I’m notoriously bad at CSS! 😅

I rarely work with it, so advanced selectors always leave me scratching my head. But thanks to AI, I don’t need to memorize them anymore!

Today’s example: I needed to style specific elements, but only if they weren’t the first one. Instead of googling CSS selectors for the hundredth time, I let Amazon Q’s new Inline Chat handle it for me. Here’s my workflow:

1️⃣ Select the CSS snippet
2️⃣ Press Ctrl+i (Cmd+I on Mac) for Q’s Inline Chat
3️⃣ Explain what I need in plain English
4️⃣ Review Q’s generated diff
5️⃣ Quick sanity check and accept!

Using AI without interrupting my coding flow really is a game changer!

There’s this handy vertical ruler feature in most IDEs, showing a simple guide line to help maintain consistent line lengths across your codebase. It’s one of those small tools that makes a big difference in keeping your code maintainable and easier to review.

Here’s how to set it up in VS Code: Open your settings file and add the editor.rulers configuration. You can set a single ruler at the traditional 80-character mark, or add multiple guides for different contexts. Here’s an example that sets the ruler at 80 characters:

    "editor.rulers": [80]

Remember, this ruler is just a visual guide - you’ll still need to format your code manually or with your preferred auto-formatter.

I’ve started testing JetBrains Fleet today. It feels a bit odd after having spent decades working with fully featured IDEs, like IntelliJ IDEA, etc. I’m not sure if I like it yet. But I guess I’ll give it a try for a few days and we’ll see if it can be a lightweight alternative, at least for simple editing, like writing this blog.