Using Bootstrap Breakpoints for a Responsive Web Design

With a greater number of individuals prioritizing the use of a mobile device over a traditional PC online resources, specifically, webpages, need to be constructed in a way that is not just usable across devices, but thoughtfully responsive to both environments.

Designers and developers need to consider a myriad of different situations to make sure that the application works as intended, but first and foremost, the site needs to look as thoughtfully designed on a mobile device as it does on a computer screen.

Having two different sites may be where some people’s minds go first, but for the purposes of consistency, a single site that is responsive to both screen sizes is the ideal situation but can muddy how to ensure everything works.

Enter, Bootstrap Breakpoints…

First, what is Bootstrap?

Bootstrap is an open-source, front-end framework that helps a developer structure the visual elements of their HTML code. More simply, it is a “CSS-assistor,” in that the structural and styling elements able to be utilized in Bootstrap are abstracted for the programmer so that the programmer can call references, often in the form of class on HTML items, for the styling to be applied.

There are a plethora of applications for the Bootstrap framework, but one of the most common instances of use is for creating responsive websites. This feature allows developers to create a single version of a website where the structure of the website is modified based on the screen size of the device being used to view the website.

The core feature that helps this happen is the employment of breakpoints.

Second, what are Breakpoints?

It is possible with traditional CSS structure to implement a consistently changing structure that allows for adjustment based on screen size. Depending on how this is set up, it can result in un-viewable information. This is because the adjustment of small text, images, or clickable elements may be set to be relative to the overall screen size. This becomes a problem when small items on a PC screen are scaled (relative to the rest of the page) down to the size of a mobile device, in turn making…