---
title: Animations
slug: animations
date: 0014/01/01
number: 14
contents: See what happens behind the scenes when Meteor swaps two DOM elements.|Learn how to animate the reordering of posts.|Learn how to animate the insertion of new posts.
paragraphs: 58
---

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### Meteor & the DOM

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1. ////
2. ////
3. ////
4. ////
5. ////
6. ////

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<%= diagram "animation_diagram", "Swtiching two posts", "pull-center" %>

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### Proper Timing

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### CSS Positioning

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~~~css
.post{
  position:relative;
  transition:all 300ms 0ms ease-in;
}
~~~
<%= caption "client/stylesheets/style.css" %>

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<% note do %>

### Position:absolute

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<% end %>

### Total Recall

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> //// 

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### Ranking Posts

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~~~js
Template.postsList.helpers({
  postsWithRank: function() {
    this.posts.rewind();
    return this.posts.map(function(post, index, cursor) {
      post._rank = index;
      return post;
    });
  }
});
~~~
<%= caption "/client/views/posts/posts_list.js" %>
<%= highlight "2~8" %>

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~~~html
<template name="postsList">
  <div class="posts">
    {{#each postsWithRank}}
      {{> postItem}}
    {{/each}}
    
    {{#if nextPath}}
      <a class="load-more" href="{{nextPath}}">Load more</a>
    {{/if}}
  </div>
</template>
~~~
<%= caption "/client/views/posts/posts_list.html" %>

<%= highlight "3" %>

<% note do %>

### Be Kind, Rewind

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<% end %>

### Putting it together

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~~~js
Template.postItem.helpers({
  //...
});

Template.postItem.rendered = function(){
  // animate post from previous position to new position
  var instance = this;
  var rank = instance.data._rank;
  var $this = $(this.firstNode);
  var postHeight = 80;
  var newPosition = rank * postHeight;
 
  // if element has a currentPosition (i.e. it's not the first ever render)
  if (typeof(instance.currentPosition) !== 'undefined') {
    var previousPosition = instance.currentPosition;
    // calculate difference between old position and new position and send element there
    var delta = previousPosition - newPosition;
    $this.css("top", delta + "px");
  }
  
  // let it draw in the old position, then..
  Meteor.defer(function() {
    instance.currentPosition = newPosition;
    // bring element back to its new original position
    $this.css("top",  "0px");
  }); 
};

Template.postItem.events({
  //...
});
~~~
<%= caption "/client/views/posts/post_item.js" %>
<%= highlight "5~27" %>

<%= commit "14-1", "Added post reordering animation." %>

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### Animating New Posts

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1. ////
2. ////

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~~~js
Template.postItem.helpers({
  //...
});

Template.postItem.rendered = function(){
  // animate post from previous position to new position
  var instance = this;
  var rank = instance.data._rank;
  var $this = $(this.firstNode);
  var postHeight = 80;
  var newPosition = rank * postHeight;
  
  // if element has a currentPosition (i.e. it's not the first ever render)
  if (typeof(instance.currentPosition) !== 'undefined') {
    var previousPosition = instance.currentPosition;
    // calculate difference between old position and new position and send element there
    var delta = previousPosition - newPosition;
    $this.css("top", delta + "px");
  } else {
    // it's the first ever render, so hide element
    $this.addClass("invisible");
  }
  
  // let it draw in the old position, then..
  Meteor.defer(function() {
    instance.currentPosition = newPosition;
    // bring element back to its new original position
    $this.css("top",  "0px").removeClass("invisible");
  }); 
};

Template.postItem.events({
  //...
});
~~~
<%= caption "/client/views/posts/post_item.js" %>
<%= highlight "19~22,28" %>

<%= commit "14-2", "Fade items in when they are drawn." %>

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<% note do %>

### CSS & JavaScript

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<% end %>

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