CSS & JS
1. General aspects
Every Layout or Post Selection can have its own CSS and JS code.
To reduce the FCP (First Contentful Paint) metric, CSS code is added within the head tag (at the top of the page), while JS code is added as <script type=module> before the closing "body" tag (at the bottom).
Note: Advanced Views performs basic minification of CSS and JS code before adding it to the page (by removing unnecessary spacing), so you don't need to worry about removing it yourself.
1.1) Just-in-Time assets
Layouts and Post Selections are modular, and Advanced Views uses the Just-in-Time strategy for assets. This means that each page will have CSS and JS code only for the items that appear on that page.
This eliminates the need to worry about bundling, allowing you to develop templates that can be mixed by editors in any order without enqueuing them site-wide.
2.How to use it
Add a Layout and assign fields as usual. (See Creating your first Layout.)
On the Layout edit screen, switch to the CSS & JS tab.
Insert or Paste your CSS styles in the CSS Code field.
Click on the Update button to publish your changes.
3. CSS Code
3.1) Selectors
Use the 'Inspect' tool of your browser to identify which class to style. See below for magic shortcuts so you won't need to write repetitive class names when defining your styles.
Magic shortcuts are available (and will use the BEM Unique Name if defined) :
#view
.acf-view--id--X
.bem-name
#this__
.acf-view__
.bem-name__
#view__
.acf-view--id--X .acf-view__
.bem-name .bem-name__
We recommend using #view { #this__first-field { //... }, #this__second-field { //... } } format, which is possible thanks to the built-in CSS nesting.
In Practice
Display fields and their labels on one line using:
// universal
// Display fields and labels inline.
#view {
> div {
display: flex;
gap: 10px;
}
}Or alternatively turn on the 'Add classification classes to the markup' setting in the Template tab, and paste the below CSS into the CSS Code field in the CSS & JS tab:
// when adding classification classes
// Display fields and labels inline.
#view {
#this__row {
display: flex;
gap: 10px;
}
}Find classes in the Default Template
Once your Layout has been published/updated, the Default template will be generated automatically and can be seen in the Template tab.
See the 'class=""' attribute of the Twig template for each field. E.g. class="acf-view__name-link".
Then define the style in the CSS Code field on the CSS & JS tab.
Example:
// add border to image
.acf-view__category-image {
padding: 3px;
border: 1px solid #cecece;
}3.2) Enqueuing library CSS
To add complex interactive elements, like sliders, you'll need to use some libraries, which comes with their own CSS files. If you use Advanced Views Pro, read about the Front-end assets management to see the list of built-in libraries.
If you use Advanced Views Lite, or want to employ a specific library that is missing from the built-in list, you need to enqueue it on the target page.
The classic enqueuing in WordPress happens with the wp_enqueue_style function, but to avoid sitewide enqueueing (which is bad for performance), it requires manual detection of the target pages.
That's why we recommend using the CSS @import feature instead:
@import url('/wp-content/themes/mytheme/assets/slider/slider.css');Just add the import to the top of your Layout or Post Selection CSS code, and the browser will load this library on pages that require it. Don't worry if you have several components or multiple instances of the same component on a single page. According to the standard, the browser will download the library only once.
Note: We recommend bypassing the domain name and starting the path from the /wp-content folder. This ensures that the import works dynamically, regardless of the current domain (e.g., staging and live environments).
3.3) Sass usage
In Advanced Views, there is a File System Storage option. If you enable it, you can utilize Sass for Layouts and Post Selection CSS code. Check this page for details.
3.4) Tailwind usage
In Advanced Views, there is a File System Storage option. If you enable it, you can utilize Tailwind for Layouts and Post Selection CSS code. Check this page for details.
4. JS Code
Syntax note: Do not omit semicolons at the end of lines. JavaScript policy allows it only if you use line breaks afterward, but these line breaks will be removed when the JS is compressed by the framework (on the fly). If you skip a semicolon, it will cause a JavaScript error.
4.1) Web Components
A) Classic Web Components
Every Layout and Post Selection may have its own JS code. Advanced Views allows you to employ Web Components without any extra actions. The plugin, out-of-the-box, creates a unique tag wrapper for every Layout and Post Selection. As soon as you add some JS code, Advanced Views creates a Web Component for the current instance and places your JS code inside.
This means your code will be automatically executed for every Layout and Post Selection instance appearing on the page. For example, let's say we have a Layout and you want to track clicks on the links inside it.
Without Web Components, your JS code might look like this:
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
document.body.querySelectorAll('.my-object').forEach((obj) => {
obj.querySelectorAll('a').addEventListener('click', function () {
// some stuff here
});
});
});With Web Components, your code is called for every instance on the page and has the 'this' context. So, you can write it like this:
this.querySelectorAll('a').addEventListener('click', function () {
// some stuff here
});In case of the Ajax-loaded content, without Web Components, you would need to employ the MutationObserver to watch for added nodes, find target elements, and add listeners. With Web Components, no extra actions are required. The code above will be called for every new instance out of the box!
// your component name is dynamically put here
class MyComponent extends HTMLElement {
connectedCallback(){
"loading"===document.readyState?
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",this.setup.bind(this)):
this.setup()
}
setup(){
// content of your JS code field is dynamically put here
}
}
// your component name is dynamically put here
customElements.define(MyComponent, 'my-component');Note about JS imports: Don't worry, your JavaScript can still use the module imports feature. Advanced Views will dynamically move them to the top of the module. See the 'Employing JS Libraries' section below for details.
B) Web Components with the Shadow DOM
By default, web components are initialized in the non-shadow (classic) way, meaning they act like any other HTML tags. This entails that all global CSS rules (like p { color: blue; }) will be applied to the inner elements if they match.
Advanced Views provides the 'Shadow DOM' options, which utilizes the 'shadow DOM' feature of web components. This turns your element into an independent entity, preventing the application of any global styles to its internal items. It's akin to drawing on a clean canvas, where only the Layouts' CSS is applied.
This feature can be immensely useful in various scenarios.
Consider the following:
If the website you are working on is built properly, using a modular approach, it will function seamlessly. However, what if you need to add a new element to an existing website that is constructed without adherence to any specific rules, and has an abundance of global styles that introduce unwanted effects to your new element?
The straightforward solution is to override these styles. However, this process can be time-consuming, and in practice, crafting custom styling for a plain 'ul' might take 20 minutes instead of the usual 3 minutes on a website that follows best practices. This setting circumvents such hassle, allowing you to sidestep the overriding process entirely.
Shadow DOM types
There are two ways to create a shadow DOM (with a declarative template or with JavaScript). Advanced Views supports both methods. While both allow encapsulating the markup and CSS, they have some differences. To pick the best option for your case, check the comparison table below.
Declarative Shadow DOM
Made using the <template> tag, which is added on the server side. The element will be rendered before the JavaScript is loaded.
Layouts and Post Selections that are available on the page since loading.
Parsed only once, on page load. This means elements with this option can't be added later, e.g., via AJAX (like Layout inside the "Load More" of Post Selection).
JS Shadow DOM
Made using the attachShadow method call. The element will be rendered as plain HTML and turned into a Shadow DOM on the client side when JavaScript is loaded.
Layouts selected for Post Selections with the pagination feature active, or any Layouts and Post Selections added to the page after it has loaded.
May cause minor layout shifts or visual differences during loading, as all the page styles are applied to the element before JavaScript is loaded and are disabled only after JavaScript is loaded.
C) Global styles (e.g. Tailwind) and Shadow DOM
Tailwind styles are dynamically merged on the page level to avoid class duplication. This means that by default, they won't be included inside elements with the WebComponent Shadow type. However, you can use a workaround to achieve the same experience.
Let's review the following case: we have a page and need to add four elements styled with Tailwind. Meanwhile, we need to avoid Tailwind styles appearing at the page level (the default behavior). To achieve this, we can wrap our elements in a Layout and define a special comment, which will instruct Advanced Views to place the page styles there. See the example below:
<my-page>
<template shadowrootmode="open">
<!--advanced-views:styles/custom-location-->
<div>
<div class="flex flex-col font-lato">
[avf-layout name="One block" id="669137a4e4654"]
[avf-layout name="Another block" id="669138190e3ca"]
</div>
</div>
</template>
</my-page>
In this case, we can use Tailwind for any elements, Layouts and Post Selections inside this element, and Tailwind CSS styles won't appear at the page level.
<my-page>
<template shadowrootmode="open">
<!--advanced-views:styles/custom-location-->
<div>
<div class="flex flex-col font-lato">
[avf-layouts name="One block" vid="669137a4e4654"]
<slot name="ninja-form"></slot>
[avf-layouts name="Another block" id="669138190e3ca"]
</div>
</div>
</template>
<div slot="ninja-form">[ninja_form id=1]</div>
</my-page>
In this case, the content inside the slot will be inserted between the elements but will remain at the page level, making it available for any global CSS and JavaScript.
4.2) WordPress Interactivity API
Check this guide to see how to use WP Interactivity API.
4.3) Employing JS libraries
To add complex interactive elements, like sliders, you'll need to use some JS libraries. If your using Advanced Views Pro, read about the Front-end assets management to see the list of built-in libraries.
If your using Advanced Views lite, or want to employ a specific library that is missing from the built-in list, you need to:
Enqueue it on the target page
Add code to the JS field of the Layout and Post Selection to create the instance.
The classic enqueuing in WordPress happens with the wp_enqueue_script function, but to avoid sitewide enqueueing (which is bad for performance), it requires manual detection of the target pages.
That's why we recommend harnessing the modules feature. So, you add import x from "/wp-content/themes/theme_name/assets/library.js" or just import "/wp-content/themes/theme_name/assets/library.js" to the top of the JS code, and the browser will automatically load the library only for the necessary pages.
You shouldn't worry about duplication; according to the standard, the browser will import the script only once, even if the same import statement appears in several different Layout or Post Selection.
Notes on the modules
You must use the correct path to the JS library Tip: use a relative path - we recommend bypassing the domain name and starting the path from the
/wp-contentfolder. This ensures that the import works dynamically, regardless of the current domain (e.g., staging and live environments).You can use it along with the Web Components According to the JavaScript policy, all imports must be placed at the top of the module. Advanced Views adheres to this policy, so before wrapping your code into a WebComponent, Advanced Views extracts the imports to ensure they remain at the top of the module.
4.4) TypeScript usage
In Advanced Views, there is a File System Storage option. If you enable it, you can utilize TypeScript for Layout and Post Selection JS code. Check this page for details.
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