As a front end web developer, I’m always looking for ways to optimise my workflow, and make day to day tasks quicker and simpler.
There is a whole world of online tools and applications that help you complete tasks and provide shortcuts to get to your desired result faster. Over time i have gathered a small selection of simple tools that i use in my day to day design arsenal that i will share with you now.
CSS3 Gradient Generator
This is a great, but simple little tool for generating CSS3 gradients in super quick time. You can either use the interactive colour selection tool, or input your hex code directly and it will auto generate the appropriate CSS code needed to achieve your gradient.
I would say i use this tool at least once a day and it saves me a ton of time and effort. There are afew good CSS3 generators available, but i like how simple this one is.
HotGloo Wireframing Tool
HotGloo is a fantastic new flash based wireframing tool with mass amounts of cool features. Not only is it extremely easy to use with its drag and drop interface, but it also lets you share projects with clients and wireframe in real time. This means that you can send a viewing link to a client so that can watch you wireframe their project from any computer with an internet connection.
HotGloo isnt free, but its $14 per month (about £11) starter package is perfect for freelancers and small companies. They also offer a 15 day free trial to see if its right tool for you.
Litmus Testing
Litmus is an email testing tool that not only provides screen shots of your html emails from many different platforms, but also has a live editing function as well. This means you can test different settings across different devices all in one place. The javascript based editor lets you change CSS and html markup on the fly and shows you the changes accordingly in a neat little interface.
Litmus is fantastic for people who code many different html emails on a weekly basis and don’t have the time or resources to test on various devices at once.