Updated on May 23, 2016 in Learn
Building HTML5 Context Menus
A lesser known feature of the HTML5 specification is context menus. These allow you to add custom items to the menu that appears when a user right-clicks on the page. Using JavaScript, you can then control the actions these items…
Updated on September 23, 2022 in Learn
An Introduction to HTML Imports
HTML imports is an exciting technology that promises to change how we build websites. Imports allow you to include HTML documents within other HTML documents. This has a number of benefits, including the ability to create a bundle of HTML,…
Updated on May 21, 2015 in Learn
Gamepad Controls for HTML5 Games
HTML5 games still have a lot of promises to fulfill, but the W3C gamepad specification is a great example of something that’s going well. The spec is still a working draft, but the prospect of reading game controller data in…
Updated on May 23, 2016 in Community
‘It Is Never Too Late’: How a Teacher and an Artist Switched to Web Careers in Midstream
The “breaking moment” in Jon Liu’s teaching career came at 7 o’clock in the morning. An hour before his students arrived for classes, he sat in his car, stared at the school where he taught and wondered: What if I…
Updated on May 21, 2015 in Learn
HTML5 Games: A Land of Broken Hopes and Dreams
A long time ago on a web far far away there was the promise of HTML5 games. Unfortunately, this future still hasn’t come to fruition. In this rumination, I will explore why that is and what hope HTML5 games have…
Updated on May 21, 2015 in Learn
Using localForage for Offline Data Storage
(Photo by Erich Ferdinand/Flickr) An important step on the path toward robust, offline web applications is the ability to store data in the user’s browser. Technologies like IndexedDB and localStorage have provided this functionality to web developers, but they are not…
Updated on November 16, 2022 in Learn
Should I Use WordPress to Create a Website?
(Photo by William Hook/Flickr) You can create powerful, polished sites with WordPress without learning a lot of coding. Once you’re comfortable with WordPress, you can do in a week or a weekend what could take you a month or more…
Updated on June 21, 2022 in Learn
How to Create an AJAX Contact Form for a Website [Guide]
Conversions don’t always equate to purchases or transactions, they can also appear in the form of newsletter sign-ups and contact forms. Contact forms are one of the most common features on a website. Standard contact forms work just fine, but…
Updated on March 19, 2026 in Learn
Using HTML List Elements Correctly
HTML provides three list elements: <ol> for ordered lists, <ul> for unordered lists, and <dl> for description lists. Choosing the right one isn’t just about appearance — it affects the meaning of your content and how assistive technologies interpret it….
Updated on May 21, 2015 in Learn
Uploading Files with AJAX
The introduction of AJAX marked a huge leap forward in the history of the web. The ability to communicate with a web server without reloading the page has revolutionised how web applications are built. The primary technology that enables AJAX…
Updated on November 16, 2022 in Learn
Optimizing Mobile Web Apps for iOS
When I was looking through the analytics data for a product I recently launched I was taken aback by just how much mobile traffic the web app was getting. After seeking some feedback from users it became clear that people…
Updated on March 19, 2026 in Learn
How to Use the Meter & Progress Elements
HTML provides two native elements for representing numeric values visually: <progress> and <meter>. They look similar but serve distinct purposes, and choosing the right one affects both the semantics of your markup and how assistive technologies communicate the information to…