Overview

Basic Project Structure

/project-name/
β”œβ”€β”€ index.html          # Main HTML file
β”œβ”€β”€ css/               
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ normalize.css   # CSS reset/normalize
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ variables.css   # CSS custom properties
β”‚   └── style.css      # Main stylesheet
β”œβ”€β”€ js/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ utils/         # Utility functions
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ components/    # UI components
β”‚   └── script.js      # Main JavaScript file
β”œβ”€β”€ assets/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ images/        # Image files
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ fonts/         # Custom fonts
β”‚   └── icons/         # Icons and SVGs
└── README.md          # Project documentation

HTML Structure (index.html)

Core Elements

  • DOCTYPE declaration

  • Meta tags (charset, viewport, description)

  • Title and favicon

  • CSS and JavaScript links

  • Semantic HTML5 elements

Best Practices

  1. Use semantic HTML tags (header, nav, main, section, article, footer)

  2. Include proper meta tags for SEO

  3. Load CSS in head, JavaScript before closing body tag

  4. Use descriptive class and ID names

  5. Ensure proper document outline

  6. Include ARIA attributes for accessibility

CSS Organization

File Structure

  1. normalize.css/reset.css

    • Standardizes default styles across browsers

    • Fixes common browser inconsistencies

  2. variables.css

    • Custom properties (CSS variables)

    • Theme configuration

    • Breakpoints

    • Typography scale

  3. style.css

    • Global styles

    • Layout components

    • Utility classes

    • Media queries

CSS Best Practices

  1. Mobile-first approach

  2. Modular architecture via Atomic Design

  3. Logical property grouping

  4. CSS custom properties for theming

  5. Performance optimization

  6. Browser compatibility considerations

JavaScript Architecture

File Organization

  1. Main entry point (script.js)

    • App initialization

    • Global event listeners

    • Module imports

  2. Utility functions

    • Helper functions

    • Data manipulation

    • DOM utilities

  3. Components

    • UI component logic

    • Event handlers

    • State management

JavaScript Best Practices

  1. Modern ES6+ syntax

  2. Modular code organization

  3. Error handling

  4. Performance optimization

    • Event delegation

    • Debouncing/throttling

    • Resource loading

  5. Browser compatibility

Key Considerations

Performance

  1. Optimize asset loading

    • Minification

    • Compression

    • Lazy loading

  2. Reduce render-blocking resources

  3. Implement caching strategies

Accessibility

  1. Semantic HTML

  2. ARIA attributes

  3. Keyboard navigation

  4. Screen reader compatibility

  5. Color contrast

Responsive Design

  1. Mobile-first approach

  2. Flexible layouts

  3. Responsive images

  4. Touch-friendly interfaces

Browser Compatibility

  1. Feature detection

  2. Fallback strategies

  3. Cross-browser testing

  4. Progressive enhancement

Security

  1. Content Security Policy (CSP)

  2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) prevention

  3. HTTPS implementation

  4. Input validation

Development Workflow

Version Control

  1. Git initialization

  2. .gitignore setup

  3. Branch strategy

  4. Commit conventions

Documentation

  1. README.md

    • Project overview

    • Setup instructions

    • Dependencies

    • Development guidelines

  2. Code comments

  3. Component documentation

Testing

  1. Unit tests

  2. Integration tests

  3. Cross-browser testing

  4. Accessibility testing

Build Process

  1. Asset optimization

  2. Code minification

  3. Source maps

  4. Production builds

Getting Started

  1. Clone/copy the basic structure

  2. Customize configuration files

  3. Install necessary dependencies

  4. Set up development environment

  5. Initialize version control

  6. Document project specifics

This scaffolding provides a solid foundation for:

  • Small to medium-sized websites

  • Single-page applications

  • Progressive web apps

  • Static websites

Adapt the structure based on:

  • Project requirements

  • Team size

  • Development workflow

  • Performance needs

  • Browser support requirements

Last updated