How to use the new Bootstrap Icons v1.10 web font

With the release of Bootstrap Icons v1.10, there is now an easy-to-use web font. Here’s how you can use the new web font in your web pages.

Step 1 – Download the Bootstrap Icons files

Go to icons.getbootstrap.com and download the latest release. There is a download button at the top-right corner of the page.

Step 2 – Install the Bootstrap Icons files

To use the web font on your web site you will need to extract a few files from the ZIP file.

From the fonts folder you will need bootstrap-icons.css and the fonts folder (the one inside the first fonts folder) with the bootstrap-icons.woff and bootstrap-icons.woff2 files.

Copy the CSS file and fonts folder to your website. You can copy the files to your web root folder but typically you would copy them to a folder that contains your other CSS files.

Step 3 – Include the Bootstrap Icons CSS file in your web pages

To be able to use the fonts in your web pages you will need to include the bootstrap-icons CSS file in your HEAD section of your HTML. How this is done will vary on the type of website. If you have simple HTML pages then you would need to add this to each page where you want to use the web font. If you are using a content management system like WordPress then this can be done in a template. If you are not sure use Google to search for how to add a CSS file to your CMS.

To include the CSS file you would add something like this:

<link href="bootstrap-icons.css" rel="stylesheet">

(CSS file is in same folder as the HTML document)

<link href="/bootstrap-icons.css" rel="stylesheet">

(CSS file is in your web root folder)

<link href="/css/bootstrap-icons.css" rel="stylesheet">

(CSS file is in your CSS folder)

Step 4 – Using the Bootstrap Icons web font

To include one of the icons you simply add the web font code that you can find on the Bootstrap Icons website.

For example:

<i class="bi-alarm"></i>

Each icon has it’s own class (eg. bi-alarm), and you can find these by clicking an icon on the Bootstrap Icons website.

Full example:

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
	<meta charset="utf-8">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
	<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.0-beta1/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-giJF6kkoqNQ00vy+HMDP7azOuL0xtbfIcaT9wjKHr8RbDVddVHyTfAAsrekwKmP1" crossorigin="anonymous">
	<link href="bootstrap-icons.css" rel="stylesheet">
	<title>Hello, world!</title>
</head>
<body>
	<div class="container">
		<h1>Bootstrap Icons v1.2 Example</h1>
		<p>
			<i class="bi-alarm"></i>
		</p>
	</div>
	<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.0-beta1/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-ygbV9kiqUc6oa4msXn9868pTtWMgiQaeYH7/t7LECLbyPA2x65Kgf80OJFdroafW" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
</body>
</html>

ICONS fonts Vs SVG ICONS

Before the discourse of icon fonts vs SVGs, when browsers had non-existent CSS support, images were the only way for developers to showcase icons using the classic  tag. Here is an example of an image icon.

<a href="contact-us.html">
       <img loading="lazy" src="mail.jpg" alt="email" />
</a>

Icon fonts are vectors making them scalable to any resolution, still they are not free from snags. Using icon fonts can lead to the generation of multiple server requests and can also lead to invisible text flashing during the period when font libraries are still loading. If the browser for some reason does not comprehend the icon font, a blank space is displayed. This is the reason why a lot of developers prefer the latter in icon fonts vs SVG icons.

Verdict on Icon Fonts vs SVG Icons – File Size : As far as file size is concerned Icon font has a slight advantage over SVG. However the difference in file sizes is not that prominent and can be ignored.

Verdict on Icon Fonts vs SVG Icons – Accessibility: When it comes to accessibility, SVG is the clear winner.

Verdict on Icon Fonts vs SVG Icons – Performance: SVGs have a slight edge as Icon fonts are susceptible to occasional failures.

Verdict on Icon Fonts vs SVG Icons – Scalability : In terms of scalability, SVGs have a big advantage over Icon fonts.

Verdict on Icon Fonts vs SVG Icons – Animation : SVGs over a much higher degree of versatility as compared to Icon Fonts in terms of modifications and styling control.

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