Tutorial
Intermediate

How combo classes can ruin your Webflow site and how to avoid it

Using utility classes incorrectly in Webflow can lead to site-wide issues, messy code, and poor maintainability. Prioritize custom classes to maintain control and flexibility, ensuring efficient site management and future-proofing.

Summary:

Key Points from this video:

Misuse of Utility Classes:

  • Directly applying utility classes to elements can unintentionally affect multiple elements.
  • Leads to a confusing mix of combo classes, making the site hard to manage.

Impact on Maintainability:

  • Changing an element's class requires removing and reapplying multiple utility classes.
  • Overusing utilities for simple elements defeats the purpose of global reuse.

Development Restrictions:

  • Over-reliance on utilities leads to plain, templated sites.
  • Utilities cannot solve for every situation, creating unused CSS.
  • Solution: Webflow Variables:
  • Store values in reusable variables for consistency across custom classes.
  • Apply values on specific breakpoints or states without limitations.

Utility Classes Pros:

  • Speeds up workflow by quickly applying existing styles.
  • Keeps code cleaner and faster-loading by reusing classes.

Best Practice:

  • Ensure every element has a custom class.
  • Custom classes add no extra code unless styles are applied.

Future-Proofing:

  • Custom classes allow for easy, site-wide changes without affecting global styles.
  • Simplifies updating elements like headings and containers without disrupting the site.

Efficient Class Management:

  • Use custom classes first, then apply utility classes for specific styles.
  • Rename classes to change styles site-wide without extra steps.

Practical Tips:

  • If renaming classes causes a bug, temporarily change the class name and revert.
  • Use custom classes to set a base, then layer utility classes for specific changes.

Conclusion:

Always prioritize custom classes to maintain control, flexibility, and clean code in your Webflow projects, ensuring efficient site management and future-proofing.

How combo classes can ruin your Webflow site and how to avoid it
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