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---
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title: Motion — implementation guide
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type: guide
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audience: human + agent
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status: current
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source: migrated from src/uix/eidos/MOTION_GUIDE.md (2026-07-02, docs-book F7.3)
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---
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# Motion — implementation guide
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> **The developer front door for animating UIX.** Task-oriented: pick the recipe that
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> matches what you're animating. For the _model & engine architecture_ read
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> [`eidos-motion.md`](./motion.md); for the _design decisions & history_ (incl. the
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> retired "coordinated" engine) read [`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md); for
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> the _engine API_ read [`src/arts/motion/README.md`](../../src/arts/motion/README.md).
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Animation in UIX is **declarative CSS by default** (no JS engine in the hot path) and **one
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selector** — the `motion` prop, which maps to a `data-animation-style` attribute the generated
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foundation CSS reacts to. A small physics engine (`uix.motion`) runs the JS drivers (`spring`)
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when a preset asks for them. Every preset is **reduced-motion-aware for free**.
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---
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## 1. The model in a minute — three domains
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The `motion` prop exists on (almost) anything, but it does NOT mean the same thing everywhere.
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The discriminant is one question:
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> **Does the animation realize a perceptual EVENT** — something _appears_ / is _committed_ /
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> _claims attention_ / is _still in progress_?
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| Domain | Triggered by | Owned by | `motion` is… |
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| ----------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| **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) |
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| **state** | `data-state` (`open`/`closed`, `selected`…) | the state-preset (recipe) | **selects** which preset reacts to the state |
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| **content** | nothing — it runs on mount / forever | the prop, directly | the **primary** trigger (no event, no state to compose with) |
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A spinner is **event** (`sustain` — "a live process"); a pulsing logo is **content** (it
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communicates nothing operational). Same SVG, different domain — the question separates them.
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The **content domain is a usage pattern over the state-preset machinery**: `motionAttrs` /
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`<Motion>` set a _constant_ presentation `data-state="open"` so the existing enter rule plays.
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So at the engine level there are still **two moments** (event-signatures + state-presets, see
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`eidos-motion.md`); "three domains" is the _usage_ framing.
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---
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## 2. The `motion` selector
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```svelte
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<Popover.Content motion="scale-fade">…</Popover.Content>
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<!-- a component prop -->
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<div {...motionAttrs('fade')}>…</div>
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<!-- a bare element -->
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<Motion motion="spring-pop">…</Motion>
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<!-- a content wrapper -->
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```
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- The value is a **registered preset name**. Built-ins autocomplete + type-check via the
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augmentable `EidosMotionPresets` registry (`lib/motion/registry.ts`); an app adds names by
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declaration-merging it. `'none'` (or `undefined`) disables — the explicit opt-out.
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- Under the hood the wrapper writes `data-animation-style="<preset>"`; the generated CSS
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(`generated/base.css`) animates on it. The engine only gets involved for JS presets.
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---
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## 3. The preset catalog
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| Preset | Kind | For | Notes |
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| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
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| `fade` | enter/exit | the safe default | opacity only — reduced-motion-safe by nature |
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| `scale-fade` | enter/exit | popovers, dialogs, content | scale + fade; `transform-origin` aware |
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| `slide-fade` | enter/exit | anchored panels (menus, tooltips) | side-aware via `data-side` |
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| `slide-full` | enter/exit | drawers / sheets | full slide by edge (inset-aware) |
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| `collapse` | enter/exit | accordions / disclosure | animates a measured `var(--height)` |
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| `shared-axis-x` / `-y` | enter/exit | spatial navigation (Material) | directional slide + fade |
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| `fade-through` | enter/exit | unrelated content swap (Material) | scale-up + fade |
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| `select-pop` | **emphasis** (state domain) | a "becoming selected" confirmation | scale pop, **no opacity** (stays visible) |
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| `spin` · `pulse` · `ping` · `bounce` | **loop** (content domain, infinite) | loaders · skeletons · notifications · cues | run forever while present; themeable per loop |
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| `spring-pop` | **JS** (`spring` driver) | a physical bounce on an overlay | runs via `uix.motion`, not CSS |
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Presence presets (`fade`/`scale-fade`/…) go **0→1** — they appear/disappear. **Never** use one
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in the _state_ domain (a still-visible element would flash from invisible); use an **emphasis**
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preset (`select-pop`). Loops never enter/exit — they animate continuously.
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---
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## 4. Recipes — "how do I…"
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### Animate content in & out (mount / unmount)
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Wrap it in `<Motion>` — enter on mount, exit on removal (it retains the node for the preset's
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declared duration, then unmounts):
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```svelte
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{#if show}
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<Motion motion="scale-fade"><div class="card">…</div></Motion>
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{/if}
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```
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No extra node wanted (inline content, enter only)? Spread `motionAttrs` on your own element:
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```svelte
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<span {...motionAttrs('fade')}>…</span>
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```
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See [`components/motion/README.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/motion/README.md).
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### Loop something forever
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Use a loop preset on any element (loops are un-gated — they need no enter/exit lifecycle):
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```svelte
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<svg {...motionAttrs('spin')} style="transform-origin:center">…</svg>
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```
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`spin`/`pulse`/`bounce` rotate/fade/translate the element; `ping` scales+fades a ring (put it
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on the ring child, with `transform-box: fill-box`). `<Motion motion="spin">` also works —
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it unmounts promptly (a loop has no exit).
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### Animate a stateful component's transition
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A component with its OWN `data-state` machine (Card `selected`/`idle`, Switch `on`/`off`) drives
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a preset via a dedicated `data-motion-state`, so the preset fires on its transition _without_
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clobbering the semantic `data-state`. The pilot is `<Card motion="select-pop">` — it pops once
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each time it becomes selected (animate-on, snap-off; mount-guarded). To wire a new one: keep
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your `data-state`, emit `data-animation-style` + `data-motion-state="open"` when the active
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transition happens (see `components/card/card.svelte`).
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### Stagger a list IN and OUT
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The container-driven cascade: mark the container `[data-stagger]`, give items a preset, set the
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rhythm. Children inherit the container's `data-state` — ENTER cascades in (first item first),
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EXIT cascades out in **reverse** (last leaves first):
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```svelte
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<div data-stagger data-state={open ? 'open' : 'closed'} style="--motion-stagger-each: 65ms">
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{#each items as item}<div data-animation-style="slide-fade">{item}</div>{/each}
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</div>
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```
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Use `<Cascade {open} motion="slide-fade">` (see [`components/cascade/README.md`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/cascade/README.md))
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for the explicit wrapper, which manages the open/closed state + retention for you. **Exit
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caveat:** the container must stay in the DOM during the stagger window — give it a longer exit
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or retain+unmount after `N × each + exit`. This is the §D.13.2 _pragmatic CSS bridge_ for
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**bounded** lists; the "parent waits for every child" version needs JS lifecycle (deferred).
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### An overlay's enter/exit
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Automatic. Dialog / Drawer / Popover / … animate via soma's `Presence` + the component's `motion`
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prop. You only pick the preset: `<Dialog.Content motion="scale-fade">`.
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### A physical spring
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Use the built-in `spring-pop`, or author your own JS preset. JS presets hold functions, so they
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register **directly** in `ActiveEidos` (not the serializable `EidosConfig.motion` config):
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```ts
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import { spring } from '$motion';
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uix.motion.register('pop', {
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driver: 'spring',
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enter: spring({ values: { scale: [0.8, 1], opacity: [0, 1] }, stiffness: 300, damping: 14 }),
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reduce: 'opacity-only'
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});
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// + declaration-merge `EidosMotionPresets` to make `motion="pop"` type-check.
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```
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### Add a custom CSS preset (theme / app)
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CSS presets are plain serializable data — add them to the config:
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```ts
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defineActiveEidos({
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motion: {
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keyframes: { 'my-in': { from: { opacity: '0' }, to: { opacity: '1' } } },
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presets: { 'my-fade': { driver: 'css', enter: { keyframes: 'my-in' }, reduce: 'none' } }
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}
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});
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```
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---
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## 5. Reduced motion — free
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A developer gets reduced-motion handling **without writing anything**:
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- The pref (`motion: system | allow | reduce`) folds the OS `prefers-reduced-motion` and is
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projected as `data-motion="reduce"` on `<html>` (`arts/prefs`), before the first paint.
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- Every CSS preset declares a `reduce` policy (`none` / `opacity-only` / `instant`); the
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generator emits `[data-motion='reduce'] …` overrides and **nothing else** — eidos does not
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read media, it reads the attribute. The pref is what folds the OS hint (an explicit `allow`
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OVERRULES it), so a `@media (prefers-reduced-motion)` alongside would be a second source
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still killing the animation of a user who asked for it. Guarded by
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`src/uix/eidos/reduced-motion-media.test.ts`.
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- **Loops stop** under reduce (the element rests in its static frame).
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- **JS springs honor it**: `spring()` snaps to the target and settles — no physics — when
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`ctx.reduced` (a spring IS the overshoot curve, so under reduce there must be none).
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- Content via `motionAttrs`/`<Motion>` is reduced-motion-safe for free (the overrides key on
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`data-state`, which it already sets).
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---
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## 6. Theming & tokens
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Retint timing without touching a component:
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| Token | Controls |
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| --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `--duration-{fast,moderate,slow,…,sustained}` | the canonical duration scale |
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| `--motion-loop-{spin,pulse,ping,bounce}` | each loop's period (declared in `:root`) |
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| `--motion-stagger-each` | the stagger rhythm (set on the `[data-stagger]` container) |
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| `--motion-duration-{enter,exit}` · `--motion-ease-{enter,exit}` | per-component override on an animated element (falls back to the preset's token) |
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| `[data-motion-set='expressive']` | remaps the easing curves (Carbon productive ↔ expressive) |
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---
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## 7. Debugging
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Set **`[data-debug-stagger]`** on a stagger container: every animated child gets a corner badge
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with its `:nth-child - 1` index (the CSS analog of `UIX_DEBUG_MOTION`). Opt-in → zero cost
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without the attr. The stagger index (`--motion-stagger-index`), `animation-delay` and
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`animation-name` are also all inspectable in DevTools' Computed pane (`@property`-typed).
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---
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## 8. Constraints & gotchas
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- **One `data-animation-style` per element.** You can't loop AND enter/exit the _same_ element
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with different presets — use nested elements (the demo loops an inner SVG inside a `<Motion>`).
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- **The content domain reuses the state machinery** — `motionAttrs` stamps `data-state="open"`.
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Harmless for loops (their rule is un-gated), but don't read it as semantic state.
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- **No-goals (deliberate):** layout animations / shared-layout (the `rect` driver measures ONE
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node). WebGL/canvas "ambient" backgrounds were a no-goal here until 2026-07-12 — they now
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have their own home OUTSIDE the motion system: the `arts/scene` runtime + the `Ambient`
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pack (see [`architecture/packs.md`](../architecture/packs.md)). They remain out of scope
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for the `motion` prop / preset registry — a scene is not a preset.
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- **Scroll-linked travel is not a preset either.** `Background`'s parallax
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(`speed` / `depth` / `attach`) rides `animation-timeline: view()` locally in its own recipe,
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with a `ScrollProgress` fallback where the engine lacks it — deliberately NOT a `timeline`
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axis in the preset registry. A preset names a discrete transition with a duration; this is
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continuous modulation with no duration at all, driven by a scroll position rather than by a
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state change or an event. The domain is a candidate for the motion service only if a SECOND
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consumer appears ([`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md)); one
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component is not a service. See
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[`eidos/components/background/README`](../../src/uix/eidos/components/background/README.md)
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§Parallax.
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- **Text effects are content animations, not motion presets.** The
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[text-effects family](../decisions/design-text-effects.md) (`TextGradient`, `TextCircular`,
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`TextBlur`, `TextFocus`, `TextScramble`) animates real text content — each owns its own
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mechanism (CSS keyframes / rAF / WAAPI) rather than the `motion` prop. `TextBlur`'s staggered
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entrance is the one that most overlaps this domain: it uses WAAPI directly today (the same
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primitive the `waapi` driver wraps) and is the natural candidate to migrate behind the motion
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service's **content domain** when [`MOTION_SERVICE_RFC`](../../src/uix/eidos/MOTION_SERVICE_RFC.md)
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lands. Until then, a content entrance is not a preset.
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---
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## 9. Where the code lives
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| Concern | Path |
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| ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Engine (registry, run, drivers) | `src/arts/motion/` (`$motion`) |
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| Preset/keyframe data + the registry | `src/uix/eidos/lib/motion/` |
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| CSS generation (presets, loops, stagger, debug, reduce) | `src/uix/eidos/lib/render-css.ts` → `generated/base.css` |
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| `motionAttrs` / `<Motion>` / `<Cascade>` | `src/uix/eidos/lib/motion/motion-attrs.ts`, `components/{motion,cascade}/` |
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| Presence (lifecycle + awaits JS motion) | `src/uix/soma/layers/presence.svelte.ts` |
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| Reduced-motion projection | `src/arts/prefs/dom-projection.ts`, `arts/adom` |
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