I’m excited to share something I’ve been working on: BigCommerce Toolkit, a command-line interface (CLI) for working with the BigCommerce API. It’s built for developers and store managers who prefer the command line — especially those who appreciate tools that feel Unix-native: composable, scriptable, and transparent.

Easily interface with BigCommerce from the command line

I am often asked by our clients and their partners, “Can you provide guidance on the size or dimensions of the images we should use?” The answer is quite simple: Most modern themes are designed to support any image uploaded into the page builder. Using a technology called object-fit, an image can be sized to either cover the available space or be contained within it. Here’s a brief overview of how object-fit works and why specifying exact pixel dimensions is impractical.

Learn how modern image specifications are determined

When Shopify resizes an image (using the img_url filter; i.e. most all product images), the resulting image will not be optimized. This is true even if the source image was optimized, because Shopify creates a new (resized) image file. This is also why image optimization apps like Crush.pics do not work as advertised.

Learn why Shopify Image Optimization apps should not be used

As I’ve previously written, information that is subject to change has no place in a URL. This is because a URL is an agreement to serve a specific piece of content from a predictable location for as long as possible. As Tim Berners-Lee wrote, “cool URIs don’t change.” With this in mind, designing a human-friendly bulletproof URL structure can be challenging.

Learn how to create Medium-style permalinks in Jekyll

When discussing web design, I often hear clients refer to “the fold.” Generally there is some important element that they would like displayed prominently on a page, and they will request that the element is placed “above the fold.” As a frontend developer experienced in responsive web design, knowing that viewpoint sizes vary greatly, this concept of the fold is difficult to grasp. When we say “the fold”, what exactly are we referring to? How can we respectfully share our expertise with clients to arrive at a common understanding of how the fold applies to modern web design?

Unfold the mysteries of "the fold"