santiparedesIntroduction
This is my first time doing a blog, so I want to talk about my most recent project, my Digital Portfolio!
To explain what I did, I used HTML, CSS, and Git/Github to make a personal domain where I could publish my projects as well as share information about myself. I also used it as a challenge to learn how to make a website from scratch.
What I learned
As I said before, I started this page from scratch. I used semantic HTML elements like header, nav, main, and footer to structure my portfolio, making it accessible and SEO-friendly.
I also incorporated a responsive design using media queries and flexible grids to manage both monitor and mobile phone screens. I must highlight the use of CSS Grid and Flexbox for creating complex layouts, like for example the contact container. These tools helped me manage the distribution of elements.
I also worked with Git and GitHub to get familiar with how it is to work collaboratively and what is important to add to the commit history. My strategy at first was to track any changes and incremental updates I made to my portfolio. However, I later realized this was inefficient. I then implemented a new strategy of committing only changes which were impactful or risky, if I ever wanted to restore the previous version.
In addition, I learned the importance of clear commit messages. This is crucial for conceptualizing quickly which core changes were made in the commit history at a glance.
I also worked with the use of branches to experiment with new features or redesigns without affecting the main project. Even though the portfolio was not public yet, I figured it was good practice to do it this way. I faced conflicts while merging branches but I quickly resolved them.
As I said before, this project is in a repository on my GitHub Page, making it live for the world to see. It includes a README.md file that describes my portfolio's purpose and features.
What I've encountered
It is not without challenges that I completed this project. While building this portfolio, I encountered many issues such as Git Conflicts and CSS layout problems, like centering divs..., but I overcame them by educating myself with resources online and a ton of experimentation.
On another note, I also discovered new techniques and tools along the way that made my life easier, such as GeeksforGeeks which taught me the common CSS practices, and GitHub actions for automatization.
Reflection and Future Goals
In conclusion, I have gained many new skills from this project. Such as source control, web design, problem-solving, etc. On another note, I improved my programming skills, working on and finishing my first Front-End project.
I plan to make future updates to my portfolio, enhancing the page by improving performance and using new technologies. I also plan to keep adding new projects and blogs as I complete them, but this is all for now, thank you for reading this blog.
