FDS Style - a CSS Framework implementation of the FPAC Design System

This digital resouce is made available across the Department and to other Federal agencies. It supports the requirements of OMB Memorandum M-16-21, “Federal Source Code Policy: Achieving Efficiency, Transparency, and Innovation through Reusable and Open Source Software". This policy requires agencies to develop plans to release at least 20 percent of new custom-developed source code as Open Source Software (OSS) when commissioning new custom software.

USDA FPAC's Visual Language and HTML/CSS Framework, as documented by the FPAC Design System.

The Design System comprises of two core repositories:

1. fds-design-system: Source code for the Design System web site, documenting the FDS Style and accompanying guidelines.
2. fds-style: Style assets (HTML, CSS, Images) available for download or install, as documented by the Design System web site.

Background

The components and style guide of the Design System follow industry-standard web accessibility guidelines and use the best practices of existing style libraries and modern web design. They are designed for use by FPAC product teams who want to create beautiful, easy-to-use, online experiences that are consistent to the FDS Style.

It was created and maintained within FPAC's ISSDOB/FBCSS division, and was initially influenced by the v1.x.x version U.S. Web Design System created and maintained by the wonderful folks at 18F.

Recent updates

Information about the most recent release can always be found in the release history. We include details about significant updates and any backwards incompatible changes along with a list of all changes.

Using fds-style assets

Two options are available for usage of fds-style HTML, CSS, Images, and Web Fonts:

• NPM Install
• Download ZIP

Install using NPM

If you have node installed on your machine, you can use npm to install the Standards. Add fds-style to your project’s package.json as a dependency:

npm install --save fds-style

The package will be installed in node_modules/fds-style. You can either use the un-compiled files found in the src/ or the compiled files in the dist/ directory. For example, if you're interested in using the Sass files (.scss) you would use the src/ directory; otherwise, dist/ is what you want.

node_modules/fds-style/
├── dist/
│   ├── css/
│   ├── fonts/
│   ├── img/
│   ├── js/
│   ├── boilerplate.html
│   └── index.html
└── src/
    ├── fonts/
    ├── img/
    ├── js/
    ├── stylesheets/
    ├── boilerplate.html
    └── index.html

The main Sass (SCSS) source file is here:

node_modules/fds-style/src/stylesheets/fds-style.scss

The compiled and minified CSS files' location:

node_modules/fds-style/dist/css/fds-style.css
node_modules/fds-style/dist/css/fds-style.min.css

Lastly, refer to Using the Boilerplate for basic guidance on HTML structure.

Download ZIP

If you don't have Node or the ability to incorporate source files into a build process (Grunt, Gulp, Webpack, etc), follow these steps to manually use the FDS Style.

Download the latest assets: https://github.com/USDA-FPAC/fds-style/releases/download/3.0.0/fds-style-3.0.0.zip

1. Visual Index

index.html is a Visual Index of this CSS Framework's Visual Language, including basic HTML elements expressed in that style. Viewable at http://usda-fpac.github.io/fds-style/index.html.

2. Boilerplate

boilerplate.html provides a non-designed starting point. It serves as general guidance for the HTML structure most typically required of an FPAC digital product. Viewable at http://usda-fpac.github.io/fds-style/boilerplate.html.

3. Manually adding to your project

Add the downloaded ZIP's assets to a relevant place in your code base — likely a directory where you keep third-party libraries:

fds-style-x.x.x/
├── css/
│   ├── fds-style.css
│   ├── fds-style.css.map
│   ├── fds-style.min.css
│   └── fds-style.min.css.map
├── fonts/
├── img/
└── js/
    └── vendor/

Note that fonts and img must be alongside css as the CSS files reference them at a specific relative path; e.g., ../img/file.png

Refer to Using the Boilerplate for further steps.

Using the Boilerplate

http://usda-fpac.github.io/fds-style/boilerplate.html

Reference this basic list for the general requirements for your typical HTML structure. Reviewing this list is perhaps best done while viewing its HTML source.

1. HTML5 doctype: <!DOCTYPE html>.
2. Wrap <html> start element in IE conditional comment.
3. Enable Responsive Web Design via <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">.
4. Reference CSS file(s) via <link> tag.
5. Reference IE conditional commented JS files to polyfill features below IE9.
6. Include IE conditional commented Browser Upgrade message.
7. Include "skipnav" anchor link, with href attribute pointing to <main> element.
8. Wrap primary contents with <main id="main-content">...</main>.
9. Build your thing!

Contributing

For complete instructions on how to contribute code, please read CONTRIBUTING.md.

If you have questions or concerns about our contributing workflow, please contact us by filing a GitHub issue.

Reuse of open-source style guides

This Design System was initially based on the Draft U.S. Web Design Standards created and maintained by the U.S. Digital Service and 18F designers and developers.

The Draft U.S. Web Design Standards are designed for use by government product teams who want to create beautiful, easy-to-use online experiences for the public. To learn more about the project, check out their blog post.

Other inspiration

Further Design System sources of inspiration - some government-oriented, some not.

• UK’s Government Digital Service’s UI Elements
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Design Manual
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Design Patterns
• Healthcare.gov Style Guide
• Vets.gov Playbook: Design
• SalesForce - Lightning Design System
• MailChimp - Patterns
• Code for America - Website Style Guide
• Google - Material Design