Shapes Smart Scroll Animations
Shapes Smart Scroll Animations is a micro-tool designed for developers and designers who need clean entrance animations without external libraries.
This plugin uses a Smart Grid Delay logic to detect your layout structure and animate elements naturally, whether they are in a multi-column desktop grid or a single-column mobile view.
How does it work?
Here is a deep dive into the technical advantages of Shapes Smart Scroll Animations plugin:
1. Smart Grid Delay logic
The core of this plugin is the calculateColumnsInGroup algorithm. Instead of forcing you to write complex media queries for animation delays, the plugin:
- Dynamically checks the physical position (
offsetTop) of elements. - Detects when a new row begins.
- Resets the delay counter for every new row.
- Result: Animations look professional and perfectly staggered on any screen size automatically.
2. Performance (Vanilla JS)
- Zero Dependencies: No jQuery, no GSAP, no heavy frameworks. The script is ultra-lightweight.
- IntersectionObserver API: I use the modern browser API to detect scrolling, which is much more efficient than listening to the
scrollevent. - GPU Acceleration: CSS properties use
will-changeto inform the browser ahead of time, offloading rendering to the GPU for smooth animations.
3. Accessibility first
This plugin automatically respects the user’s operating system preferences.
- Reduced Motion Support: If a visitor has “Reduce Motion” enabled in their system (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android), the plugin automatically disables all entrance animations to prevent motion sickness.
- Inclusive Design: Your site remains compliant with modern web standards without extra work.
4. Developer friendly
- No-JS Fallback: If JavaScript fails or is disabled, elements remain fully visible (opacity: 1). Your content is safe.
- CSS Variables: I moved hardcoded values to CSS Custom Properties (
:root). You can globally change animation duration, easing, or distance directly in your theme’s CSS without editing plugin files. - Simple Class System: Just add
.shps-animatedand an effect class.
Available effects
- Slide Up:
.shps-slide-up(Classic elegant entrance) - Zoom Out:
.shps-zoom-out(Modern scaling effect) - Slide Right:
.shps-slide-right - Slide Left:
.shps-slide-left
How to use?
- Single Element: Add
shps-animated shps-slide-upto any HTML element or Block. - Grid/Group: Wrap elements in a container with class
shps-groupto enable the Smart Grid Delay.
Example HTML:
<div class="shps-group">
<div class="shps-animated shps-slide-up">Card 1</div>
<div class="shps-animated shps-slide-up">Card 2</div>
<div class="shps-animated shps-slide-up">Card 3</div>
</div>
Manual delays & overrides
You have two ways to control delays manually if you want to highlight specific items.
Method 1: Helper Classes (Recommended for static HTML)
Use these classes to set a fixed delay. The plugin will detect them and skip the automatic calculation for that specific element.
.shps-delay-100(0.1s) … to.shps-delay-1000(1.0s). Numeric values in increments of 100.
Method 2: CSS Overrides (Recommended for dynamic loops)
If you are generating lists via PHP (e.g., WordPress Loop) and cannot add specific classes to individual items, use CSS with !important to override the inline styles applied by the plugin.
/* Example: Force 3rd item to wait 1 second */
.shps-group .shps-animated:nth-child(3) {
transition-delay: 1.0s !important;
}
Security & privacy
This plugin is designed to be safe and lightweight:
- 100% GDPR Compliant: No external calls, no tracking, no cookies, and no IP collection.
- Zero Dependencies: Written in pure Vanilla JS. No jQuery or external libraries that could cause conflicts.
- Database Free: The plugin does not perform any database queries (SQL), ensuring zero risk of injection attacks.
- Self-Contained: All assets are loaded locally. No reliance on external CDNs.