README.md

Tend Image Placeholder

A simple npm package to generate placeholder images for web design and development.

Features

• Generate placeholder images of specified width, height, and background color.
• Add optional text labels with customizable color and font size (basic support).
• Returns placeholder images as data URIs for easy embedding into img tags.
• Optionally save placeholder images as files.

Installation

npm install tend-image-placeholder

Use Cases

Prototyping and Wireframing

Speeding up design: Placeholders let designers quickly outline the visual structure of web pages or apps without needing the final images. This focuses development on layout and functionality early on.

Content visualization: Placeholders can represent different image types (e.g., product photos, user avatars), aiding the overall content flow even before assets are ready.

Website and App Development

Improved perceived loading speed: Instead of blank spaces where images will go, placeholders create a more fluid user experience as the rest of the content loads.

Layout preservation: Placeholders ensure that the layout doesn't dramatically shift when images finally load, preventing content jumping which can be disruptive.

Handling missing or slow images: If images fail to load, or are very slow, placeholders provide a fallback that isn't jarring for the user.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Clear structure for editors: Placeholders in a CMS give editors a defined space for images. This ensures proper image sizing and the overall visual consistency of a website.

E-commerce

Product visualization: Before product photos are available, placeholders with standard dimensions prevent layout issues and give potential customers a better sense of an item's expected appearance.

Usage

const tend = require('tend-image-placeholder');

tend.generatePlaceholder(300, 200, '#0099FF', 'white', 'Hello!')
  .then(dataUri => {
    const img = document.createElement('img');
    img.src = dataUri;
    document.body.appendChild(img);
  });

Advanced Usage (File Saving Example)

// ... (add library for file system access - e.g., const fs = require('fs'))
tend.generatePlaceholder(500, 350, '#ccc')
  .then(imageBuffer => {
    fs.writeFile('placeholder.png', imageBuffer, (err) => {
      if (err) throw err; 
      console.log('Placeholder image saved as placeholder.png');
    });
  });

Example Usage

const placeholderService = require('image-placeholder-service');

placeholderService.generatePlaceholder(300, 200, '#0099FF', 'white', 'Hello!')
  .then(dataUri => {
    const img = document.createElement('img');
    img.src = dataUri;
    document.body.appendChild(img);
  });

Configuration

The generatePlaceholder function accepts the following parameters:

• width: Image width (pixels)
• height: Image height (pixels)
• backgroundColor: Background color (hex code or color name)
• textColor: Text color (hex code or color name)
• text: Optional text to superimpose on the image

| Feature | Description | Example | |---|---|---| | Dimensions | Specify image width and height in pixels | generatePlaceholder(400, 250, ...) | | Background Color | Set background color using hex codes or common color names | generatePlaceholder(..., '#FF8C00', ...) generatePlaceholder(..., 'lightblue', ...) | | Text Overlay | Optionally add text to the image | generatePlaceholder(..., '#000', 'white', 'Sample Text') | | Text Color | Customize text color with hex codes or color names | generatePlaceholder(..., '#fff', 'red', ...) | | Output Format | Get image as a data URI (for direct embedding) or save as a file (.png, etc.) | See "Usage" sections in README |

Why use Tend?

While you could implement placeholders manually, npm packages offer:

Convenience: Ready-made solutions save you time on coding basic placeholder functionality Customization: Many packages allow you to tweak colors, text, and integration with image services. Advanced Features: Some packages provide more sophisticated placeholder types (like BlurHash) for better user experience.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

License

MIT