PatternFly 4

Install

• This assumes an environment is already set up for npm packages - if not, please use npm init following the steps at https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started/using-a-package.json.
• run npm install @patternfly/patternfly --save

When you install PatternFly 4, the package includes:

• a single file for the entire compiled library: node_modules/@patternfly/patternfly/patternfly.css
• individual files with each component compiled separately: node_modules/@patternfly/patternfly/<ComponentName>/styles.css
• a single file for the entire library's source (SASS): node_modules/@patternfly/patternfly/patternfly.scss
• individual files for each component's source (SASS): node_modules/@patternfly/patternfly/<ComponentName>/styles.scss

Any of the files above are meant for use in consuming the library. The recommended consumption approach will vary from project to project.

Development

PatternFly 4 Development requires Node v8.0.0 or greater

To setup the PatternFly 4 development environment:

• clone the project
• run npm install from the project root
• run npm run cli:setup (only needed if doing development)
• run npm run dev
• open your browser to http://localhost:8000

After working on your contribution, check for accessibility violations.

Set PatternFly 4 IP address

If Gatsby needs to run on local IP for testing on other machines or devices use npm run dev:expose which sets host to 0.0.0.0. If you want to set host to a specific IP address for example 172.17.12.1 run npm run dev -H 172.17.12.1.

Create a new component

• run pf generate component <name>

To view visit http://localhost:8000/components/

Create a new layout

• run pf generate layout <name>

To view visit http://localhost:8000/layout/

Create a new utility

• run pf generate utility <name>

To view visit http://localhost:8000/utilities/

Create a new demo

• run pf generate demo <name>

To view visit http://localhost:8000/demos/

Guidelines for CSS development

• For issues created in Core that will affect a component in PF-React, a follow up issue must be created in PF-React once the Pull Request is merged. The issue should include the Core PR #, the Core Release, a link to the component in https://pf4.patternfly.org, and information detailing the change.
• If global variables are modified in Core, a React issue should be opened to address this.
• CSS developers should ensure that animation is well documented and communicated to the respective React developer.
• Once the component/enhancement is complete it should receive sign off from a visual designer who can then update the master sketch file with any changes.

Experimental components

When creating a brand new component, it should be released as experimental in order to get feedback. This results in the css not being bundled into the full distribution (patternfly.css), but the component level css is still included in the npm package for usage.

To make a component experimental - modify the experimental-features.js file in the root and add an entry that looks like the following:

{
  name: 'Alert',
  path: 'components/Alert/'
},

Testing for accessibility

PatternFly uses aXe: The Accessibility Engine to check for accessibility violations. Our goal is to meet WCAG 2.0 AA requirements, as noted in our Accessibility guide.

How to perform an accessibility audit with aXe

aXe is available as either a browser extension or npm script.

To run the a11y audit locally:

• install the latest chromedriver and ensure its available on your system $PATH
  • macOS users can simply brew cask install chromedriver
• run npm run dev
• run npm run a11y (in another console)

The tool is configured to return WCAG 2.0 AA violations for the full page renderings of all components, layouts, utilities, and demos. The tool will provide feedback about what the violation is and a link to documentation about how to address the violation.

The same tool is also available as a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox.

Fixing violations

Ignore the violations that aren’t related to your contribution.

Fix violations related to your contribution.

If there are violations that are not obvious how to fix, then create an issue with information about the violation that was found. For example, some violations might require further discussion before they can be addressed. And some violations may not be valid and require changes to the workspace or tooling to stop flagging the violation.

If you have any suggestions about ways that we can improve how we use this tool, please let us know by opening an issue.

FAQ

CSS Variables

How do I use CSS variables to customize the library?

Browser support

PatternFly 4 is supported on the latest version of the following browsers:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

We also provide documentation for how to enable IE11 support in our wiki.