When we think about web animations, CSS is one of the best and most efficient ways to create beautiful and smooth animations that come to mind. However, one of the features that might be less talked about is the animation-timeline feature, which can help us better manage animations. This feature allows us to define the timeline of animations in a more organized and adjustable manner, and through this, we can have more control over the manner and timing of the execution of animations.
The use of animation-timeline in CSS allows us to fine-tune all stages of an animation, including the start, pause, and resume of animations much more precisely. This capability enables developers to create more complex and cohesive animations and, on the other hand, provides better control over their animations.
Sometimes, we may want animations to occur simultaneously with a specific event or to pause automatically due to a defined change in a component. The animation-timeline easily provides this capability. For example, imagine an animation that starts when a user clicks and pauses when clicked again. By using the timeline, handling this behavior would be simpler and more adjustable.
We can even combine animation-timeline with various events to create animations that fulfill more complex needs. In this way, we create animations that respond more to users' needs, making them feel more engaging.
Below is a simple code example for using animation-timeline to clarify this topic further.
@keyframes example {
0% {transform: translateX(0);}
100% {transform: translateX(100px);}
}
.element {
animation-name: example;
animation-timeline: myTimeline;
animation-duration: 4s;
}In the above code, we first define an animation named example that moves an element from point 0 to 100px on the x-axis. Then, we use animation-timeline to associate this with the relevant timeline of the animation. By defining animation-duration to 4 seconds, this animation would be expected to execute in that duration.