CSS Houdini- the bridge between CSS, JavaScript and the browser

CSS Houdini- the bridge between CSS, JavaScript and the browser
Serg Hospodarets @malyw

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CSS Custom Properties

Preprocessors Variables and Operators (+, -, *, /, %) $font-size:
10px; $font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; body { font: $font-size $font-family; } .mark{ font-size: 1.5 * $font-size; }

Preprocessor variable problems Each preprocessor has own syntax Additional setup
Recompilation after changes is required Compilation takes time Absence of interaction with the browser Not aware of the DOM structure

Native CSS Syntax /* declaration */ --VAR_NAME: <declaration-value>; /* usage
*/ var(--VAR_NAME) /* root element selector (global scope) */ /* usually <html> */ :root {/* make available for whole the app */ /* CSS variables declarations */ --main-color: #ff00ff; --main-bg: rgb(200, 255, 255); } body { /* variable usage */ color: var(--main-color); } "--" preﬁx picked to prevent preprocessors to compile Custom Properties

Declaration and usage

Supported in all the major browsers

Valid examples :root{ --main-color: #4d4e53; --main-bg: rgb(255, 255, 255); --logo-border-color:
rebeccapurple; --header-height: 68px; --content-padding: 10px 20px; --base-line-height: 1.428571429; --transition-duration: .35s; --external-link: "external link"; --margin-top: calc(2vh + 20px); /* Valid CSS custom properties */ /* can be reused later in, say, JavaScript. */ --foo: if(x > 5) this.width = 10; }

Declaration and use cases /* Default values */ .box{ /*---
Default values ---*/ /* 10px is used */ margin: var(--possibly-non-existent-value, 10px); /* The --main-padding variable is used */ /* if --box-padding is not defined. */ padding: var(--box-padding, var(--main-padding)); } /* Reuse values in other vars */ .box__highlight::after{ --box-text: 'This is my box'; /* Equal to --box-highlight-text:'This is my box with highlight'; */ --box-highlight-text: var(--box-text)' with highlight'; content: var(--box-highlight-text); }

Declaration and use cases

CSS-Wide Keywords and "all" Property .common-values{ /* applies the value
of the element’s parent. */ --border: inherit; /* applies the initial value as defined in the CSS specification (an empty value, or nothing in some cases of CSS custom properties). */ --bgcolor: initial; /* applies the inherited value if a property is normally inherited (as in the case of custom properties) or the initial value if the property is normally not inherited. */ --padding: unset; /* resets the property to the default value (user agent’s) (an empty value in the case of CSS custom properties). */ --animation: revert; all: initial; /* reset all other CSS styles */ /* Future? */ --: initial; /* reset all CSS custom properties */ }

All Value Parts Can Be Changed Individually /* Separate values
in CSS Custom Properties */ .transform { --scale: scale(2); --rotate: rotate(10deg); transform: var(--scale) var(--rotate); } .transform:hover{ --rotate: rotate(90deg); } .transform { transform: scale(2) rotate(10deg); } .transform:hover{ transform: scale(2) rotate(90deg); }

Emulating non- existing CSS rule

Operations: +, -, *, / :root { --block-font-size: 1rem; }
.block__highlight { /* DOESN'T WORK */ font-size: var(--block-font-size)*1.5; } CSS calc() to the rescue (for values) :root { --block-font-size: 1rem; } .block__highlight { /* WORKS */ font-size: calc(var(--block-font-size)*1.5); }

All together: calc() and change values separately

Calculate all the app colors from the base-color (theming)

Changes to Custom Props have immediate effect // SCSS .box
{ $indent: 30px; margin: $indent; /* 30px */ /* is ignored as changed after value is applied */ $indent: 50px; } .box:hover{ /* is ignored as no assignement is provided after this */ $indent: 80px; /* margin: $indent; to apply */ } // CSS .box { --indent: 30px; margin: var(--indent); /* 50px */ /* is applied as native variables are alive as other CSS props */ --indent: 50px; } .box:hover{ /* is applied, so margin: 80px; on hover */ --indent: 80px; }

CSS Properties are aware of the DOM structure //
SCSS .text { $text-size: 20px; font-size: $text-size; } .active { $text-size: 30px; } /* CSS */ .text { --text-size: 20px; font-size: var(--text-size); } .active { --text-size: 30px; }  <div class="text">.text</div> <div class="text active">.text.active</div>

Using Custom Properties With JavaScript const breakpointsData = document.querySelector('.breakpoints-data'); //
GET const phone = getComputedStyle(breakpointsData) .getPropertyValue('--phone'); // SET breakpointsData.style .setProperty('--phone', 'custom'); .breakpoints-data { --phone: 480px; --tablet: 800px; } pass breakpoints data from CSS read values... assign CSS value calculated in JS update UI depending on the application state...

Rotate page elements using CSS variables

Check if supported /* CSS */ @supports ( (--a: 0))
{ /* supported */ } @supports ( not (--a: 0)) { /* not supported */ } // JavaScript const isSupported = window.CSS && window.CSS.supports && window.CSS.supports('--a', 0); if (isSupported) { /* supported */ } else { /* not supported */ }  <link href="without-css-custom-properties.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" /> <script> if(isSupported){ removeCss('without-css-custom-properties.css'); loadCss('css-custom-properties.css'); // + apply some application enhancements // using the custom properties } </script>

Current constraints Custom CSS Properties by default are: not typed
in result - not animatable

Why animation is important

Why typed CSS properties and values are important support and
validation in IDE syntax highlight performance Browser support DevTools support linters, compilers...

Introducing CSS property types? Property Value deﬁnition ﬁeld Example value
text-align left | right | center | justify center padding-top <length> | <percentage> 5% border-width [ <length> | thick | medium | thin ]{1,4} 2px medium 4px

Houdini group CSS Properties & Values API CSS Typed OM
CSS Parser API Font Metrics API Worklets CSS Layout API CSS Paint API CSS Animation Worklet API CSS Properties & Values API CSS Typed OM

CSS Typed OM spec // CSS -> JS const map
= document.querySelector('.example').styleMap; console.log( map.get('font-size') ); // CSSSimpleLength {value: 12, type: "px", cssText: "12px"} // JS -> JS console.log( new CSSUnitValue(5, "px") ); // CSSUnitValue{value:5,unit:"px",type:"length",cssText:"5px"} // JS -> CSS // set style "transform: translate3d(0px, -72.0588%, 0px);" elem.outputStyleMap.set('transform', new CSSTransformValue([ new CSSTranslation( 0, new CSSSimpleLength(100 - currentPercent, '%'), 0 )])); behind the “Experimental Web Platform features” ﬂag in

CSS Properties and Values API CSS.registerProperty({ name: "--stop-color", syntax: "<color>",
inherits: false, initialValue: "black" });

Why it's important Without With

"syntax" of CSS properties Default: "*" Supported Values: "<length>" "<number>"
"<percentage>" "<length-percentage>" "<color>" "<image>" "<url>" "<integer>" "<angle>" "<time>" "<resolution>" "<transform-function>" Examples: "<length> | <percentage>" both, but not calc() combinations "<length-percentage>" both + calc() combinations of both types "big | bigger" accepts either value "<length>+" accepts a list of length values

And... CSS Custom Properties should be animatable since they are
provided with types? Let's try!

Native CSS Animation

Web animation API element.animate([ {cssProperty: 'fromValue'}, {cssProperty: 'toValue'} ], {
duration: timeInMs, fill: 'none|forwards|backwards|both', delay: delayInMs, easing: 'linear|easy-in|cubic-bezier()...', iterations: iterationCount|Infinity }); rabbit.animate( [ { transform: "translateX(0)" }, { transform: "translateX(115px)" } ], { duration: 1000, // ms fill: "forwards", // stay at the end easing: "easy-in-out" } ); @keyframes rabbitMove { 0% { transform: translateX(0); } 100% { transform: translateX(115px); } } .rabbit { animation: rabbitMove 1s ease-in-out; animation-fill-mode: forwards; }

Native JavaScript animation

CSS/JS/Browser CSS JavaScript Browser CSS Custom Properties CSS Property Types
Typed OM API CSSOM ?

Browser rendering Pixel rendering pipeline Internal browser engine

Worklets Houdini’s goal is to expose browser APIs to allow
web developers to hook up their own code into the CSS engine. It’s probably not unrealistic to assume that some of these code fragments will have to be run every. single. frame. - similar to Web and Service Workers - have a separate thread - don't interact with DOM directly - limited API -> very performant - use the JS additions, essentially- ECMAScript 2015+ Classes with named methods - triggered when needed and possible

image credit

Paint Worklet The paint stage of CSS is responsible for
painting the background, content and highlight of a box (based on the box’s size and computed style). The API allows to paint a part of a box in response to size / computed style changes with an additional <image> function. - background-image - border-image - list-style-image - content - cursor Custom image can be paint on every browser paint action. Applicable for:

Paint Worklet example /* CSS */ .multi-border {--border-top-width: 10; border-image:
paint(border-colors);} // JS CSS.registerProperty({ name: '--border-top-width', syntax: '<number>', inherits: false, initialValue: '0', }); // add a Worklet paintWorklet.addModule('border-colors.js'); // WORKLET "border-colors.js" registerPaint('border-colors', class BorderColors { static get inputProperties() { return ['--border-top-width']; } paint(ctx, size, styleMap) { const elWidth = size.width; const topWidth = styleMap.get('--border-top-width').value; // draw a border ctx.fillStyle = 'magenta'; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(0, 0); ctx.lineTo(elWidth, 0); ctx.lineTo(elWidth, topWidth); ctx.lineTo(0, topWidth); ctx.lineTo(0, 0); ctx.fill(); } });

Multiple border polyfill using Paint Worklet

Browsers are smart and trigger paint only when and where
needed ( ) demo

Layout Worklet - to create own layout algorithms - having
access to set constraints, behaviour, boundaries - interact blocks, fragments and even text /* CSS */ .center { display: layout(centering); } CSS Layout API

/* CSS */ .photos { display: layout(masonry); } // JS
(layout worklet) registerLayout('masonry', class extends Layout { *layout(/*...*/) {/*...*/} });

Animation Worklet Sticky Header implemented in the stable version of
Chrome using Houdini task force achievements In-sync with the compositor thread on a “best effort” basis (tried on every frame, but may be as requestAnimationFrame) - animations and mostly scroll effects: - sticky elements - smooth scroll animations - scroll up bar Use cases is available Polyfill

Compositor only properties Pixel rendering pipeline Changing does not trigger
any geometry changes or painting Carried out by the compositor thread with the help of the GPU. Property changes which can be handled by the compositor alone opacity transform

Scroll position indicator using Animation worklet

Animation Worklet- CSS/JS parts /* CSS */ .scroll-position { /*
shifted to the left */ left: -100%; /* CSS animator directive to link up elements to an animator instance */ --animator: scroll-position-worklet scrollerElementReference; } /* JS (add a Worklet module) */ animationWorklet.addModule('worklet.js');

Animation Worklet itself /* Animators are classes that are run
in the worklet and get to control certain attributes of DOM elements. */ registerAnimator('scroll-position-worklet', class ScrollPositionAnimator { static get elements() { return [{ // linked element name name: 'scrollerElementReference', // properties the animator needs to read to compute the animation // animator can be skipped if input props not changed since last frame inputProperties: [], // Output properties are properties that the animator might mutate // "opacity" and/or "transform" outputProperties: ['transform'] }] }; static get timelines() { // timeline options list }; animate(elementMap, timelines) { // Animation frame logic goes here }; }

Timeline and animate registerAnimator('scroll-position-worklet', class { // listen global vertical
scroll static get timelines() { return [{type: 'scroll', options: {orientation: 'vertical'}}] }; animate(elementMap, timelines) { // current scroll position in range [0-100%] (of page) const scrollPosition = parseFloat(timelines[0].currentTime) * 100; elementMap.get('scrollerElementReference').forEach(elem => { // set CSS "transform:translate3d(`${scrollPosition}%`, 0, 0)"; elem.outputStyleMap.set('transform', new CSSTransformValue([ new CSSTranslation( new CSSSimpleLength(scrollPosition, '%'),0,0 )])); }); }}

Animation Worklet result

"endScrollOffset" option static get timelines() { return [{type: 'scroll', options:
{ orientation: 'vertical', // set scroll position to 100% at 375px endScrollOffset: '375px' }}]};

New Twitter Header effect using Animation Worklet

Consclusions Bright Reality - - (when available) for performance improvements
and progressive enhancement Bright Future - experiment with using the - play with in Chrome - stay tuned with and ( , , , API etc.) start using CSS Custom Properties register Custom Properties from JS Animation Worklet polyﬁll Paint Worklet CSS Houdini Group specs Worklets Layout Font Metrics Typed OM

Thank you! Serg Hospodarets @malyw

CSS Houdini- the bridge between CSS, JavaScript and the browser

CSS Houdini- the bridge between CSS, JavaScript and the browser

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