Mastering the 7-1 SCSS Structure: A Guide to Organized and Scalable Styling in Web Development

The 7-1 SCSS structure is a popular file organization pattern for structuring SCSS in a scalable way. It helps manage larger projects by separating styles into clear categories, making it easier to find, maintain, and collaborate on styling code. The “7-1” part refers to seven folders and one main SCSS file that imports them.

Here’s how the structure typically looks:

1. Structure Overview

The scss/ folder usually contains these subfolders:

scss/
|– abstracts/
|– base/
|– components/
|– layout/
|– pages/
|– themes/
|– vendors/
|– main.scss

Each folder has a specific purpose:

1. abstracts/ – Stores global variables, mixins, functions, and other helpers that don’t output CSS on their own but are used by other SCSS files.
   • _variables.scss
   • _mixins.scss
   • _functions.scss
2. base/ – Contains base styles, such as resets and typography rules, that apply to the entire site.
   • _reset.scss
   • _typography.scss
   • _base.scss
   • _animations.scss
   • _utilities.scss
3. components/ – Holds small, reusable components like buttons, sliders, or form elements, which are modular and used across the site.
   • _button.scss
   • _form.scss
   • _card.scss
4. layout/ – Defines the main layout of the site, including the header, footer, grid systems, and sections of the layout.
   • _header.scss
   • _footer.scss
   • _grid.scss
   • _sidebar.scss
5. pages/ – Contains styles for individual pages or specific templates. For example, unique styling for the homepage or contact page.
   • _home.scss
   • _about.scss
   • _contact.scss
6. themes/ – Includes styles for different themes or design variations (e.g., light mode and dark mode).
   • _light-theme.scss
   • _dark-theme.scss
7. vendors/ – Stores styles for any external libraries or frameworks, such as Bootstrap or Normalize.css.
   • _normalize.scss
   • _bootstrap.scss

2. main.scss

This file imports all the other SCSS files, ensuring they compile into a single CSS output. The order of imports is generally:

// main.scss
@import 'abstracts/variables';
@import 'abstracts/mixins';
@import 'abstracts/functions';

@import 'vendors/bootstrap';
@import 'vendors/normalize';

@import 'base/reset';
@import 'base/typography';
@import 'base/base';

@import 'layout/grid';
@import 'layout/header';
@import 'layout/footer';

@import 'components/button';
@import 'components/form';
@import 'components/card';

@import 'pages/home';
@import 'pages/about';
@import 'pages/contact';

@import 'themes/light-theme';
@import 'themes/dark-theme';

Benefits of the 7-1 SCSS Structure

• Organization: Styles are organized by purpose, making them easy to locate.
• Scalability: Adding new features or sections is straightforward.
• Reusability: Encourages modular design, allowing styles to be reused across projects.
• Collaboration: Other developers can navigate the structure easily, which helps teams collaborate effectively.

This structure serves as a strong foundation but can be customized to fit the needs of your project.