svelte-kit-vice/docs/theming/motion-guide.md

---
title: Motion — implementation guide
type: guide
audience: human + agent
status: current
source: migrated from src/uix/eidos/MOTION_GUIDE.md (2026-07-02, docs-book F7.3)
---

# Motion — implementation guide

> **The developer front door for animating UIX.** Task-oriented: pick the recipe that
> matches what you're animating. For the *model & engine architecture* read
> [`eidos-motion.md`](./motion.md); for the *design decisions & history* (incl. the
> retired "coordinated" engine) read [`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md); for
> the *engine API* read [`src/arts/motion/README.md`](../../src/arts/motion/README.md).

Animation in UIX is **declarative CSS by default** (no JS engine in the hot path) and **one
selector** — the `motion` prop, which maps to a `data-animation-style` attribute the generated
foundation CSS reacts to. A small physics engine (`uix.motion`) runs the JS drivers (`spring`)
when a preset asks for them. Every preset is **reduced-motion-aware for free**.

---

## 1. The model in a minute — three domains

The `motion` prop exists on (almost) anything, but it does NOT mean the same thing everywhere.
The discriminant is one question:

> **Does the animation realize a perceptual EVENT** — something *appears* / is *committed* /
> *claims attention* / is *still in progress*?

| Domain | Triggered by | Owned by | `motion` is… |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **event** | `data-event-*` (during a sema signal's hold) | morfo (declares it) + sema (the firma: + sound/haptic) | an explicit **override** of the event's signature (or a violation if it should *be* an event) |
| **state** | `data-state` (`open`/`closed`, `selected`…) | the state-preset (recipe) | **selects** which preset reacts to the state |
| **content** | nothing — it runs on mount / forever | the prop, directly | the **primary** trigger (no event, no state to compose with) |

A spinner is **event** (`sustain` — "a live process"); a pulsing logo is **content** (it
communicates nothing operational). Same SVG, different domain — the question separates them.

The **content domain is a usage pattern over the state-preset machinery**: `motionAttrs` /
`<Motion>` set a *constant* presentation `data-state="open"` so the existing enter rule plays.
So at the engine level there are still **two moments** (event-signatures + state-presets, see
`eidos-motion.md`); "three domains" is the *usage* framing.

---

## 2. The `motion` selector

```svelte
<Popover.Content motion="scale-fade"> … </Popover.Content>   <!-- a component prop -->
<div {...motionAttrs('fade')}> … </div>                       <!-- a bare element -->
<Motion motion="spring-pop"> … </Motion>                      <!-- a content wrapper -->
```

- The value is a **registered preset name**. Built-ins autocomplete + type-check via the
  augmentable `EidosMotionPresets` registry (`lib/motion/registry.ts`); an app adds names by
  declaration-merging it. `'none'` (or `undefined`) disables — the explicit opt-out.
- Under the hood the wrapper writes `data-animation-style="<preset>"`; the generated CSS
  (`generated/base.css`) animates on it. The engine only gets involved for JS presets.

---

## 3. The preset catalog

| Preset | Kind | For | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `fade` | enter/exit | the safe default | opacity only — reduced-motion-safe by nature |
| `scale-fade` | enter/exit | popovers, dialogs, content | scale + fade; `transform-origin` aware |
| `slide-fade` | enter/exit | anchored panels (menus, tooltips) | side-aware via `data-side` |
| `slide-full` | enter/exit | drawers / sheets | full slide by edge (inset-aware) |
| `collapse` | enter/exit | accordions / disclosure | animates a measured `var(--height)` |
| `shared-axis-x` / `-y` | enter/exit | spatial navigation (Material) | directional slide + fade |
| `fade-through` | enter/exit | unrelated content swap (Material) | scale-up + fade |
| `select-pop` | **emphasis** (state domain) | a "becoming selected" confirmation | scale pop, **no opacity** (stays visible) |
| `spin` · `pulse` · `ping` · `bounce` | **loop** (content domain, infinite) | loaders · skeletons · notifications · cues | run forever while present; themeable per loop |
| `spring-pop` | **JS** (`spring` driver) | a physical bounce on an overlay | runs via `uix.motion`, not CSS |

Presence presets (`fade`/`scale-fade`/…) go **0→1** — they appear/disappear. **Never** use one
in the *state* domain (a still-visible element would flash from invisible); use an **emphasis**
preset (`select-pop`). Loops never enter/exit — they animate continuously.

---

## 4. Recipes — "how do I…"

### Animate content in & out (mount / unmount)
Wrap it in `<Motion>` — enter on mount, exit on removal (it retains the node for the preset's
declared duration, then unmounts):
```svelte
{#if show}
  <Motion motion="scale-fade"><div class="card">…</div></Motion>
{/if}
```
No extra node wanted (inline content, enter only)? Spread `motionAttrs` on your own element:
```svelte
<span {...motionAttrs('fade')}>…</span>
```
See [`components/motion/README.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/motion/README.md).

### Loop something forever
Use a loop preset on any element (loops are un-gated — they need no enter/exit lifecycle):
```svelte
<svg {...motionAttrs('spin')} style="transform-origin:center">…</svg>
```
`spin`/`pulse`/`bounce` rotate/fade/translate the element; `ping` scales+fades a ring (put it
on the ring child, with `transform-box: fill-box`). `<Motion motion="spin">` also works —
it unmounts promptly (a loop has no exit).

### Animate a stateful component's transition
A component with its OWN `data-state` machine (Card `selected`/`idle`, Switch `on`/`off`) drives
a preset via a dedicated `data-motion-state`, so the preset fires on its transition *without*
clobbering the semantic `data-state`. The pilot is `<Card motion="select-pop">` — it pops once
each time it becomes selected (animate-on, snap-off; mount-guarded). To wire a new one: keep
your `data-state`, emit `data-animation-style` + `data-motion-state="open"` when the active
transition happens (see `components/card/card.svelte`).

### Stagger a list IN and OUT
The container-driven cascade: mark the container `[data-stagger]`, give items a preset, set the
rhythm. Children inherit the container's `data-state` — ENTER cascades in (first item first),
EXIT cascades out in **reverse** (last leaves first):
```svelte
<div data-stagger data-state={open ? 'open' : 'closed'} style="--motion-stagger-each: 65ms">
  {#each items as item}<div data-animation-style="slide-fade">{item}</div>{/each}
</div>
```
Use `<Cascade {open} motion="slide-fade">` (see [`components/cascade/README.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/cascade/README.md))
for the explicit wrapper, which manages the open/closed state + retention for you. **Exit
caveat:** the container must stay in the DOM during the stagger window — give it a longer exit
or retain+unmount after `N × each + exit`. This is the §D.13.2 *pragmatic CSS bridge* for
**bounded** lists; the "parent waits for every child" version needs JS lifecycle (deferred).

### An overlay's enter/exit
Automatic. Dialog / Drawer / Popover / … animate via soma's `Presence` + the component's `motion`
prop. You only pick the preset: `<Dialog.Content motion="scale-fade">`.

### A physical spring
Use the built-in `spring-pop`, or author your own JS preset. JS presets hold functions, so they
register **directly** in `ActiveEidos` (not the serializable `EidosConfig.motion` config):
```ts
import { spring } from '$motion'
uix.motion.register('pop', {
  driver: 'spring',
  enter: spring({ values: { scale: [0.8, 1], opacity: [0, 1] }, stiffness: 300, damping: 14 }),
  reduce: 'opacity-only'
})
// + declaration-merge `EidosMotionPresets` to make `motion="pop"` type-check.
```

### Add a custom CSS preset (theme / app)
CSS presets are plain serializable data — add them to the config:
```ts
defineActiveEidos({ motion: {
  keyframes: { 'my-in': { from: { opacity: '0' }, to: { opacity: '1' } } },
  presets: { 'my-fade': { driver: 'css', enter: { keyframes: 'my-in' }, reduce: 'none' } }
}})
```

---

## 5. Reduced motion — free

A developer gets reduced-motion handling **without writing anything**:

- The pref (`motion: system | allow | reduce`) folds the OS `prefers-reduced-motion` and is
  projected as `data-motion="reduce"` on `<html>` (`arts/prefs`).
- Every CSS preset declares a `reduce` policy (`none` / `opacity-only` / `instant`); the
  generator emits `[data-motion='reduce'] …` overrides **and** a `@media (prefers-reduced-motion:
  reduce)` block, so it works with or without the JS projection.
- **Loops stop** under reduce (the element rests in its static frame).
- **JS springs honor it**: `spring()` snaps to the target and settles — no physics — when
  `ctx.reduced` (a spring IS the overshoot curve, so under reduce there must be none).
- Content via `motionAttrs`/`<Motion>` is reduced-motion-safe for free (the overrides key on
  `data-state`, which it already sets).

---

## 6. Theming & tokens

Retint timing without touching a component:

| Token | Controls |
| --- | --- |
| `--duration-{fast,moderate,slow,…,sustained}` | the canonical duration scale |
| `--motion-loop-{spin,pulse,ping,bounce}` | each loop's period (declared in `:root`) |
| `--motion-stagger-each` | the stagger rhythm (set on the `[data-stagger]` container) |
| `--motion-duration-{enter,exit}` · `--motion-ease-{enter,exit}` | per-component override on an animated element (falls back to the preset's token) |
| `[data-motion-set='expressive']` | remaps the easing curves (Carbon productive ↔ expressive) |

---

## 7. Debugging

Set **`[data-debug-stagger]`** on a stagger container: every animated child gets a corner badge
with its `:nth-child - 1` index (the CSS analog of `UIX_DEBUG_MOTION`). Opt-in → zero cost
without the attr. The stagger index (`--motion-stagger-index`), `animation-delay` and
`animation-name` are also all inspectable in DevTools' Computed pane (`@property`-typed).

---

## 8. Constraints & gotchas

- **One `data-animation-style` per element.** You can't loop AND enter/exit the *same* element
  with different presets — use nested elements (the demo loops an inner SVG inside a `<Motion>`).
- **The content domain reuses the state machinery** — `motionAttrs` stamps `data-state="open"`.
  Harmless for loops (their rule is un-gated), but don't read it as semantic state.
- **No-goals (deliberate):** layout animations / shared-layout (the `rect` driver measures ONE
  node). WebGL/canvas "ambient" backgrounds were a no-goal here until 2026-07-12 — they now
  have their own home OUTSIDE the motion system: the `arts/scene` runtime + the `Ambient`
  pack (see [`architecture/packs.md`](../architecture/packs.md)). They remain out of scope
  for the `motion` prop / preset registry — a scene is not a preset.
- **Scroll-linked travel is not a preset either.** `Background`'s parallax
  (`speed` / `depth` / `attach`) rides `animation-timeline: view()` locally in its own recipe,
  with a `ScrollProgress` fallback where the engine lacks it — deliberately NOT a `timeline`
  axis in the preset registry. A preset names a discrete transition with a duration; this is
  continuous modulation with no duration at all, driven by a scroll position rather than by a
  state change or an event. The domain is a candidate for the motion service only if a SECOND
  consumer appears ([`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md)); one
  component is not a service. See
  [`eidos/components/background/README`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/background/README.md)
  §Parallax.
- **Text effects are content animations, not motion presets.** The
  [text-effects family](../decisions/design-text-effects.md) (`TextGradient`, `TextCircular`,
  `TextBlur`, `TextFocus`, `TextScramble`) animates real text content — each owns its own
  mechanism (CSS keyframes / rAF / WAAPI) rather than the `motion` prop. `TextBlur`'s staggered
  entrance is the one that most overlaps this domain: it uses WAAPI directly today (the same
  primitive the `waapi` driver wraps) and is the natural candidate to migrate behind the motion
  service's **content domain** when [`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md)
  lands. Until then, a content entrance is not a preset.

---

## 9. Where the code lives

| Concern | Path |
| --- | --- |
| Engine (registry, run, drivers) | `src/arts/motion/` (`$motion`) |
| Preset/keyframe data + the registry | `src/uix/eidos/lib/motion/` |
| CSS generation (presets, loops, stagger, debug, reduce) | `src/uix/eidos/lib/render-css.ts` → `generated/base.css` |
| `motionAttrs` / `<Motion>` / `<Cascade>` | `src/uix/eidos/lib/motion/motion-attrs.ts`, `components/{motion,cascade}/` |
| Presence (lifecycle + awaits JS motion) | `src/uix/soma/layers/presence.svelte.ts` |
| Reduced-motion projection | `src/arts/prefs/dom-projection.ts`, `arts/adom` |