Layout and UI

Goal

This snapshot advances Glasspoint Notes by teaching you to render a shared layout and Lit post cards.

Every numbered folder is a complete app. Run this stage independently, then compare it with the previous folder.

Prerequisites

Use Node.js 20+, npm, and a terminal. No Docker is required — each snapshot uses a local SQLite file.

Port 3006 must be free. Copy .env.example before starting database stages.

• Node.js and npm
• A code editor and terminal

Concepts

Shared layouts keep navigation consistent; Lit components encapsulate card markup.

Keep handlers thin: Express routes load data, Lit templates present escaped HTML, and mutations re-check authorization on the server.

Walkthrough

Pass sample posts into the home template.

Read the example, then open the matching snapshot. The repository includes the surrounding setup and error handling.

html`${posts.map((p) => html`<post-card .title=${p.title}></post-card>`)}`

Run and verify

Enter 03-Layout-And-UI, install dependencies, copy .env.example, and start Express on port 3006.

Open http://127.0.0.1:3006. Watch the terminal for validation and database errors.

git clone https://github.com/michaeldunga1/fcc-lit-blog.git
cd fcc-lit-blog/03-Layout-And-UI
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm run dev

Troubleshooting

Template not found usually means the views path is wrong.

For database failures, delete glasspoint.db and restart so schema and seeds recreate. Never commit .env, *.db, or node_modules.

• Read the first error first
• Restart after environment changes
• Never commit secrets

Try this

Render a friendly empty state when posts is empty.

Test a happy path and one invalid or unauthorized request.

• Make one small change
• Test it in the browser
• Compare with the next snapshot only after it works