Migrating from ClutterAnimation: Clutter Reference Manual

## Migrating from ClutterAnimation

### Emmanuele Bassi

`<ebassi`gnome.org`>`

The ClutterAnimation class, along with the ClutterActor wrappers `clutter_actor_animate()`, `clutter_actor_animate_with_timeline()` and `clutter_actor_animate_with_alpha()`, has been deprecated in Clutter 1.12, and should not be used in newly written code.

The direct replacement for a ClutterAnimation is the ClutterPropertyTransition class, which allows the transition of a single GObject property from an initial value to a final value over a user-defined time using a user-defined easing curve.

The ClutterPropertyTransition class inherits from ClutterTransition, which allows setting the transition interval, as well as the animatable instance to be transitioned; and from ClutterTimeline, which allows setting the duration and easing curve of the transition.

For instance, the following ClutterAnimation set up:

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    ClutterAnimation *animation = clutter_animation_new ();

    clutter_animation_set_mode (animation, CLUTTER_EASE_OUT_CUBIC);
    clutter_animation_set_duration (animation, 2500);

    /* object_to_animate is set elsewhere */
    clutter_animation_set_object (animation, object_to_animate);

    ClutterInterval *interval = clutter_interval_new (G_TYPE_FLOAT, 0.0, 100.0);

    /* property_name is set elsewhere */
    clutter_animation_bind_interval (animation, property_name, interval);

    ClutterTimeline *timeline = clutter_animation_get_timeline (animation);
    clutter_timeline_start (timeline);

Can be replaced by ClutterPropertyTransition:

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    ClutterTransition *transition = clutter_property_transition_new (property_name);

    clutter_timeline_set_progress_mode (CLUTTER_TIMELINE (transition),
                                        CLUTTER_EASE_OUT_CUBIC);
    clutter_timeline_set_duration (CLUTTER_TIMELINE (transition), 2000);

    clutter_transition_set_animatable (transition, object_to_animate);

    clutter_transition_set_from (transition, G_TYPE_FLOAT, 0.0);
    clutter_transition_set_to (transition, G_TYPE_FLOAT, 100.0);

    clutter_timeline_start (CLUTTER_TIMELINE (transition));

It is important to note that only ClutterAnimatable implementations can be used directly with ClutterTransition.

A ClutterPropertyTransition can only animate a single property; if more than one property transition is required, you can use the ClutterTransitionGroup class to group the transitions together.

## Migrating `clutter_actor_animate()`

ClutterActor animatable properties can use implicit transitions through their setter functions. The duration and easing curve of the animation is controlled by `clutter_actor_set_easing_duration()` and by `clutter_actor_set_easing_mode()`, respectively; for instance, the equivalent of the following `clutter_actor_animate()` call:

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    clutter_actor_animate (actor, CLUTTER_EASE_OUT_BOUNCE, 500,
                           "x", new_x_position,
                           "y", new_y_position,
                           "opacity", 255,
                           NULL);

Can be replaced by the following:

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    clutter_actor_set_easing_mode (actor, CLUTTER_EASE_OUT_BOUNCE);
    clutter_actor_set_easing_duration (actor, 500);
    clutter_actor_set_position (actor, new_x_position, new_y_position);
    clutter_actor_set_opacity (actor, 255);

The default easing duration for the 1.0 API series is set to 0, which means no transition at all.

It is possible to set the easing state of a ClutterActor to its default values by using `clutter_actor_save_easing_state()`, and return to the previous values by calling `clutter_actor_restore_easing_state()` instead. The easing state affects all the animatable properties that are modified after changing it; so, for instance:

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    clutter_actor_save_easing_state (actor);
    clutter_actor_set_easing_duration (actor, 500);
    clutter_actor_set_opacity (actor, 255);

    clutter_actor_save_easing_state (actor);
    clutter_actor_set_easing_delay (actor, 500);
    clutter_actor_set_easing_duration (actor, 500);
    clutter_actor_set_size (actor, width, height);
    clutter_actor_restore_easing_state (actor);

    clutter_actor_restore_easing_state (actor);

The animation above will implicitly transition the opacity from its current value to 255 in 500 milliseconds using the default easing curve; at the same time, the size of the actor will be transitioned in 500 milliseconds after a delay of 500 milliseconds to the new size stored in the variables width and height.