pwix:ui-layout

What is it ?

A Meteor helper package to detect at runtime the nature of the user interface to be displayed:

either in portrait or paysage mode
either for a large screen (desktop) or a small one (mobile)
with or without a keyboard/mouse
with or without a touchable device.

Rationale

In a mobile (Cordova) application, routes are not displayed as they are in a web browser, but even if routes are not directly available to the user, they are still handled under the hood.

So, we must deal with three runtime environments

Cordova emulation of a mobile application
web browser on a touch device

These two runtime environments are quite similar in that they are both restrictives in the amount of displayable informations.

Differences come mainly from the available display size which may range from very small (smartphone) to very large (high-res tv). They are for now resolved through CSS media queries. Some menu-driven layout changes may be planned later depending of identified use cases.
web browser on a desktop (+mouse) device

This package aims to provide all that is needed by an application in order to handle all possible cases of running devices.

Breakpoints

The package defines some breakpoints, along with corresponding less constants. These breakpoints have been carefully chosen to best suit the majority of the display resolution seen on the web, as provided by statcounter Global stats. The rationale has been:

first, consider only known display resolutions so that percents sum to 100%, thus ignoring the other category
starting from that, breakpoints are chosen to roughly cover equivalent parts of the population, and as multiples of 16px which is the standard default size for 1em:
- a xs extra small display, until 384px, which covers about 29%
- a sm small display, until 432px, which covers additional 32%
- a md medium display, until 800px, which covers still 16%
- a lg large display, until 1024px, which covers (only) 10%
- a xl extra large display, until 1920px, which covers remaining 14%
- categorizing larger display as extra large xl.

This eventually leads to following importable constants:

@ui-xs-width is 384px
@ui-sm-width is 432px
@ui-md-width is 800px
@ui-lg-width is 1024px
@ui-xl-width is 1920px

These constants are thought to be used in media queries, and can be imported in an application less file as:

    @import "{pwix:ui-layout}/src/client/constants/breakpoints.less";

Provides

`UILayout`

The exported BlazeLayout global object provides following items:

`UILayout.detectIt{ ... }`

The result of the detectIt analyse (see https://www.npmjs.com/package/detect-it).

Functions

`UILayout.cordova()`

Whether we are running a mobile (Cordova) application.

`UILayout.height()`

The current document's viewport height.

A reactive data source.

`UILayout.isXS()`

`UILayout.isSM()`

`UILayout.isMD()`

`UILayout.isLG()`

`UILayout.isXL()`

Returns true if the width of the display is less than or equal to the corresponding breakpoint.

Reactive data sources.

`UILayout.isXXL()`

Returns true if the display is wider than extra large, i.e. greater than the @ui-xl-width breakpoint.

A reactive data source.

`UILayout.landscape()`

Whether we are using a landscape layout.

A reactive data source.

`UILayout.mobile()`

Whether we are running on a mobile device.

Please note that, contrarily to other datas, whether we are running, or not, on a mobile device, say a phone, is only a hint, as we do not have any objective way to detect this type of environment.

For now, we are tracking a touchable device with a small resolution, or a Cordova environment.

`UILayout.resize()`

The last resize event timestamp.

A reactive data source.

`UILayout.touchable()`

Whether a touchable device is the primary input way (i.e. no keyboard nor mouse).

`UILayout.view()`

Returns a UILayout.C.View.XS/SM/MD/LG/XL/XXL constant which corresponds to the current size of the viewport.

A reactive data source.

`UILayout.width()`

The browser viewport width.

A reactive data source.

Constants

UILayout.C.Breakpoints.XS

an integer constant with @ui-xs-width value
UILayout.C.Breakpoints.SM

an integer constant with @ui-sm-width value
UILayout.C.Breakpoints.MD

an integer constant with @ui-md-width value
UILayout.C.Breakpoints.LG

an integer constant with @ui-lg-width value
UILayout.C.Breakpoints.XL

an integer constant with @ui-xl-width value
UILayout.C.View.XS

A constant for an extra small width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()
UILayout.C.View.SM

A constant for a small width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()
UILayout.C.View.MD

A constant for a medium width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()
UILayout.C.View.LG

A constant for a large width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()
UILayout.C.View.XL

A constant for an extra large width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()
UILayout.C.View.XXL

A constant for anything wider than an extra large width view, which may be tested againt the result of UILayout.view()

Blaze helpers

The package defines some globally available Blaze helpers:

Class-name helpers: return the configured class
- uiCordovaClass
- uiTouchableClass
- uiMobileClass
- uiLandscapeClass
- uiPortraitClass
Class-name helpers: return the 'hidden' or 'visible' class as configured
- uiHiddenIfCordova
- uiVisibleIfCordova
- uiHiddenIfTouchable
- uiVisibleIfTouchable
- uiHiddenIfMobile
- uiVisibleIfMobile
- uiHiddenIfLandscape
- uiVisibleIfLandscape
- uiHiddenIfPortrait
- uiVisibleIfPortrait
Boolean helpers
- uiCordova
- uiTouchable
- uiMobile
- uiLandscape
- uiPortrait
Sizing helpers
- uiView
  
  Returns the current view size as a string constant.
- uiXSView
- uiSMView
- uiMDView
- uiLGView
- uiXLView
  
  Returns true if the width of the display is less than or equal to the corresponding breakpoint.
- uiXXLView
  
  Returns true if the width of the display is more than extra large, i.e. greater than the @ui-xl-breakpoint breakpoint.

Test environments

This package has been tested on following devices:

XPS13 HDPI: 3200x1800px XL in landscape mode
Samsung Tab S: 1280x680px MD in portrait mode LG in landscape mode
Samsung Galaxy S8: 360x670 XS in portrait mode MD in landscape mode

Configuration

The package's behavior can be configured through a call to the UILayout.configure() method, with just a single javascript object argument, which itself should only contains the options you want override.

Known configuration options are:

hiddenClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers to hide a DOM element.

Defaut value is hidden.
visibleClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers to show a DOM element.

Defaut value is visible.
cordovaClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers when running in a Cordova environment.

Defaut value is empty.
touchableClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers when running on a device whose primary input is a touchpad.

Defaut value is empty.
mobileClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers when the environment seems to be a mobile.

Defaut value is empty.
landscapeClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers when running in landscape mode.

Defaut value is empty.
portraitClass

The class to be returned by the package helpers when running in portrait mode.

Defaut value is empty.
verbosity

The verbosity level.

May be UILayout.C.Verbose.NONE, or a or-ed value of following:
- UILayout.C.Verbose.CONFIGURE
  
  Trace the configuration actions.
Defaut value is UILayout.C.Verbose.NONE.

Please note, as an explicit reminder, that, because the Meteor packages are instanciated at application level, they can be configured once at most, and only once at most. Each addtionnal call to UILayout.configure() will just override the previous one. You have been warned: only the application should configure a package.

NPM peer dependencies

Starting with v 1.1.0, and in accordance with advices from the Meteor Guide, we no more hardcode NPM dependencies in the Npm.depends clause of the package.js.

Instead we check npm versions of installed packages at runtime, on server startup, in development environment.

Dependencies as of v 2.0.0:

1    'detect-it': '^4.0.1',
2    'lodash': '^4.17.0'

Each of these dependencies should be installed at application level:

    meteor npm install <package> --save

Translations

None at the moment.

Cookies and comparable technologies

None at the moment.

Issues & help

In case of support or error, please report your issue request to our Issues tracker.

P. Wieser

Last updated on 2024, Jun. 13th