<h3>Check back to see my journey.</h3>
<h1>I can annoucne I am expanding to eCommerce!</h1>
I'm delgihted to share that as of March 2022, I will no longer be working for Penknife Design. I have decided to grow my skillset and have landed a position working for a shopify agency.
This is an exciting new chapter for me and I cant wait to meet new people, work with new clients and above all learn more. Thank you Penknife for a a good few years!

A New Opportunity

<h3>Check back to see progress!</h3>
<h1>Timeline &amp; progress</h1>
<h2>Planned</h2>
General / performance
<ul>
<li>Fully migrate from React to Next
<ul>
<li>Refactor APIs so they are all done on the server</li>
<li>Updated state management engine</li>
<li>SSR certain parts of the application</li>
<li>Add in time based sessions to singn user out if inactive</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
User experience
<ul>
<li>Refresh the look of the main dashbaord and sidepanel</li>
<li>Include a help guide</li>
</ul>
Functionality
<ul>
<li>Allow for users to upload their own assets through the dashboard</li>
<li>Allow for users to control and change colour themes</li>
<li>Allow for creation of multiple projects on 1 account</li>
<li>Allow for users to further customise the transitions of each page</li>
</ul>
<h2>Future Ideas</h2>
<ul>
<li>Integrate eCommerce features into the app for users that wish to sell digital assets only (videos, files etc)</li>
<li>Allow for users to export their project as a zip package so can they host themselves</li>
<li>Include a theme / template buolder so users can quickly have access to their own templates
<ul>
<li>As opposed to building out each page with blocks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

ResponsiveRead Timeline

<h1>The next hurdle for ResponsiveRead</h1>
As the world caved in due to the pandemic, the development for ResponsiveRead became slow and has been stagnent for a few months.
However, I can announce that the development is coming back!
I will be pushing my development efforts by:
<ul>
<li>Migrating from React to Next
<ul>
<li>Allows for SSR when needed</li>
<li>Better server performance</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Adding digital assets management
<ul>
<li>Powered by cloud services</li>
<li>Allows for users to upload and use thier own images rather then relying on a stock photo library</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Greatley improving the security and performance
<ul>
<li>Various bug fixes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Adding more customisation to blocks and pages</li>
<li>Reflowing the UI and improving the UX</li>
</ul>
Future features / wishlist
<ul>
<li>1 account many projects
<ul>
<li>Currently, its 1 account 1 project based on being completley free</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Statically exported finished builds to client
<ul>
<li>Currently, once a user has finished their project, it stays hosted with us and a URL is generated for them to use</li>
<li>This will allow users to take their exported code and use wherever they like</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Custom blocks created by user
<ul>
<li>Currently, there are fixed blocks that do certain things. This would allow users to create and reuse their own flexible block</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Heres a preview of the refreshed user dashboard: 
<img style="width: 100%; max-width: 1200px;" src="http://blog.ech0.co.uk/storage/uploads/2022/03/14/Screenshot-2022-03-14-at-12.41.31_uid_622f3835ab679.png" alt="" />
Big things are coming, stay tuned.

The Next Hurdle

<h3>Scroll down to try!</h3>
<h1>What exactly is ResponsiveRead?</h1>
ResponsiveRead is a tool designed to help create responsive digital documents and reports.
Time and time again, people are still using PDF documents across a range of devices to layout and display information in various layout schemes. For example:
<ul>
<li>eBooks</li>
<li>Annual reports</li>
<li>Whitepapers</li>
<li>Case studies</li>
<li>Newsletters</li>
<li>Restuarnt menus</li>
<li>Microsoft word documents</li>
</ul>
Just to name a few...
PDF documents provide a general layout however they lack the responsiveness of a website and the user experience of an app. Thats where ResponsiveRead steps in.
ResponsiveRead aims to bridge the gap between all three (PDF, website &amp; app) to create an all in one solution providing a digital document architecture.
<h1>The history</h1>
The idea of ResponsiveRead first came about when I started developing at the company I still work at to this day, Penknife Design.
At the time, I was an apprentice just starting to get the hang of JavaScript and PHP, but during my freetime me and my mentor would research differrnt technologies to help improve our digital work. This was kind of the beggining when I learned about adding page transitions and JavaScript animations which completley changed the feel of a basic webpage.
It wasnt until after doing a few eBook style project and after hearing positive feedback, we started wondring how far we could push the idea.
Today I am still the only developer adding more and more to this product. It is currently in alpha mode and subjet to testing.
<h1>How does it work?</h1>
ResponsiveRead is mainly targeted towards the B2B sector, but can also be used and highly customisable for individual customers.
In a nutshell, a user can create an account with us which then gives them access to our web platofrm where the creation of these digital documents can take place. The platform allows the user to build their content in a drag and drop style way that appeals for individuals with no coding experience.
Alternativeliey, for larger scale pieces, the project will be completley hand written so its 100% original and unique with no templating involved.
&nbsp;
<h1>Can i try it?</h1>
Yes!&nbsp;
You can view the website <a href="https://create.responsiveread.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and try ResponsiveRead by signing up here: <a style="color: #e1ad00; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://create.responsiveread.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://create.responsiveread.com/signup</a>
After you sign up, you will then be prompted to sign onto the platform using the username and password you just created. By default the system will generate a default page for you. You can then edit this page, and new pages and blocks and experiment.
IMPORTANT
Remeber that ResponsiveRead is very much in Alpha, meaning that there are bugs and it is not an official product yet.
Here is a quick flythrough of the user dashboard and block tools: 
<video controls="controls" width="796" height="384">
<source src="http://blog.ech0.co.uk/storage/uploads/2022/03/14/rr-screen-guide_uid_622f35e3d5dad.mov" /></video>
Some of the tools consist of:
<ul>
<li>Full text editor</li>
<li>Column layout</li>
<li>Cards</li>
<li>Sections</li>
<li>Icons</li>
<li>Counter</li>
<li>Popup</li>
<li>Custom HTML area</li>
</ul>
There is also a global options area that includes things like:
<ul>
<li>Global custom CSS colour pallette</li>
<li>Custom fonts</li>
<li>Set a animation / transition style</li>
</ul>

ResponsiveRead (Alpha)

<h1>What is React?</h1>
React is a JavaScript-based UI development library. Facebook and an open-source developer community run it. Although React is a library rather than a language, it is widely used in web development. The library first appeared in May 2013 and is now one of the most commonly used frontend libraries for web development.
React offers various extensions for entire application architectural support, such as Flux and React Native, beyond mere UI.
<h1>Why React?</h1>
React&rsquo;s popularity today has eclipsed that of all other front-end development frameworks. Here is why:
<ul>
<li>Easy creation of dynamic applications: React makes it easier to create dynamic web applications because it requires less coding and offers more functionality, as opposed to JavaScript, where coding often gets complex very quickly. </li>
<li>Improved performance: React uses Virtual DOM, thereby creating web applications faster. Virtual DOM compares the components&rsquo; previous states and updates only the items in the Real DOM that were changed, instead of updating all of the components again, as conventional web applications do. </li>
<li>eusable components: Components are the building blocks of any React application, and a single app usually consists of multiple components. These components have their logic and controls, and they can be reused throughout the application, which in turn dramatically reduces the application&rsquo;s development time. </li>
<li>Unidirectional data flow: React follows a unidirectional data flow. This means that when designing a React app, developers often nest child components within parent components. Since the data flows in a single direction, it becomes easier to debug errors and know where a problem occurs in an application at the moment in question. </li>
<li>Small learning curve: React is easy to learn, as it mostly combines basic HTML and JavaScript concepts with some beneficial additions. Still, as is the case with other tools and frameworks, you have to spend some time to get a proper understanding of React&rsquo;s library. </li>
<li>It can be used for the development of both web and mobile apps: We already know that React is used for the development of web applications, but that&rsquo;s not all it can do. There is a framework called React Native, derived from React itself, that is hugely popular and is used for creating beautiful mobile applications. So, in reality, React can be used for making both web and mobile applications. </li>
<li>Dedicated tools for easy debugging: Facebook has released a Chrome extension that can be used to debug React applications. This makes the process of debugging React web applications faster and easier.</li>
</ul>
The above reasons more than justify the popularity of the React library and why it is being adopted by a large number of organizations and businesses. Now let&rsquo;s familiarize ourselves with React&rsquo;s features.
<h1>My personal experience?</h1>
For a good 2 years I didn't go anywhere near any kind of web framework. At the time I was still learning JavaScript and felt that I had no use for it with the current projects I was working on.
It wasnt until the first national lockdown that I became interested in learning a framework. I started by watching alot of online videos on YouTube and even brought a React course from a YouTuber I watch. Realisticly this was the perfect time for me to learn a new skill since there was nothing else to do, so everyday I would sit and watch another chapter of the course and slowly progress, until I was comfortable enough to bring this new skill into my workplace.
My first real project using React was a small blogging system that involved fetching an external API and using React to display the data. I was immediatley hooked after discovering how effective using React actually was. Since that first project, i have stayed well clear of WordPress or any kind of tradtitonal CMS and replaced with a much more modern headless option.

Why you should learn React

Hey, welcome to my blog!
Ive decided to start freelancing on the side to really expand my skillset and gain more experience. If you happen to come across this, please feel free to take a look at my portfolio and the type of work I can produce. Or if you have any questions about bespoke ideas get in contact with me.
In the meantime, stayed tuned for updates to my portfolio. Im going to be including alot more diffent types of projects in the near future!