Improving your Workflow with Gulp JS

Install gulp globally and locally with npm, create a project with a package.json, and set up source and build folders along with a gulpfile.js to define a default task.

Create a gulp task to copy images from source to build, then compress them with gulp image min. Use gulp newer to process only changed images for faster builds.

Learn to clean the build folder in a Gulp workflow by using the del module, installing it with npm, and running the Gulp clean task.

Create a default gulp task that runs when no task name is given, executes dependent tasks via an array (including the images task), and note concurrent execution may disrupt order.

Watch the source images folder with Gulp to auto-run the images task when new files appear or change, while avoiding cyclical dependencies and watching only required folders.

Learn to manage development and production builds in a gulp workflow using environment variables (node_env) to switch configurations, concatenate assets, and remove debugging statements.

Learn html preprocessing with gulp and the gulp preprocess plugin, using templates, variables, and scripts to build development and production pages.

Minify HTML in production builds with a gulp plugin and a preprocessor, activated when not in development, using gulp's JavaScript configuration to conditionally process and output to the destination.

Analyze production optimizations using the Gulp size plugin to report before-and-after file sizes, achieving about a 20 percent reduction while planning further asset savings.

Discover how to use the sass preprocessor to write modular scss with nesting, variables, mixins, and functions, then compile to css with gulp and monitor changes.

Learn how to convert icons to data URIs with gulp, embed images in CSS, and optimize page loading by reducing HTTP requests.

Learn post-processing with Pleeease in Gulp JS to auto-prefix CSS, optimize media queries, and produce production-ready CSS with rem fallbacks and prefixes.

Explore gulp-based javascript validation, file concatenation and minification, and non-blocking font loading, plus smooth in-page scrolling and a tweet form popup to improve page usability.

Explore javascript dependencies and load order in a gulp workflow, using dep order and gulp-concat to produce a single production file, and compare browserify as a robust alternative.

Learn how to minify JavaScript in production builds with gulp, stripping debug statements and uglifying code to reduce file size while preserving functionality.

Test your site on multiple devices using browser sync, a node tool that launches a web server, injects a script, and reloads or syncs actions across all connected browsers.

Explore the gulp plugin registry at gulpjs.com/plugins and search npmjs.org to find useful plugins by broad terms. Be pragmatic and save time by building frequent tasks with copilot plugins.

Explore a range of gulp.js resources, including official documentation, tutorials, videos, examples, and plugin creation guidance, with search tips using Google and Yahoo.

Gulp.js serves as a build system and task runner that automates web tasks, speeds up site builds, and enables image optimization, templates, sass tooling, and live browser syncing.