Basic Concepts

Understanding these fundamental concepts will help you make the most of FlowCraft's AI-powered design-to-code capabilities.

Core Concepts

1. Design Recognition

FlowCraft uses advanced computer vision and machine learning to analyze your designs:

Supported Input Types

• Design Files: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD files

• Image Files: PNG, JPG, SVG, WebP

• Wireframes: Hand-drawn sketches and mockups

• URLs: Live website screenshots

• Descriptions: Text-based component descriptions

What FlowCraft Detects

🎯 Layout Structure
   ├── Grid systems
   ├── Flexbox layouts
   ├── Component hierarchy
   └── Spacing patterns

🎨 Visual Elements
   ├── Colors and gradients
   ├── Typography styles
   ├── Images and icons
   └── Borders and shadows

📱 Responsive Breakpoints
   ├── Mobile layouts
   ├── Tablet adaptations
   └── Desktop variations

🔧 Interactive Elements
   ├── Buttons and links
   ├── Form controls
   ├── Navigation menus
   └── Modal patterns

2. Component Generation

FlowCraft transforms designs into production-ready code:

Generation Process

1. Analysis: AI examines design structure and elements

2. Mapping: Components are identified and categorized

3. Code Generation: Clean, optimized code is created

4. Optimization: Performance and accessibility improvements

5. Validation: Code quality and standards compliance

Output Formats

// React Component (Default)
const MyComponent = ({ title, subtitle }) => {
  return (
    <div className="component-wrapper">
      <h1>{title}</h1>
      <p>{subtitle}</p>
    </div>
  );
};

// Vue Component
<template>
  <div class="component-wrapper">
    <h1>{{ title }}</h1>
    <p>{{ subtitle }}</p>
  </div>
</template>

// Angular Component
@Component({
  selector: 'app-my-component',
  template: `
    <div class="component-wrapper">
      <h1>{{ title }}</h1>
      <p>{{ subtitle }}</p>
    </div>
  `
})

3. Styling Systems

FlowCraft supports multiple styling approaches:

Tailwind CSS (Recommended)

<div className="bg-blue-500 text-white p-4 rounded-lg shadow-md hover:bg-blue-600">
  Tailwind styled component
</div>

Benefits:

• Utility-first approach

• Consistent design system

• Excellent performance

• Easy customization

CSS Modules

import styles from './Component.module.css';

<div className={styles.container}>
  CSS Modules component
</div>

Styled Components

const StyledButton = styled.button`
  background: #3b82f6;
  color: white;
  padding: 1rem 2rem;
  border-radius: 0.5rem;
`;

4. Responsive Design

FlowCraft automatically generates responsive components:

Breakpoint System

/* Mobile First Approach */
.component {
  /* Mobile styles (default) */
  padding: 1rem;
}

@media (min-width: 640px) {
  /* Tablet styles */
  .component {
    padding: 2rem;
  }
}

@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  /* Desktop styles */
  .component {
    padding: 3rem;
  }
}

Responsive Utilities

// Tailwind responsive classes
<div className="p-4 md:p-8 lg:p-12">
  <h1 className="text-2xl md:text-4xl lg:text-6xl">
    Responsive heading
  </h1>
</div>

5. Component Architecture

FlowCraft follows modern React patterns:

Functional Components

// Modern functional component with hooks
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

const ModernComponent = ({ initialValue = 0 }) => {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(initialValue);
  
  useEffect(() => {
    document.title = `Count: ${count}`;
  }, [count]);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
        Increment
      </button>
    </div>
  );
};

Props and PropTypes

import PropTypes from 'prop-types';

const Button = ({ 
  children, 
  variant = 'primary', 
  size = 'medium',
  onClick,
  disabled = false 
}) => {
  return (
    <button
      onClick={onClick}
      disabled={disabled}
      className={`btn btn-${variant} btn-${size}`}
    >
      {children}
    </button>
  );
};

Button.propTypes = {
  children: PropTypes.node.isRequired,
  variant: PropTypes.oneOf(['primary', 'secondary', 'danger']),
  size: PropTypes.oneOf(['small', 'medium', 'large']),
  onClick: PropTypes.func,
  disabled: PropTypes.bool
};

6. Accessibility (a11y)

FlowCraft automatically includes accessibility features:

ARIA Attributes

<button
  aria-label="Close dialog"
  aria-expanded={isOpen}
  role="button"
  tabIndex={0}
>
  ×
</button>

Semantic HTML

<article>
  <header>
    <h1>Article Title</h1>
    <time dateTime="2024-01-15">January 15, 2024</time>
  </header>
  <main>
    <p>Article content...</p>
  </main>
  <footer>
    <nav aria-label="Article navigation">
      <a href="#prev">Previous</a>
      <a href="#next">Next</a>
    </nav>
  </footer>
</article>

Keyboard Navigation

const handleKeyDown = (event) => {
  if (event.key === 'Enter' || event.key === ' ') {
    event.preventDefault();
    onClick();
  }
};

<div
  role="button"
  tabIndex={0}
  onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
  onClick={onClick}
>
  Custom clickable element
</div>

Advanced Concepts

1. Design Tokens

FlowCraft extracts design tokens from your designs:

// Generated design tokens
export const tokens = {
  colors: {
    primary: '#3b82f6',
    secondary: '#6366f1',
    success: '#10b981',
    warning: '#f59e0b',
    error: '#ef4444'
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: '0.25rem',
    sm: '0.5rem',
    md: '1rem',
    lg: '1.5rem',
    xl: '2rem'
  },
  typography: {
    fontFamily: {
      sans: ['Inter', 'system-ui', 'sans-serif'],
      mono: ['Fira Code', 'monospace']
    },
    fontSize: {
      sm: '0.875rem',
      base: '1rem',
      lg: '1.125rem',
      xl: '1.25rem'
    }
  }
};

2. Component Composition

Build complex UIs from simple components:

// Base components
const Card = ({ children, className = '' }) => (
  <div className={`bg-white rounded-lg shadow-md p-6 ${className}`}>
    {children}
  </div>
);

const CardHeader = ({ children }) => (
  <div className="border-b pb-4 mb-4">{children}</div>
);

const CardContent = ({ children }) => (
  <div>{children}</div>
);

// Composed component
const UserProfile = ({ user }) => (
  <Card className="max-w-md">
    <CardHeader>
      <h2 className="text-xl font-semibold">{user.name}</h2>
    </CardHeader>
    <CardContent>
      <p className="text-gray-600">{user.bio}</p>
    </CardContent>
  </Card>
);

3. State Management

FlowCraft components support various state management patterns:

Local State (useState)

const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);
const [items, setItems] = useState([]);

Global State (Context)

const ThemeContext = createContext();

const useTheme = () => {
  const context = useContext(ThemeContext);
  if (!context) {
    throw new Error('useTheme must be used within ThemeProvider');
  }
  return context;
};

External Libraries

// Redux Toolkit
import { useSelector, useDispatch } from 'react-redux';

// Zustand
import { useStore } from './store';

// Jotai
import { useAtom } from 'jotai';

Best Practices

1. Component Design

• Keep components small and focused

• Use meaningful prop names

• Provide default values

• Include PropTypes or TypeScript

2. Performance

• Minimize re-renders with React.memo

• Use useMemo and useCallback appropriately

• Lazy load components when possible

• Optimize images and assets

3. Maintainability

• Follow consistent naming conventions

• Write self-documenting code

• Include comments for complex logic

• Use TypeScript for better type safety

4. Testing

• Write unit tests for components

• Include accessibility tests

• Test responsive behavior

• Validate prop handling

Common Patterns

1. Compound Components

const Tabs = ({ children, defaultTab = 0 }) => {
  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState(defaultTab);
  
  return (
    <TabsContext.Provider value={{ activeTab, setActiveTab }}>
      {children}
    </TabsContext.Provider>
  );
};

Tabs.List = TabsList;
Tabs.Tab = Tab;
Tabs.Panels = TabsPanels;
Tabs.Panel = TabPanel;

// Usage
<Tabs>
  <Tabs.List>
    <Tabs.Tab>Tab 1</Tabs.Tab>
    <Tabs.Tab>Tab 2</Tabs.Tab>
  </Tabs.List>
  <Tabs.Panels>
    <Tabs.Panel>Panel 1</Tabs.Panel>
    <Tabs.Panel>Panel 2</Tabs.Panel>
  </Tabs.Panels>
</Tabs>

2. Render Props

const DataFetcher = ({ url, children }) => {
  const [data, setData] = useState(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
  
  useEffect(() => {
    fetch(url)
      .then(res => res.json())
      .then(data => {
        setData(data);
        setLoading(false);
      });
  }, [url]);
  
  return children({ data, loading });
};

// Usage
<DataFetcher url="/api/users">
  {({ data, loading }) => 
    loading ? <Spinner /> : <UserList users={data} />
  }
</DataFetcher>

3. Custom Hooks

const useToggle = (initialValue = false) => {
  const [value, setValue] = useState(initialValue);
  
  const toggle = useCallback(() => setValue(v => !v), []);
  const setTrue = useCallback(() => setValue(true), []);
  const setFalse = useCallback(() => setValue(false), []);
  
  return [value, { toggle, setTrue, setFalse }];
};

// Usage
const Modal = () => {
  const [isOpen, { toggle, setFalse }] = useToggle();
  
  return (
    <>
      <button onClick={toggle}>Open Modal</button>
      {isOpen && <ModalContent onClose={setFalse} />}
    </>
  );
};

Next Steps

Now that you understand FlowCraft's basic concepts:

1. Explore Features - Dive deep into specific capabilities

2. Follow Guides - Learn advanced workflows

3. Try Tutorials - Build real projects

4. Join Community - Connect with other users

Ready to build something amazing? Let's go! 🚀