ZURB Express Template

This is an unofficial ZURB Template for use with Express and Building BLocks. It is intended to be incorporated into Zurb Foundation's CLI as an alternitive to static site prototypes.

Why make this?

Because I wanted a super lightweight MODERN server that is easy to learn, teach and use for projects.

Goals

• LIGHT weight node server
• Amazingly fast front-end prototyping using building blocks to build production ready sites in hours not days and progressively build the backend as needed.
• Optional backend for basic blogs, ecommerce, photo gallery,

Features

• Building Blocks Compatable !
• Templates !
• Handlebars HTML templates with Express
• Sass compilation and prefixing
• JavaScript module bundling with webpack
• Built-in BrowserSync/Nodemon server
  • run nodemon ./server.js localhost 8080
• For production builds:
  • CSS compression
  • JavaScript compression
  • Image compression
• Authentication
• Messaging (visitors can leave you a message).
• Optional database (javascript object prototypes by default).

Future Goals

• Heroku deployment !
• Email server using Foundation for Email and inky templates
• firebase components for plug and chug back-end
• sql / mongodb schemas and ORM's for common backend usages like blogs, ecommerce
• (Possibilities further down...)
  • Rewrite for markojs

Installation

To use this template, your computer needs:

• NodeJS (0.12 or greater)
• Git
• Zurb Foundation's CLI

USE

Using through git

git clone https://github.com/HansUXdev/zurb-express

Using the CLI

This template can be MANUALLY installed on the Foundation CLI.

To install it manually on the Foundation CLI you will need change the following files:

foundation-cli/lib/util/questions.js should look like this:

	//...
    name: 'template',
    message: 'Which template would you like to use?',
    default: 'basic',
    choices: [{
      name: 'Basic Template: includes a Sass compiler',
      value: 'basic'
    }, {
      name: 'ZURB Template: includes Handlebars templates and Sass/JS compilers',
      value: 'zurb'
    },{
      name: 'Express Template: a basic express server compatible with building blocks',
      value: 'express'
    }]

foundation-cli/lib/commands/new.js should look like this:

	//...
var repositories = {
  sites: {
    basic: 'https://github.com/zurb/foundation-sites-template.git',
    zurb: 'https://github.com/zurb/foundation-zurb-template.git',
    express: 'https://github.com/HansUXdev/zurb-express'
  },
  apps: 'https://github.com/zurb/foundation-apps-template.git',
  emails: 'https://github.com/zurb/foundation-emails-template.git'
}

npm install foundation-cli --global

Use this command to set up a blank Foundation for Sites project with this template:

foundation new --framework sites --template zurb

The CLI will prompt you to give your project a name. The template will be downloaded into a folder with this name.

Now cd to your project name and to start your project run

foundation watch

Please if you like it star this repo and tell Zurb to add it to the CLI Zurb Foundation's CLI.