For the past week we have been implementing the Semantic UI framework in our use of HTML to build web pages. From the short amount of time that I have used this new framework I feel like I have barely scratched the surface on all the content that Semantic UI has to offer. I guess this can both be a good and a bad thing. Understanding how to utilize the features of this new framework to translate into results has been a very frustrating process for me. It really is like learning a programming language from scratch. I think the biggest challenge is the massive amounts of content and new syntax that one has to understand to be able to use the Semantic UI framework effectively. It turns little problems such as centering text or creating multiple separate sections into very time consuming endeavors that are way more stressful than they should be. When facing problems that I would need to solve during the practice WODs there were countless moments where I felt completely lost. I think that even now, after all the practice that I have had using the framework, I still feel very uneasy when thinking about having to build an HTML project using Semantic UI. I’m hoping that I can continue to push forward and learn as much as possible so that using this framework becomes second nature.
Despite all the difficulties I faced with Semantic UI, I cannot deny the usefulness of this tool. I do think that there are actually a lot more reasons why one should use Semantic UI rather than ignore it completely. For example, there are a lot more things that you can do faster with this framework rather than with just raw HTML and CSS. Completing modern, clean, and complex web pages that are much more appealing to the eye is made way faster with this framework. The way that Semantic UI is set up makes building web pages way easier once you get past the difficult process of understanding all of it’s content.
Most of the practices that we have gone through this week have been about using Semantic UI to build web pages that mimic other webpages. I was amazed at how similar the webpages we built using semantic UI came out to looking like the orignial. This was especially apparent after seeing the results of the “E36: your choice” assignment where we were tasked with finding a website online and duplicating it using the Semantic framework. After finishing the assignment and seeing all of my peers’ assignments it was super cool to see how well everyone was able to replicate the websites that they chose. I think this a clear reason why this framework is so useful. If you are ever trying to find inspiration from other resources when developing a project in HTML, Semantic UI would make it really easy for you to take certain elements that you see and apply it to your own idea. I was very worried about how I was going to do on that assignment but the framework really helped me to come out with a good result.
Overall, after reflecting on my experience with Semantic UI I have come to conclusion that it is a very useful tool to all software engineers. The learning process can be grueling and time consuming but once you figure out all the ins and outs of this framework, you won’t be dissapointed. The ease in which you can create is vastly different from the amount of effort that it would take just using HTML and CSS by themselves. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to learn this new framework and I’m sure that it will benefit me a lot in the future.