SASS Full Form

What is the full form of SASS?

The full form of SASS is syntactically awesome style sheets. It is a CSS pre-processor scripting language that is compiled into CSS. A CSS pre-processor language allows the developer to write code in some other programming language and then convert or translate it to CSS. SASS extends CSS by providing some mechanisms and features that are usually offered by object-oriented programming languages but not by any version of CSS. SASS is also compatible with all versions of CSS. SassScript provides mechanisms such as variables, nesting, mixins, and selector inheritance and keeps everything well organised, allowing developers to create style sheets faster.

This Story also Contains

1. Major Features of SASS
2. History Of SASS
3. Why Use SASS
4. Major Implementations of SASS
5. Characteristics of SASS
6. Benefits of Using SASS:
7. Limitations of Using SASS:

Major Features of SASS

• Variables

Sass allows developers to declare, assign, and use variables. SASS Variables start with the '$' Symbol and variables are assigned values using the ':' symbol

SassScript supports the following data types

1. Numbers

2. Strings

3. Colors and

4. Booleans

In SASS, the variables can be used as arguments or as results of the functions available in it. The values of the variables are taken and carried into the compiled CSS file

• Nesting

Nesting means enclosing one or more elements inside another. It helps the developers combine different logic structures. SASS allows its users to combine multiple CSS rules within a single common parent element. When multiple selectors are being used, SASS allows us to use one selector inside another selector to create compound selectors.

• Loops

A Loop is a block of code that is repeatedly executed until a certain condition is achieved. All programming languages implement the concept of the loop in one way or another. It helps in executing one or more statements repeatedly up to any desired number of times or until the specified conditions are not met.

Sass implements the concept of loops too. It allows the users to iterate over variables using @for, @each, and @while loops making it more convenient to apply different styles to elements with similar classes or ids. This makes loops a very efficient tool when similar types of elements are to be created repeatedly or the same statements are to be repeated a given number of times.

• Mixins

Mixin is another feature of Sass that makes things much easier. We can use a mixin to group different CSS declarations and reuse them any number of times throughout our projects. It makes the code more reusable and efficient.

History Of SASS

Hampton Catlin and Natalie Weizenbaum were the ones who designed and developed SASS. Weizenbaum and Chris Eppstein continued to extend Sass with SassScript even after the initial versions. SassScript is a scripting language used in Sass files.

Why Use SASS

1. CSS Compatible

Sass is completely compatible with all versions of CSS. So developers can seamlessly use any available CSS libraries using various other programming languages.

2. Feature Rich

Sass has more features and abilities than other CSS extension languages.

3. Industry Approved

SASS is used and trusted by developers and engineers in the IT industry as the premier CSS extension language.

4. Large Community

Sass is actively supported and developed by many tech companies and hundreds of developers.

5. Frameworks

There are an endless number of frameworks built with Sass. Bootstrap, Bourbon, and Susy just to name a few.

Major Implementations of SASS

SassScript implements multiple languages. Some of the widely used implementations are:

• C++ implementation: libSass

• Ruby implementation.

• Dart implementation.

• JavaScript implementation: npm.

• Java implementation: JSass(unofficial) and Vaadin(official)

• PHP implementation: phamlp.

• Firefox XUL extension: Firebug

Characteristics of SASS

• Sass is a CSS extension based on JavaScript.

• Sass can be used with any version of CSS.

• It is more stable and efficient when compared to CSS.

• Sass code can be compiled into readable CSS.

• It is an open-source preprocessor for CSS.

• It supports the usage of variables, nesting, mixins, etc.

• It provides various libraries and some useful inbuilt functions for manipulating colors and other values.

• Sass files have a .scss extension.

• Similar to CSS, you can comment in Sass code using either /* */or //.

• The Sass output file is structured CSS and can be modified easily.

Benefits of Using SASS:

6. It is easy to learn and CSS syntax friendly

7. Sass lets you write clean, easily, and with less than you would need in CSS.

8. It is stable, powerful, and elegant as it is an extension of CSS.

9. it is easier for developers to work more efficiently and quickly using SASS.

10. It is compatible with all versions of CSS which means any available CSS libraries can be used with SASS.

11. It lets you use nested syntax and useful functions like color manipulation, math functions and other values.

Limitations of Using SASS:

1. Developers need to learn the new features present in this SASS before using it.

2. Sass does not support the browser's built-in element inspector as it cannot be interpreted by browsers directly.

Conclusion:

Syntactically Awesome StyleSheet (Sass) is an extension of CSS. It is a pre-processor for CSS that works with any of its versions and enhances the capabilities of the CSS. It saves time and effort by allowing the use of variables, mixins, and functions instead of using redundant CSS values. It also allows us to structure our stylesheets much faster. SASS is the perfect tool for developers working on stylesheets that are more complex, larger, and difficult to maintain.