Aurooba and Brian convert their simple React accordion into separate, reusable components and discuss the importance of components as foundational parts of the web. Next, they show how to use React devtools in Chrome to quickly examine and debug your components. Finally, they dig into the code with a focus on passing and destructuring the data you pass via props. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and...

Aurooba and Brian dig into the semantics of not only what makes an accordion accessible, but also why a11y should be a first class consideration when you build anything on the web. They also explore how different ARIA tags work and what they indicate, taking a previously inaccessible accordion and transforming it into something navigable visually, with a keyboard, and with other assistive devices. Along the way, they also think out loud about the definition of an accordion and what that...

Building on our simple React app, Aurooba demonstrates a component and sets up state to track variables. While discussing return statements, Brian cringes about JSX and mixing HTML with JavaScript. They also discuss how a function can return more than one variable in modern JavaScript. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes (and more) first! The source code from the...

Dig into what React is and how it works, especially inside WordPress, with Aurooba and Brian as they set up the basic environment and load up a little React component inside a WordPress post. Part one of a series of episodes where they'll transform their code into a working accordion block. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes (and more) first! The source code from...

Two long-time remote workers share their history and their best practices for working from home. Aurooba covers how to socialize yourself and fight loneliness, and Brian shares his tips for creating boundaries when you have five kids outside your office door all day. They discuss some of the tools they use, the best ways to have asynchronous conversations, and how to tame Slack. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to...

Brian walks Aurooba through how Bootstrap works and the conversation turns into a discussion about common design languages and the core concepts of CSS most people, frameworks, and systems employ. They also talk about the role frameworks like Bootstrap play in modern WordPress development and whether they are even necessary. 🤔 A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes (and...

Continuing where they left off, Aurooba and Brian recap their experience with ACF Blocks. Next, they look at two different ways to create native WordPress blocks: using nested inner blocks and using React components. They discuss the pros and cons of all three methods, how to plan your blocks, and when to just use block patterns. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes...

Aurooba and Brian dig into ACF Blocks and how taking a design from mockup to built with the Block Editor requires a mindset adjustment. They also talk through the code of a real ACF Block, coding LIVE on the episode and discussing the pros and cons of ACF Blocks versus native blocks – with support from GitHub Copilot, of course.  A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes...

Brian gets Aurooba to spill all the details about how she starts a new client website project. They discuss the tech stack, when to use WordPress, using plugins versus custom coding, and more. Then they dig into her project management and communication best practices, including her preposterous claim that she’s actually taught clients how to record and send her Loom videos. Oh- and they each share their best stories of projects that went completely off the rails. A full transcript of the...

Today’s episode explores the range of local WordPress environments, starting with MAMP and making it to Docker, Vagrant, and Local WP. Brian discusses the built-in WordPress local dev tool, @wordpress/env and the state of documentation. Somewhere along the way, Aurooba explains the difference between mamp-stacks and Docker. Local WP doesn't use Docker or any kind of virtualization anymore. Thanks for the correction, Andy! Learn more about that change here. A full transcript of the episode is...

Listen in as Aurooba and Brian recount their experience of trying out GitHub Copilot, debate its gender (!!), how it will affect developers in and out of the WordPress space, and what the current and possible future ethical concerns could be with AI coders. And it wouldn’t be a conversation between them if they didn’t digress into a tangent or two, of course. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and...

Introducing viewSource: a weekly conversation around tech, web development, and WordPress with hosts Aurooba Ahmed and Brian Coords. Listen in to learn a little about the hosts, their backgrounds, and the types of conversations you can expect to eavesdrop on in future episodes. A full transcript of the episode is available on the website. Watch the video podcast on YouTube and subscribe to our channel and newsletter to hear about episodes (and more) first! viewSource website -...