Memory games are a fantastic way to practice your React skills while building something fun! In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through creating your own memory game from scratch using React.

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic React concepts (components, props, state, JSX).
• Some CSS knowledge for styling (we’ll provide basic examples).

Project Setup

1. Create a new React project:

   Bash

   npx create-react-app memory-game
   

2. Structure your project:

   src/
     components/
       Card.js
       GameBoard.js
     App.js
     styles.css
   

Building the Game

Click here for my favorite React reference book 

1. Data and Card Component

• Card Data Structure (in Card.js)

  JavaScript

  const Card = ({ id, image, isFlipped, isMatched, handleClick }) => {
    return (
      <div 
        className={`card ${isFlipped ? 'flipped' : ''} ${isMatched ? 'matched' : ''}`}
        onClick={() => handleClick(id)}
      >
        <div className="front">{/* Placeholder for a question mark or back image */}</div> 
        <div className="back">
          <img src={image} alt="Card Content" /> 
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  };
  
  export default Card;
  

• Explanation:

  • Each card has id, image, and flags for isFlipped and isMatched.
  • We use CSS classes for styling the different states of the card.

2. Game Board and Rendering

// In GameBoard.js
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import Card from './Card';
import shuffle from 'lodash.shuffle'; // Or your own shuffle function

const GameBoard = () => {
  const [cards, setCards] = useState(shuffleCards()); // We'll define shuffleCards later
  const [flippedCards, setFlippedCards] = useState([]);
  const [matchedCards, setMatchedCards] = useState([]);

  // ... Code for handleClick, checking matches (from previous examples)

  // Function to generate and shuffle card data
  const shuffleCards = () => {
    // ... Add your logic to create card objects with images  
  }

  return (
    <div className="game-board">
      {cards.map((card) => (
        <Card 
          key={card.id} 
          {...card} 
          handleClick={handleClick} 
        />
      ))}
    </div>
  );
};

export default GameBoard;

3. Core Game Logic (Explained in Previous Examples)

• handleClick (prevents invalid clicks, adds card ID to flippedCards)
• useEffect (checks for matches, updates matchedCards, resets flippedCards)

4. Styling (styles.css):

.game-board {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); /* Adjust for grid size */
}

.card { 
  /* Add styles for the card container */
}

.flipped {
  /* Styles for when the card is flipped */
}

.matched {
  /* Styles to indicate matched cards */
}

5. Win Condition, Restart, Additional Features (Choose one or two)

Deployment (Briefly mention options)

Conclusion

Congratulations on building your memory game! Try customizing its looks, adding difficulty levels, timers, or other fun features!

In web design, properly presenting images and videos across various different devices and screen sizes can be quite a challenge. This is where the CSS object-fit property becomes a game-changer, allowing developers to control how these elements fit into their containers. Object-fit is your go-to solution if you’re looking to maintain aspect ratios, fill specific areas without distortion, or simply manage how your content is displayed. This post will dive deep into the object-fit property, showcasing how it works through practical examples.

What is Object-Fit?

The object-fit property in CSS dictates how <img> or <video> elements should resize to fit their containers. It offers several strategies for resizing content, such as maintaining the original aspect ratio, filling the designated area, or even clipping content to ensure a perfect fit.

The Syntax

The syntax for object-fit is straightforward:

css

object-fit: value; 

Here, value can be one of the following:

• fill
• contain
• cover
• none
• scale-down

Exploring Object-Fit Values

Let’s explore what each object-fit value signifies and when to use it:

• Fill: Stretches the content to fit the container, possibly distorting the aspect ratio. Ideal when the content’s exact dimensions must match the container’s.
• Contain: Scales the content to fit the container while preserving its aspect ratio. All content is visible, but this may introduce empty space in the container.
• Cover: Ensures the content fully covers the container, maintaining its aspect ratio. Some content might be clipped to achieve this.
• None: Displays the content at its original size, not resizing it to fit in the container.
• Scale-Down: Acts like either none or contain, whichever results in a smaller size, effectively preventing upscaling.

Practical Examples

To illustrate how object-fit can be applied, let’s look at some examples:

Example 1: Using object-fit: cover;

Imagine you have a square container where you want to display an image without distorting its aspect ratio, even if it means clipping some parts of the image.

HTML:

html

<div class=”container”> <img src=”path/to/image.jpg” alt=”Beautiful Landscape”> </div> 

CSS:

css

.container { width: 200px; height: 200px; overflow: hidden; } .container img { width: 100%; height: 100%; object-fit: cover; } 

This setup ensures the image covers the entire container, maintains its aspect ratio, and clips any excess.

Example 2: Ensuring Full Visibility with object-fit: contain;

For situations where you want to ensure the entire image is visible without clipping:

CSS adjustment:

css

.container img { object-fit: contain; } 

Now, the image scales down to fit within the container, ensuring all content is visible, potentially adding empty space around it.

When to Use Object-Fit

Object-fit is incredibly useful in responsive design, where container sizes vary across devices. It helps in:

• Maintaining aspect ratios of images or videos.
• Filling background images without stretching.
• Ensuring visuals look good on devices of all sizes.

Conclusion

The object-fit property is a powerful tool in the CSS toolkit, enabling developers and designers to create visually consistent and appealing websites. By understanding and applying the different values of object-fit, you can ensure that your images and videos always look their best, regardless of the container size or screen resolution.

Experiment with object-fit in your next project and see the difference it makes in your responsive designs. 

Prettier is more than just a code formatter; it’s a path to unified code presentation, easing collaboration across teams and reducing time spent on styling discussions. Supporting a wide array of languages and integrations with most popular editors, Prettier ensures that your code is not only consistent but also adheres to best practices.

Installation and Initial Prettier Setup & Configuration

To get started with Prettier in your project, you’ll first need to install it. If you’re working on a node.js project, you can add Prettier as a development dependency:

bash

npm install –save-dev prettier 

Or, if you prefer using Yarn:

bash

yarn add –dev prettier 

Configuring Prettier for Your Project

Creating a .prettierrc file in your project’s root directory allows you to specify your formatting preferences. Here’s an example configuration that outlines most options you might want to customize:

json

{ “semi”: false, “tabWidth”: 2, “printWidth”: 80, “singleQuote”: true, “trailingComma”: “es5”, “jsxSingleQuote”: true, “bracketSpacing”: true, “jsxBracketSameLine”: false, “arrowParens”: “avoid”, “endOfLine”: “lf” } 

Explanation of Configuration Options

• semi: Whether to add a semicolon at the end of every statement (false means no semicolons).
• tabWidth: Number of spaces per indentation level.
• printWidth: The maximum line length where Prettier will try to wrap the code.
• singleQuote: Use single quotes instead of double quotes where applicable.
• trailingComma: Adds a trailing comma to object and array elements to minimize version control diffs (es5 allows trailing commas in ES5-compatible places).
• jsxSingleQuote: Use single quotes in JSX attributes.
• bracketSpacing: Controls the spacing between brackets in object literals, array brackets, etc.
• jsxBracketSameLine: When true, keeps the closing JSX tag of a multi-line element on the same line as the last prop.
• arrowParens: Controls the printing of parentheses around single-argument arrow function parameters (“avoid” omits the parentheses).
• endOfLine: Enforces a consistent line ending style (lf, crlf, auto).

Integrating Prettier into Your Workflow

To make the most of Prettier, integrate it into your development workflow. Adding a script in your package.json makes it easy to format your codebase consistently:

json

“scripts”: { “format”: “prettier –write .” } 

This script will format all supported files in your project directory. Run it via:

bash

npm run format 

Customizing Prettier for Different Scenarios

Remember, these settings are not one-size-fits-all. Adjust them based on your project’s needs, team agreements, or personal preferences. Prettier’s flexibility means it can adapt to various coding styles and project requirements, making it a powerful tool for maintaining code quality.

Conclusion

Prettier streamlines code formatting, allowing developers to focus on the logic and functionality of their code. By integrating Prettier into your project, you establish a consistent codebase that’s easier to read, maintain, and collaborate on. Experiment with the configurations, integrate them into your development process, and watch as Prettier transforms your coding workflow for the better.