Tools, techniques, development and inspirations

Websites can appear less appealing when there are spinners indicating loading states everywhere. In comparison, skeleton loaders can provide users with a sense that something is loading in the background, and also give an idea of what's about to appear. However, writing code for each skeleton loader can be cumbersome for each design. This week, I found a website that helps create skeleton loaders based on the actual design. It works 80% of the time! Check out gpt-skeleton.vercel.app.

While working on project at my company, I had a requirement: when a component gets destroyed in React, I have to cancel any ongoing API calls. This led me to discover the concept of the AbortController interface in JavaScript, which allows you to cancel pending API calls. Checkout more on MDN.

Next.js 15 RC is here and following is the summary of changes.

How do you manage state in React? I began with Redux and then transitioned to Redux Toolkit, as many of us have. Recently, I started using Zustand and I love it. It's as simple as useState with no manual dispatches or selectors. Unlike Redux, it allows for multiple stores, resembling Flux. You can also follow the Redux Toolkit slice pattern in Zustand. Check out more details on official website.

If you are windows user you should install PowerToys. It has all the useful tools you need. Some of my favourites are color picker, text extractor from your screen and screen ruler. As a software engineer I used this almost all days.

If I were to create a brand, I would model it after "Ugaoo." Ugaoo.com is an online gardening and plant care company. Its mission is to inspire urban living through gardening and promote healthier, more sustainable lifestyles. At first, purchasing plants online might seem like a bad idea. However, once you place an order, you won't regret it. Now, why do I say I want to create a brand like this?

I say this because everything about Ugaoo resonates. From the logo to the website, the product photos, and their marketing tactics - everything is cohesive and well thought out. Their landing page is a prime example of how to captivate customers effectively. So, if I were to launch a brand, I would certainly take inspiration from brand like Ugaoo and strive to incorporate similar elements in my own brand.

That's a wrap for this week. Let's catch up again next week.