity. Like I mentioned above, creating a navigation bar in raw HTML and CSS takes many more lines of code than it would using something like Semantic UI. In the real world, time is money. The more time I can save while developing software, the happier my boss will be (hopefully). A good analogy to raw HTML and CSS versus a UI framework would be a text editor versus an IDE. In both cases, working with primitive technology requires more time and in many cases leads to more frustration. I remember the first time I was introduced to an IDE, I felt silly for ever having used a simple text editor like nano. The IDE boosted my productivity and allowed me to code faster and more efficiently than ever before. The same goes for using UI frameworks. Though there’s a learning curve, you definitely reap what you sow.
Although Semantic UI is the only UI framework I’ve used thus far, I can confidently say that it’s completely worth the time investment. Even the initial frustration that came with using Semantic UI is now turning into overwhelming appreciation for UI frameworks. As a matter of fact, before learning about UI frameworks, I had no idea they existed. I thought I would be using raw HTML and CSS for the rest of my life as a software developer. Thankfully, I was introduced to Semantic UI. I’m definitely reminiscent of the time I was first introduced to IDEs. In a smiliar fashion, I’m appreciative of the fact I was told about UI frameworks and learned about Semantic UI. My life with HTML and CSS will never be the same. It only gets better from here.