Web Tools #429 - Frameworks, SVG, React Tools

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The return statement in JavaScript is put in generally the same category as similar features like break, continue, yield, and so on. But return is used much more often and most of us probably take its subtleties for granted.

Most experienced developers understand how return works but I thought I'd go over its in the context of JavaScript.

Firstly, the return statement can only be used inside a function body. If it's used outside a function body, the script will throw an error. The following simple example demonstrates how return is commonly used:

As you can see, a return statement is followed by an expression to evaluate what will be returned at that point in the function body.

However, a return statement doesn't require an expression following it. If there is no expression, the function will simply stop execution at the return and resume where the function call took place, and the function will return undefined.

Any code that appears after a return inside a function body will not execute. In the following example, the last line is never reached:

Usefully, if you happen to inadvertently write code like the above, your browser console will throw a warning informing you that there's "unreachable" code in your function body.

It's also important to note that the return statement is subject to JavaScript's automatic semi-colon insertion (ASI) rules. This means you can't put the expression on the line following the return statement. This is why you'll sometimes see code like this:

Notice the expression being returned is placed on its own line – but it's surrounded by parentheses above and below. Also notice there's no semi-colon after the expression. If I included one, it would throw an error because this is considered a single line in the code, even though it's broken up.

In this case, the simple a + b expression didn't warrant the parentheses. But if my expression is lengthy and complex, this technique would allow me to make the expression easier to read by breaking it up into multiple lines and possibly even including code comments in between the lines.

Of course, the return expression is still a single expression and can often be placed on the same line as the return, without the parentheses. But it might be easier to read the code when the expression is broken up a bit using the parentheses.

That's the return statement in a nutshell. There really isn't a whole lot else to know about it, so I hope there was something new in there for you.


Now on to this week's tools!
 

Front-end Frameworks

Retool - Build Internal Tools 10x Faster
Retool gives you a powerful set of building blocks: tables, lists, charts and more. Integrate with any datasource, REST API, gRPC, or Firebase and customize your app with JS. Save hundreds of hours. sponsored 

mijin
A library of Tailwind CSS UI components built for Vue and Nuxt.js.

Soft UI Dashboard React
A free dashboard and admin template built with React and Material-UI, with over 70 individual components.

jira-clone-angular
A simplified Jira clone built with Angular, ng-zorro, and Akita.

Dopefolio
A blazing fast, responsive, multi-page portfolio template for developers that has strong Lighthouse audit scores out-of-the-box.

react-windows-ui
A set of accessible, reusable, and composable React components to build full featured Windows Fluent UI apps.

W3C Design System
An official design system of page components from the W3C that includes Sass functions/mixins, along with various layout components, and more.

MUI Treasury
A collection of ready-to-use components based on Material-UI (now newly branded as "MUI").

Next.js Subscription Payments Starter
Clone, deploy, and fully customize a SaaS subscription application with Next.js.

Precise UI
An extensive component library built with React 16 with styled-components 2 and can be used with TypeScript.

Ignite
A cutting-edge boilerplate for building React Native apps that includes a CLI, component/model generators, and more.

SnackUI
A style system for React Native and React Native Web, building on ideas from JSXStyle and SwiftUI.

On the Release Radar:

• React Suite - React components at version 5+
• NativeBase - React Native + Web components at version 3+
• MUI - Formerly Material-UI, now at version 5+
• Veustic UI - Now at version 1+ with incremental updates

Media Tools (SVG, Video, etc.)

Do You Want to Work on Meaningful Problems?
Use Tech Jobs for Good to find front-end developer jobs at organizations working on pressing issues such as fighting misinformation online, improving access to social services, and reducing carbon emissions.  sponsored 

99 Avatars
API and online tool to generate random and partially customized hand-drawn avatars.

Geometric Shapes
Not for every project but this is a library of 1300 unique and customizable SVG shapes.

WebGL-Memory
A WebGL memory tracker. Add the script to your page before you initialize WebGL and then for a given context you can ask how much WebGL memory you're using.

unplugin-icons
JS utility to access thousands of icons as components on-demand universally from various popular icon sets.

Multi-Functional Image Converter
Online tool to batch convert and batch edit images in just about any available format.
 
3D Transformer
Online tool to alter an image so it has a transformed 3D look by means of rotating, changing perspective, zooming, etc.

Open Video Downloader
A cross-platform GUI for youtube-dl built with Electron and Node.js.

xicons
SVG Icons from 8 different icon libraries made available as React or Vue components.

Poet.so
Capture and share Twitter posts as beautiful images. Just enter a Tweet URL then customize the look of the image before grabbing the image.

Dimmy.club
Device mockup generator for your app and website screenshots.

Snoweb
A beautiful set of optimized SVG icons built with HTML and CSS, many including animated hover effects.

icons.land
Search engine and API for icons from popular packs.
 

React Tools

Looking For a React Job?
Tech Jobs for Good helps connect developers to job opportunities at organizations working on pressing issues such as improving educational outcomes, eliminating barriers to mental health, and providing pro bono legal services to those in need. Find out how you can use React to make a difference today.  sponsored 

react-device-detect
Detect the user's device then render the view according to the detected device type.

React Spreadsheet
A simple, customizable, and performant spreadsheet component for React.

nuka-carousel
A React component to add a carousel to your project.

next-i18next
Translation utility for Next.js apps that adds translation content management on top of Next.js's built-in internationalization options.

React Recipes
A React Hooks utility library containing popular customized hooks.

flopflip
Flip or flop features in your React application in real-time backed by flag provider of your choice.

React Password Checklist
A React component that updates as a user types, to display the success or failure of password strength rules.

useHooks(🔥).ts
Simple React hooks, ready to use, written in TypeScript.
 
use-resize-observer
A React hook that allows you to use a ResizeObserver to measure an element's size.

React Web Editor
A simple WYSIWYG editor for React to add drag-and-drop and content editing functionality to web pages.

React-Auto-FormGenerator
A form generator for React. Just provide an array of fields and this component will generate a form from it.

react-date-range
A React component for choosing dates and date ranges.

On the Release Radar:

• react-flip-toolkit - Layout transitions at version 7+
• useSound - Sound effects React hook at version 4+
• react-markdown - Markdown component at version 7+
• react-webcam - React webcam component at version 6+
• React-Toastify - Notifications library at version 8+
• react-hot-toast - More notifications at version 2+

Commercial Apps and Classifieds

These are commercial (non-free) tools, paid classifieds, and affiliate links. You can submit a link for consideration or you can buy a classified link (will be marked "ad").

Recut - Video editor for Mac to edit videos in a fraction of the time.

Frontendor UI Library  - Library of 100+ UI Blocks & 6+ Templates. ad 

Vizcom - AI-enabled creative tools for the web.

Link Whisper - WordPress plugin to manage internal link building for SEO ad 

UIHUT - 14,000+ web design graphics, resources, and assets.

Getillustrations - 8000+ creative web and app illustrations, updated weekly.
 

A Tweet for Thought

Apparently Chrome has made a change to the way const variables behave in the console.

 

Send Me Your Tools!

Made something? Send links via Direct Message on Twitter @WebToolsWeekly (details here). No tutorials or articles, please. If you have any suggestions for improvement or corrections, feel free to reply to this email.
 

Before I Go...

If you're a programmer who enjoys doing escape rooms, you might like /dev/esc, an online escape room designed for 2-8 developers where your team codes, puzzles, and hacks its way out.

Thanks to everyone for subscribing and reading!

Keep tooling,
Louis
@WebToolsWeekly

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