Fresh Resources for Web Designers and Developers (August 2015)

It is the time for us to share some new stuff for web developers again. In this installment, we have a WordPress plugin that I’ve just come across and which I think is worth sharing. WordPress is a fantastic platform that can be molded into any kind of website, including an e-Commerce site through a plugin like WooCommerce.

This plugin that I’m talking about will supercharge WooCommerce with a handful of features to run a more professional e-Commerce site. On top of that we also have a couple of other plugins, JavaScript libraries, and a build tool. Let’s check them out.

Material Design Lite

A new front-end development framework from Google. With Material Design Lite (MDL), Google governs to help web developers build websites or web apps with Material Design specification. The framework comes with some notable UI components of Material Design such as the Float Action Button (FAB), the Cards, and the Icons.

Writage

A Word plugin for transforming Word documents into Markdown compliant syntax. It is built for those who prefer using Microsoft Word as their editor or those who don’t have time to deal with Markdown syntax. You can write as normal then get the Markdown syntax using this plugin. It also enables Word to open .md or .markdown file format.

RTL CSS

A tool that will automatically convert your styles into RTL CSS. A particular useful tool if your website is going to support script written from right-to-left like the Arabic. The tool works by switching and changing the supporting CSS values, like padding and text-align, so that the layout and the content align correctly when the website is in RTL mode.

Open STF

If you are an Android developer, you should find this tool useful. With Open STF, you can connect multiple Android devices and your Android apps conveniently through the browser. It also comes with several utilities useful for testing, such as the ability to type with a keyboard, taking screenshots, and copy-pasting. Open STF also support several modified Android distribution like the FireOS and CyanogenMod.

Dragula

Dragula is a new lightweight JavaScript library for creating drag-n-drop interface that is “so simple, it hurts”. Built purely with vanilla JavaScript, Dragula lets you setup drag-and-drop for your website with no dependencies, and fast performance.

Horsey

Horsey is a JavaScript library for auto-complete input fields. As the user is typing, the input will automatically show a list of keyword suggestions. It is a less-opinionated library, and fully customizable. You can even add an image next to each suggestion on the list like what you can see below.

Material Design Lite WP

Material Design Lite has been ported into a functioning WordPress theme. It integrates several Material Design Lite components like Cards to layout each post and the Navigation bar with off-canvas navigation. It also has a few options in the Customizer and in the content editor to help you better customize post presentations. More features and MDL components are going to be added in future releases.

WooCommerce Jetpack

A WordPress plugin to improve WooCommerce functionality including the ability to change the price in bulk, specify wholesale price, PDF invoicing, Credit Notes, and Packing Slip. Basically the features that are essential to run an effective e-Commerce site.

SwiftyBar

A WordPress plugin that adds a floating bar on a single post layout. The bar shows the current post title, the category, with a few social, estimate time to read the content, and links to go to a previous or the next article. All in all, it is a good plugin to improve reader engagement.

Email Template

A plugin that adds a new panel in the WordPress Customizer to customize WordPress default email template. WordPress usually sends email to users with notification for password change among other stuff, but this email is plain and boring. With this plugin you can have a nicer email template.