Snippets That Demonstrate the Power of Vue.js

When it comes to JavaScript frameworks, Vue.js is one of the most popular choices. The package enables for the creation of complex user interfaces in relatively short order. And it features a fairly simple learning curve for those who already work with HTML, CSS and JS.

You can implement Vue incrementally and it has the ability to work in conjunction with other libraries. There’s a high level of flexibility here that opens up a world of possibilities.

In order to show you what this open source framework is capable of, we looked far and wide into the archives of CodePen. Here are some of the more powerful and interesting uses we found.

Drag and Draw

This snippet shows Vue’s ability to create an interactive UI that goes beyond just your normal button-clicking. Simply drag your cursor around the screen and see your drawings appear – then fade into nothing. You have tons of color choices, or go all-out with the “Psycho” mode.

Chart a Path

Charts and graphs are a terrific place to leverage a JavaScript framework. Here, Vue provides the opportunity to interact with the data – not to mention a slick animation to grab a user’s attention.

A Vue of the Past

When you have a tool that will help you build just about any type of UI, why not go retro? This Windows 98-like screen is pretty faithful to the original. Click the “Start” button and a small menu appears. Click on “Settings” and you can change features such as the background and even the clock display. Now, if it could just recreate the vaunted BSoD…

Time for a Quick Chat?

While the examples above were fairly narrow in their scope, here we have a full-blown chat application. To try it out, create an “account” (please, no passwords that you use elsewhere) and you’ll be taken to a page where, yes, you can really chat and see a list of online users. It goes to show that you can build something as in-depth as you like.

A Better Way to Search

Perhaps the best reason to use a tool like Vue is to improve the user experience. All the fancy animations and transitions in the world mean nothing if your interface is too difficult to use. That’s what makes this Wikipedia search UI so great. It not only looks awesome, but it brings a sophisticated search capability that is also easy to navigate.

Virtual Trading Cards

Odds are, you probably purchased a pack of trading cards at some point during your childhood. Whether it was for your favorite sport (such as the fictional baseball cards in this pen) or game, these little bits of cardboard brought you closer to what you love. Here, we have a set of Vue-powered virtual cards that can be flipped over so that you can check out some interactive stats. There is also a neat search feature included.

Mail Call

Here’s an example of how Vue is able to work with other frameworks and libraries. This slick mail app leverages the magic of GSAP to provide some outstanding special effects. You can click around to view messages, write a message of your own or hit the settings icon and change the theme.

You’ll Sort It Out

When you have a large amount of tabular data, it can be difficult for users to pick out the information they need. One way to simplify the process is to allow the data to be sorted and filtered in various ways. That’s exactly what this table of top-grossing films does. You can sort the listing by column and a search feature lets you instantly find a specific item. This is how code can help to solve problems.

Building a Better UI (and Beyond)

Frameworks like Vue, or its counterpart React, allow us to implement some powerful form and function into our projects. The idea is to combine a fast, user-friendly interface with the ability for users to easily interact with it. In other words, it’s about providing a more app-like experience.

And it seems like we’re only starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible. It’s easy to see why many consider these interfaces as the future of the web.