What is Less

Less is a CSS extension and dynamic style sheet language, a CSS preprocessor that can run on the client or server side, helping us customize, manage and reuse the style sheet of web pages; Less is a An open source language that is also cross-browser compatible.

#The operating environment of this article: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer, css3.

This article mainly introduces to you what Less is? Let everyone know the advantages and disadvantages of Less, I hope it will be helpful to you.

What is Less?

Less is a CSS extension and dynamic style sheet language, a CSS preprocessor that can run on the client or server side, helping us customize, manage and reuse the style of web pages surface.

Less is an open source language that is also cross-browser compatible.

What is a CSS preprocessor?

#The CSS preprocessor is a scripting language and an extension of CSS. It is compiled into regular CSS syntax, and the CSS is then read by the web browser. Less looks very similar to CSS, but it provides features like variables, functions, mixins, and operations that can help you build dynamic CSS.

Less and SASS are both examples of CSS preprocessors because they both compile and generate CSS syntax that is read by web browsers.

How to use Less?

Less is written in JavaScript and requires Node.js or a web browser to run. We can include Less.js in our website and it will compile all linked .Less stylesheets on the fly.

The advantages and disadvantages of Less

##Advantages:

1. Less is a CSS preprocessor. After compilation, it generates simple CSS, suitable for browsers.

2. Less supports cross-browser compatibility.

3. Since Less uses nesting, the code is shorter, cleaner, and organized in a specific way.

4. Since Less uses variables, maintenance can be achieved faster.

5. Less provides a series of operators to make coding faster and more time-saving.

6. Less provides @mport rules so that we can easily process external files. NOTE: The import is required because many people split the stylesheet into multiple files instead of putting it into one file.

7. Less provides merge attributes. The most exciting feature of Less is accepting multiple values ​​such as transform, transition and box-shadow.

8. Less is written in JavaScript, which can compile faster than other preprocessors for CSS.

Disadvantages:

1. If we are not familiar with CSS preprocessing, we must spend some time learning the relevant knowledge of Less.

2. Compared with older preprocessors such as SASS which include frameworks such as Compass, Gravity and Susy, Less provides fewer frameworks.

3. In Less, there is tight coupling between modules, so reusing and/or testing related modules requires more effort.

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