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What Does Animation Iteration Count Mean?

Published in CSS Animations 3 mins read

Animation iteration count determines how many times an animation sequence will repeat.

Based on the provided reference, the animation-iteration-count property in CSS is used to specify the number of times that an animation cycle is played before the animation stops. An animation cycle refers to one full play-through of the animation, from its beginning state to its end state (and potentially back to the beginning depending on the animation-direction).

The initial value for animation-iteration-count is '1'. This means that by default, an animation will play exactly once from its start to its end and then stop.

Understanding Animation Iteration Count

Think of an animation as a performance. The iteration count tells you how many times that performance will be shown.

  • Value '1': The animation plays once.
  • Value '2': The animation plays twice.
  • Value '0.5': The animation plays only halfway through its sequence.
  • Value 'infinite': The animation plays continuously without stopping.

Practical Examples

In web development using CSS, animation-iteration-count is a property applied to an element that has an animation defined using @keyframes.

Here's a simple CSS example:

.my-element {
  animation-name: slidein; /* The name of the keyframes rule */
  animation-duration: 3s; /* How long one cycle takes */
  animation-iteration-count: 3; /* Play the animation 3 times */
}

@keyframes slidein {
  from {
    transform: translateX(0%);
  }
  to {
    transform: translateX(100%);
  }
}

In this example, the element with the class my-element will slide to the right three times, with each slide taking 3 seconds.

Another common use case is for looping backgrounds or loading spinners:

.loading-spinner {
  animation-name: spin;
  animation-duration: 1s;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite; /* Keep spinning forever */
  animation-timing-function: linear;
}

@keyframes spin {
  0% { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  100% { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}

Here, the .loading-spinner element will rotate continuously because its animation-iteration-count is set to infinite.

Key Values for Iteration Count

Value Description
<number> Plays the animation that many times.
infinite Plays the animation repeatedly without stopping.

Using a number allows precise control over the number of repetitions, while infinite is perfect for animations that should loop indefinitely.

Relation to animation-direction

As noted in the reference, animation-iteration-count is often used alongside the animation-direction property. animation-direction controls whether the animation plays forwards, backwards, or alternates direction on each iteration. For example, if animation-direction is set to alternate, the first iteration plays forwards, the second backwards, the third forwards, and so on, up to the specified animation-iteration-count.

Understanding animation-iteration-count is fundamental to controlling the lifespan and repetition of animations in various digital contexts, especially in web design and graphical interfaces.

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