Cathal Mac Donnacha

claude --worktree is amazing 🤌

What are some ways AI tools have helped you with your frontend projects? Specifically the design side. #frontend #ai #claude #chatgpt #webdev

I tend to use pagination when users need shareable links or to give a sense of how much data is left (e.g. “page 3 of 10 in blue t-shirts”). Use virtual scroll for endless browsing (e.g. social feeds). 📑 Pagination = easy to share & measure. 📜 Virtual scroll = easy to scroll. #frontend #ux #webdev

When diving into a new codebase I find that tests serve as the best documentation. #software #webdev #programming

I guess ChatGPT is training itself on my blog now 😂 #blogging #chatgpt #software

TIL: Chrome Dev Tools has an accessibility view ♿️ #frontend #chrome #webdev

This is a real level headed take on AI and the perceived notion that it's going to completely take over software engineering roles: youtu.be/mbEzhI3cmmo?...

React Compiler RC is now available! We've added support for swc and are working towards a stable release react.dev/blog/2025/04...

Before I begin any refactoring, I always have a look at the tests first to make sure they're up to scratch. This way I can be fairly confident that I won't break anything in the process. Emphasis on "fairly". 😂 #software #programming #frontend

"To persuade a few is better than to convince many." This has always been my approach when introducing any new tools or patterns to wider teams. #software #programming #frontend

The first thing I do when I want to familiarize myself with a new area in a codebase is check out the tests. Tests are a great form of documentation. #frontend #software #programming

🔥 Want to improve UX on your frontend? Don't make users think. Keep it simple, intuitive, and effortless. The best UX is invisible - it just works. #ux #frontend

Even though it's been out for years now, I feel like using React Query as an async state manager is a highly underrated and underused feature. tkdodo.eu/blog/react-que… #reactjs #frontend

It's important to have a healthy mindset towards feedback or setbacks. View them as opportunities to improve yourself. Focus on being constructive and solutions-focused rather than emotions-driven. #software #programming

"Writing code in JavaScript feels like skydiving without a parachute"

Starting a "brag document" was one of the best things I did for my career. It saves you a ton of mental effort and scrambling when those performance reviews come around! www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbkv... #software #career

Every #reactjs developer should read this: react.dev/learn/you-mi...

Sometimes I break production on purpose just so our users can appreciate how nice our error page is. 😁 #software #frontend #WebDevelopment

Why I don't like Snapshot Testing 👇 - Takes a lot of effort to understand if the failure is expected. - Hard to evaluate if you're even testing your component correctly (compared to specific assertions). - Often blindly updated without checking if it was a legitimate failure.

"The Staff Engineer's Path" by @whereistanya.bsky.social is a great book for anyone new to technical leadership.

There's no point looking back, because we're not going that way.

❌ Avoid storing derived state like totals, filters, or counts in useState. ✅ Calculate derived values directly in render from the existing state or props. Simple, clean, and avoids bugs caused by syncing issues! Learn more here: react.dev/learn/you-mi...

Claude 3.5 Sonnet, directly in VS Code. Available to everyone today with GitHub Copilot Free. Learn more: aka.ms/copilot-free

Introducing new tools or patterns? ✅ Focus on persuading a few key advocates rather than convincing absolutely everyone. A few believers can spark wider adoption far more effectively. #software #webdev #frontend

🔥 For actions that require sign in, avoid having a user perform the same action twice. 1. User clicks the like button on a comment. 2. User is asked to sign in. 3. User signs in successfully. ✅ Result: Comment should be displayed again and liked. #ux #webdev #frontend

✅ It's a good idea to set focus to the first input field when loading a page or popup modal. ❓Is there any reason you wouldn't want to? #ux #frontend

💻 Being able to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience is such an underrated skill. ❓Have you had to do this in the past? #software

I’ve found the fewer environments a software team has the better. Every additional environment adds cost, management overhead, out of sync risk, and delays deployment. My ideal? Just two environments - Dev and prod. Merge to main auto deploys. Feature flag as needed. 🔥

🎄Have some fun with your mock/test data. Instead of "TestUser1", "TestUser2", pick some characters from your favourite TV shows. Omar Little and Saul Goodman often make an appearance in my tests. 😁 #frontend #software #webdev

Next.js and Remix's focus on SSR has added cruft and complexity to the core React use case of building interactive apps. @tanstack.com is the antidote to this: an opinionated framework that actually helps you get stuff done rather than forcing you to optimise for someone else's e-commerce use case.

How am I just now discovering "Design Mode" in Chrome DevTools? ⭐️ 💻 #ChromDevTools #frontend #webdev

Using TanStack Query's 'Optimistic Updates' pattern is one of the best ways to improve the UX. 🚀 Just make sure it's the right fit: ✅ Great for scenarios with high success likelihood (e.g. likes, toggles). ❌ Avoid for critical, high-risk actions or long flows (e.g. payments, irreversible changes).

Ever wondered when you should adopt a new CSS feature? Read this 👇

Just updated all of my articles 🦋 😀

I'm surprised to see how often "data-testid" is still used. I find it much more beneficial to avoid implementation details like that, and to focus on testing user interactions and elements users can actually see on screen. #frontend #webdev #testing

Having solid ESLint and Prettier rules is one of the best ways to avoid nitpicks during PRs and keep consistent patterns across your project. #webdev #frontend

The #1 best state manager in 2024 is...the URL. 😁 It's simple, it's global, and can be accessed from anywhere. #webdev #frontend

Typescript highlighted a really dumb mistake I made recently and I just thought to myself how many hours I could have potentially wasted trying to debug it.

One thing I hear often is "how do we test our app in all languages/ translations?" ✅ Recommendation: Just test with the default language. It's a good idea to test that changing a language does actually apply translations, but outside of that I don't think it's worth the time investment. #webdev

Want to improve the UX on your frontend? Don't make users think. Keep interfaces simple, intuitive, and free of unnecessary complexity. Great UX is about making the user's journey effortless and enjoyable. #frontend #userexperience #uxdesign #webdev

Complex tests are often a symptom of complex solutions. #software #programming #webdev

Before I begin any refactoring in a new area, I always have a look at the tests first to make sure they're up to scratch. This way I can be fairly confident that I won't break anything in the process. Emphasis on "fairly". 😂 #software #programming #frontend #webdev

This is the best feed 👇 Posts from people you follow without reposts and replies.

🐛Every time you fix a bug, you should be writing a test for it so that it doesn't reoccur. #software #programming #webdev