An action is an internal representation of how a property value of an element will change in a specific frame. Actions are the resulting tree of the scene.addAnimations, which transform user defined animations into frames.

An adapter allows BeamToIX to decouple from DOM by serving as an agent between the BeamToIX library and elements and scenes.

For DOM adapters, BeamToIX uses jQuery to query DOM and maps special properties such text and html to textContent and innerHTML.

DOM adapters map [DOM Properties](DOM Property) into either HtmlElement attributes or CSS properties, depending on the DOM Property name.

For HtmlElement attributes, the DOM Adapter uses element.getAttribute.
For CSS Properties, it uses element.style, but if it's empty, it retrieves all the computed CSS properties via window.getComputedStyle and caches its content.

DOM Adapters use the attribute beamtoix-display if present to define which value will be when visible is set to true.

A 'DOM Scene' is typically a DIV. A 'DOM Element' can be any HtmlElement.

DOM Scenes can provide Virtual Elements via ids starting with %, and story.onGetVirtualElement.

For Virtual adapters there is a direct connection to the Virtual Element and Scene attribute.

Unlike DOM elements which only provide textual values, Virtual Elements can get and set numerical values.

Defines how a list of elements (HTML Element, SVG element and Virtual Element), inside a Scene defined by Selector will have a list of [properties](#Animation Properties) (left, src, color, font-size, ...) modified over time.

Animations are added in parallel, via addAnimation, and in series via addSerialAnimations.
Although, the animations that are added in parallel, they can be Off-Sync via position parameter.

An animation has an [Animation Interpolator](#Animation Interpolator) that passes a t parameter from Start Value to Value through the Animation Pipeline.

An animation doesn't communicates direct with an HTML Element attributes, instead uses an Adapter to use as an interface, allowing for an Animation Property to map into different type of Elements and to map an animation property into multiple element properties such [Dual Properties](#Dual Properties).

Tasks which are also added via addAnimation and allow to create complex animations and special effects.

Defines the duration of the animation of a single cycle in terms of frames, seconds, minutes or milliseconds.
The total duration is duration*(iterationCount + 1).
In case of numerical values, BeamToIX uses defaultUnit to known what kind of unit is it.

List of parameters that are part of an animation, and define how an [Adapter Property](#Adapter Property) will change over time.
An Animation property besides its own parameters can override the Animation parameters.

A code handler is a TypeScript/JavaScript function that interacts with BeamToIX during the build of the Animation Pipeline or during the Rendering process. Code Handlers provide great flexibility in providing interpolators, transitions, flyovers and tasks but for security reasons aren't teleported. They can only be used in local rendering.

The Animation Pipeline is a multi step process that every t running from 0 to 1 will go through.
The steps are the following:

  1. Easing - An interpolator that will set the motion speed.
  2. Oscillator - An optional interpolator used for rotational motion or pulsars.
  3. v = startValue + (value - startValue) * oscillator(easing(t)).
  4. Path - An optional interpolator that transforms v into a multi-dimension value.
  5. valueText - transforms into a textual value. Use only for textual properties.
    Not supported by paths.
  6. valueFormat - An sprintf that formats numeric values, paths, and valueText.

This is a technique used internally by the render to reach the first render Position, or used by the user to be able to compute a parameter that otherwise is not possible.

The user should avoid this process and use startValue instead or other techniques to compute parameters, since it forces the render to reverse the process before starting the rendering.

An easing is a interpolator runs t from [0, 1], where t=0 is the first frame and t=1 the last frame of the animation.
This interpolator can be viewed as the speed interpolator and its the first one in the Animation Pipeline.
The output value will be used to feed the oscillator.
Usually outputs a value from [0, 1] but other values are also possible.

This interpolator can be used outside physical motion (left/right/top/bottom).
In cases of textual property, such as color, text, src, the easing will define how quickly those values will change among a list defined valueText or by using valueFormat.
In this case, the startValue and value should be between [0, 1].
Setting a startValue higher than value, will reverse the direction of the changes.

The easing can also be used to define the speed of the changes of multi-parameter properties, such as text-shadow, by using as an input of a valueFormat.

This is the first stage of the Animation Pipeline.
The output value will be used to feed the oscillator.

BeamToIX includes a list of the most common easings by bundling the jquery.easing plugin.
More can be added via plugins.

An easing can be defined by:

  1. Name - It will use the list of easings predefined or added via plugins.
  2. Expression - It evaluate the expression for each frame, passing the variable t.
  3. Code Handler - This function will receive the variable t.

WARNING Code Handlers aren't teleported, therefore it can't be used in remote rendering.

Flushing means consuming the pipeline until the last frame.

Off-Sync an animation is when 2 animation in parallel don't start at the same position, or when 2 animations in series don't follow each other due a change in the start position.
Off-sync is accomplished by setting the position or advance parameter.

An oscillator is an optional interpolator that runs t from [easing(0), easing(1)] and the usually outputs a value from [-Amplitude, Amplitude] where usually f(0) = 0 and f(1) = 0.
Its output will be generate v = valueStart + (value - valueStart) * oscillator(easing(t)) and then will be injected into a path as input.

An oscillator has the following usages:

  1. A rotational movement, where the oscillator defines the rotation and the easing the defines the speed.

  2. Flashing elements, where an element changes its opacity or text-shadow, and these values oscillate between [0, 1].

  3. Uni-dimensional paths. Unlike paths, the oscillators have their value stored in the Action Link, allowing to link the end value to the next animation.

The oscillators shares the namespace with easings, allowing any easing function to operate also as a oscillator.
Since the main function of an oscillator is to return to its original position at the end of the animation cycle, when an easing is used as an oscillator the best is to use the following:

{ iterationCount: 2,
direction: alternate
}

A path is an interpolator function where the input is the result of the oscillator interpolator after the easing interpolator usually, goes from [0, 1] and the output is an list of numbers, representing the n-dimensions of a path.
To reverse the direction path, set value = -1 and valueStart = 0.
To follow only a segment of the path, set both value and valueStart.

Multi-dimension paths are mutual exclusive with textual valueText.

Single-dimensions paths work similar to easings and oscillators.
These paths use the easing to define the speed and the path can create post-effects such as steps.
The output of the a single-path value isn't stored in the Action Link, unlike the oscillator.

A multi-dimension path can be used in the following ways:

  • via valueFormat. Allows to encode that path in a single property.
    Used in text-shadow, transform.
  • via dual-properties.

Represents a segment inside a Story.
Two scenes don't overlap, except during a Scene Transition.
Every scene, has its own animation pipeline, which is created by adding Animations.

Defines how will a Scene leave the story, and how the next scene will enter the story.

Is the process of rendering images into the disk from a story that was created in a different machine. Usually it's done via teleporting.

Teleporting is the process of splitting the story created in one machine into its constituting pieces and then from this pieces, recreate the story in a remote machine, in order to generate the physical story frames images in this remote machine.