23
More Update on CSS Animation
OK, so now I am trying to clarify how to make the css animation works using class name swap.
The conclusion is that it does work! – but you need to apply the -webkit-transition to “destination” class not the “origin” as I first attempted. Thanks for Dave and Dean from Apple, who pointed it out.
HTML Markup used for these examles (from Apple’s doc):
<div class="box"
style="width:100px;
height:100px;
background-color:blue;"
onclick="this.className = 'boxFade'">
Tap to fade
</div>
What *Not* To Do
This worked on some older WebKit nightly builds, but not on the latest build.
The reason is the -webkit-transition properties into the newClassName definition.
/* *** This is a bad example *** */
div.box { /* this applies only to the 'before' transition state */
-webkit-transition-property: opacity;
-webkit-transition-duration: 2s;
}
div.boxFade {
opacity:0;
}
Click the box. On clicking event, the box’s opacity turns 0 immediately because the transition properties are not set for the “after” state.
What To Do – 1
This is the actual example snippet from Apple’s documentation, Safari CSS Animation Guide for iPhone OS page 13-14.
The reason this example works is that the -webkit-transition properties are defined in a generic <div> tag, not in a specified class that applied only for “before” state.
div { /* this applies for both 'before' and 'after' states */
-webkit-transition-property: opacity;
-webkit-transition-duration: 2s;
}
div.fadeAway {
opacity:0;
}
What To Do – 2
Move all the -webkit-transition properties into the newClassName definition.
div.fadeAway { /* give the transition rules to "after" state */
opacity:0;
-webkit-transition-property: opacity;
-webkit-transition-duration: 2s;
}
Now really a JavaScript-free. Yay.
22
Update: WebKit CSS Animation
Regarding to the bug on CSS animation I mentioned on last blog entry, I got a reply from an Apple developer (Quick!)
The issue:
CSS animation doesn’t work with onclick=”this.className=’newClassName’” anymore on the latest WebKit nightly build
I filed the bug on WebKit Bugzilla, and got the answer already. See the ticket.
Basically, this bug was closed (invalid) because they have decided to change the animation implementaion, from “source transition” model to “destination
transition” model.
(Read the whole explanation)
Stay tuned for the new documentation from WebKit or Apple!
UPDATE / CORRECTION (July 23, 08) – please see “More Update on CSS Animation”
19
WebKit CSS Animation Examples
According to WebKit.org, the WebKit supports the simplest kind of animation called a transition.
Transitions are specified using the following properties:
- transition-property – What property should animate, e.g., opacity.
- transition-duration – How long the transition should last.
- transition-timing-function – The timing function for the transition (e.g., linear vs. ease-in vs. a custom cubic bezier function).
- transition – A shorthand for all three properties.
Last week, I’ve noticed that Apple had published some new documentations at Developer Connection, including
Safari CSS Animation Guide for iPhone OS and Safari CSS Transforms Guide for iPhone OS (Go to download page).
Since I read the WebKit.org blog entry last year, I was interested in the CSS animation so I finally decided to give it try.
I spent some time writing several CSS tests, ran on several different WebKit browsers. and my conclusion is that:
- the animation and transforms are pretty buggy on current iPhone Safari.
- the current WebKit nightly (as of July 19) has some bugs so animation doesn’t work when swapping class names
with oncick event handler attributes like, using this.className='newClassName'.
The className swap was working perfectly, until I installed the newer build, r35231.
I will file the bug to Webit.org soon.
On latest build, build r35075 – r35231 (the newest one I tested),
changing the values of style object properties, instead, as
onclick="this.style.opacity='0'"
I wanted to create the animation entirely absent of JavaScript, but now I need to use a function to handle multiple style properties…
UPDATE / CORRECTION (July 23, 08) – please see “More Update on CSS Animation”
I still haven’t gotten a chance to try iPhone 3G yet, and I tested only on my old iPhone with the latest upgrade.
Are there any differences in between two Safaris? I doubt it.
Anyway, Open the test page I wrote in a new window!
Animate Opacity
Expected result: When a user mouse-overs the box, an object appears smoothly (opacity=.5) in 2 sec.
On mouse-click, the image fades in completely (opacity=1).
.box1 img{
opacity: 0;
-webkit-transition: opacity 2s ease-out; /* shorthand for all three properties */
}
.box1 img:hover {
opacity: .8;
}
<div class="box1">
<img src="images/apple.png"/>
</div>
Animate Position – Move to right
Expected result: the image moves to the right as fading out.
.box2{
opacity: 1;
-webkit-transition-property: opacity, left;
-webkit-transition-duration: 1s, 1.5s;
transition-timing-function: ease-in;
}
<div class="box2" onclick="this.style.opacity='0'; this.style.position='relative'; this.style.left='500px'">
<img src="images/apple.png"/>
</div>
Animate Letters – Letter-Spacing
Expected result: When the text is clicked, each letter spaces out as fading away.
It is pretty cumbersome to handle multiple style properties with onclick, so I added a JavaScript function to take care:
function switchStyles(style,obj) {
for(var prop in obj)
style[prop] = obj[prop];
}
.box3{
color: green;
opacity: 1;
-webkit-transition-property: opacity, letter-spacing;
-webkit-transition-duration: 1.5s, 2s;
transition-timing-function: ease-out, linear;
}
<div class="box3"
onclick="switchStyles(this.style,{
color : 'lime',
opacity : '0',
letterSpacing : '3em'
});">
some text to be clicked here.
</div>
Transform – Click to spin the image and fade away
Expected result: the image rotates twice (360 deg x 2) around the Z axis, as fading.
.box4{
-webkit-transition-property: -webkit-transform, opacity;
-webkit-transition-duration: 2s;
transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.42, 0, 0.58, 1.0); /* equivalent to ease-in-out */
}
<div class="box4"
onclick="switchStyles(this.style,{
webkitTransform: 'rotate(720deg) translate(1000px,0px)',
opacity: '0'
});">
<img src="images/apple.png"/>
</div>
Also, I tried CSS gradients. These still don’t seem to work on iPhone but worked on all recent WebKit nightly.
CSS Gradients – Linear and Radial
Expected results:
Linear – Green to white top-to-bottom linear gradient
Radial – White to pink center-to-outer radial gradient
Actual results:
Nicely working on WbKit nightly builds. Failed miserably on both Mac desktop and iPhone Safari 3.1.
Screenshot of the results on WebKit nightly

The syntax is as follows:
-webkit-gradient(<type>, <point> [, <radius>]?, <point> [, <radius>]? [, <stop>]*)
#gradientLinear{
float: left;
width: 180px;
height: 180px;
border: 1px solid #11276c;
background:
-webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, from(rgba(158,192,0,.85)), color-stop(1, #fff));
}
#gradientRadial{
float: left;
margin-left: .5em;
width: 180px;
height: 180px;
border: 1px solid #11276c;
background:
-webkit-gradient(radial, center center, 3, 80 80, 100, from(rgb(255,255,255)), to(rgba(228,56,132,.85)), color-stop(0%,#fff));
}
Resources:
16
iPhone Official Portal is Yahoo! … in Japan
Well, this is because Yahoo! Japan is owned by Softbank. This would never happen for the US market :-p
I wasn’t involved any of this Japanese version of Y! Mobile site, but one of my colleagues in Sunnyvale, who should be busy preparing for his wedding now, has been crazy busy for this. Congrats on the launch!
More info: 誕生! iPhone にピッタリの Yahoo! Japan
On your iPhone, go to http://ipn.yahoo.co.jp
By the way, I haven’t gotten a new iPhone yet. I thought my new boss would give it to me but it didn’t happen. Thank you very much.






