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CSS Architecture

Table of Contents

• Overview
• When to Use
• Quick Start
• Reference Guides
• Best Practices

Overview

Build maintainable CSS systems using methodologies like BEM (Block Element Modifier), SMACSS, and CSS-in-JS patterns with proper organization and conventions.

When to Use

• Large-scale stylesheets
• Component-based styling
• Design system development
• Multiple team collaboration
• CSS scalability and reusability

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

/* Block - standalone component */
.button {
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 4px;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 16px;
  transition: all 0.3s ease;
}

/* Element - component part */
.button__icon {
  margin-right: 8px;
  vertical-align: middle;
}

/* Modifier - variant */
.button--primary {
  background-color: #007bff;
  color: white;
}

.button--primary:hover {
  background-color: #0056b3;
// ... (see reference guides for full implementation)

Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:

Guide	Contents
BEM (Block Element Modifier) Pattern	BEM (Block Element Modifier) Pattern
SMACSS (Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS)	SMACSS (Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS)
CSS-in-JS with Styled Components	CSS-in-JS with Styled Components
CSS Variables (Custom Properties)	CSS Variables (Custom Properties)
Utility-First CSS (Tailwind Pattern)	Utility-First CSS (Tailwind Pattern)

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Follow established patterns and conventions
• Write clean, maintainable code
• Add appropriate documentation
• Test thoroughly before deploying

❌ DON'T

• Skip testing or validation
• Ignore error handling
• Hard-code configuration values