# Text Reveal

> Text that writes itself in when it reaches the screen: lines rising from a mask, words coming into focus, or letters. Plays once.

Text effects · text, reveal, entrance, split · HTML, CSS, vanilla JS · no dependencies · updated 2026-10-21
Demo: https://kodza.dev/components/text-split-scroll-reveal/

## Files

The code below, served as files: byte for byte what the Kodza site copies (the CSS includes its theme guard).

- [`kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css`](https://kodza.dev/registry/text-split-scroll-reveal/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css) · 3.3 KB
- [`kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js`](https://kodza.dev/registry/text-split-scroll-reveal/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js) · 5.3 KB
- [`kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.html`](https://kodza.dev/registry/text-split-scroll-reveal/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.html) · 0.2 KB · the markup, to adapt and paste into your page

**Can you run shell commands? Download the CSS and the JS, don't retype them.** Retyping costs thousands of tokens and can drop or change lines of the CSS. Put the files where your stack expects them (Use it says where: change the `-o` paths):

```bash
curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css https://kodza.dev/registry/text-split-scroll-reveal/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css
curl -fsSL --create-dirs -o kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js https://kodza.dev/registry/text-split-scroll-reveal/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js
```

Then load the files from your page as Use it shows, instead of pasting the content. The HTML is the part you adapt (text, links, modifiers): paste it from the Code section. Copy the CSS and the JS from the Code section only if you can't run commands, exactly as they are. (Windows PowerShell: `curl.exe`.)

## API

- Root: `.kodza-text-reveal`
- Variables (set them on the root element itself: it declares its own defaults):
  - `--kz-text-reveal-duration: 0.9s`
  - `--kz-text-reveal-stagger: 90ms`
  - `--kz-text-reveal-ease: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1)`
- Attributes:
  - `data-split` (e.g. `words`, `chars`)
- Lifecycle: `kodza:init` / `kodza:destroy` on `document`, with `{ detail: { root } }` to target a container.

## Dark mode

Nothing to set: it takes its colours from the text around it, or looks the same on a light and a dark page.

## Use it

### Plain HTML page

- CSS: `kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css` next to the page (the Files commands as they are), linked in `<head>`: `<link rel="stylesheet" href="kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css">`. Without a shell, paste it in a `<style>` in `<head>` instead. It only touches `kodza-` classes.
- HTML: where the component goes. Paste it as many times as you need: instances never interfere.
- JS: `kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js`, loaded with `<script src="kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js" defer></script>` in `<head>`. Without a shell, paste it in a `<script>` before `</body>` (or in `<head>`: it waits for the page). One copy per page, whatever the number of instances.
- Restyle with the `--kz-…` variables, set on the component's root element itself (the root declares its own defaults, so a value on an ancestor is ignored), and with the modifiers / attributes listed under API.
- Font: it takes the page's own. The Kodza look is Geist: `<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Geist:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Geist+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap">`.
- Content added later (AJAX navigation, a SPA route, a builder preview): start it with `document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:init', { detail: { root: container } }))`; before removing it, the same call with `'kodza:destroy'` stops it and puts the original markup back.

### Claude artifact (claude.ai)

- Paste the CSS in a `<style>` and the JS in a `<script>` at the end, in the artifact itself: it loads stylesheets only from Google Fonts and scripts only from a few CDNs, so no `<link>` or `<script src>` to Kodza.
- Writing the artifact file with a shell? Insert the downloaded files (Files) with a command instead of retyping them: a line `KODZA-CSS` alone inside the `<style>`, `KODZA-JS` inside the `<script>`, then `sed -e '/^KODZA-CSS$/{r kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css' -e 'd' -e '}' -e '/^KODZA-JS$/{r kodza/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js' -e 'd' -e '}' page.html > artifact.html`.
- Font: load Geist from Google Fonts (allowed): `<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Geist:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Geist+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap">`.
- Dark mode: the viewer sets `data-theme="dark"` or `"light"` on `<html>`, or nothing when it follows the system. Write the Dark mode rules twice: inside `@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark)` with `:root:not([data-theme="light"])` in front of each selector, and with `:root[data-theme="dark"]` in front of each selector.

### WordPress

- HTML: a **Custom HTML** block (or a pattern / template part). WordPress keeps this markup as it is only for users allowed to post unfiltered HTML (Administrators; Super Admins on multisite): for anyone else it strips tags such as `<svg>`, `<input>` or `<dialog>`, so add it from the theme (a pattern or template part) instead.
- CSS and JS: the downloaded files go in the theme, under `wp-content/themes/<your-theme>/kodza/` (the child theme if there is one), enqueued from its functions.php (or a code-snippets plugin):
  ```php
  add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
    $dir = get_stylesheet_directory() . '/kodza/';
    $uri = get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/kodza/';
    wp_enqueue_style('kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal', $uri . 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css', [], filemtime($dir . 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css'));
    wp_enqueue_script('kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal', $uri . 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js', [], filemtime($dir . 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js'), true);
  });
  ```
  Scoped to `kodza-` classes, the CSS never touches the theme. One copy of the JS, whatever the number of blocks.
- No access to the theme files? The CSS can also go, as it is, in **Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS** (classic theme) or **Styles → Additional CSS** in the Site Editor (block theme).
- Theme with AJAX page transitions: fire `kodza:init` on the new content after each swap (and `kodza:destroy` on the old one).
- Performance plugin (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, Perfmatters…) with **Delay JavaScript execution** turned on: add `kodza` to the scripts it must not delay. Otherwise the component waits for the visitor's first scroll, tap or mouse move, and that first click can be lost.
- Colours: it takes the colour of the text around it (or keeps its own monochrome): nothing to point at the theme.
- WordPress turns straight quotes and `--` into typographic ones in the text of a Custom HTML block (not inside `<code>` or `<pre>`).

#### With Elementor

- HTML: an **HTML** widget (Elementor shows it to administrators only). It keeps the code exactly as pasted, straight quotes included.
- CSS and JS: as above. Elementor's Site Settings → Theme Style styles every button, field, link and image of the page, components included; the theme guard at the end of the CSS keeps the component's buttons, fields and link colours as they are.
- The Elementor editor redraws each widget after the page has loaded: without the script below, the component stays still in the editor preview (the published page works). Add it once per site, in the footer like the component's script (`kodza/elementor-editor.js`, or a code-snippets plugin):

```js
// Kodza in the Elementor editor: the editor redraws each HTML widget after the page has loaded.
// Start Kodza in what it draws, stop it in what it replaces or removes. Once per site.
window.addEventListener('elementor/frontend/init', () => {
  if (!elementorFrontend.isEditMode()) return;
  class KodzaWidget extends elementorModules.frontend.handlers.Base {
    onInit() {
      super.onInit();
      this.kodza = [...this.$element[0].children];
      document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:init', { detail: { root: this.$element[0] } }));
    }
    onDestroy() {
      super.onDestroy();
      this.kodza.forEach((root) => document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:destroy', { detail: { root } })));
    }
  }
  elementorFrontend.elementsHandler.attachHandler('html', KodzaWidget);
});
```

- No child theme: everything can go in the HTML widget instead, `<style>` with the CSS, the HTML, then `<script>` with the JS. It works on the page and in the editor without the script above.

### Shopify

- Files: `assets/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css` and `assets/kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js` (the Files commands with `-o assets/…`).
- In the section: `{{ 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.css' | asset_url | stylesheet_tag }}` and `<script src="{{ 'kodza-text-split-scroll-reveal.js' | asset_url }}" defer></script>`, then the HTML.
- The theme editor re-renders sections: restart them with
  `document.addEventListener('shopify:section:load', (e) => document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:init', { detail: { root: e.target } })));`
  and the same with `shopify:section:unload` → `kodza:destroy`.

### React / Next.js

- Files, side by side (e.g. in `components/kodza/`): `TextReveal.tsx` (below), the CSS block under Code saved as `text-split-scroll-reveal.css` and the JS block as `text-split-scroll-reveal.js`, both as they are. The HTML block is already inside the component: skip it.
- Use it: `import { TextReveal } from '@/components/kodza/TextReveal';` then `<TextReveal>Copy, paste, and go home early.</TextReveal>`. Props: `split` (`data-split`: "words", "chars"), `vars` (the `--kz-…` variables listed under API, e.g. `vars={{ '--kz-text-reveal-duration': … }}`), `children` (the text, plain), `className`, `style` and the other props of its `<h2>` (`onClick`, `aria-…`).
- Next.js App Router: it is a Client Component already (`'use client'`). Pages Router: Next.js takes global CSS only in `pages/_app`, so move the `import './text-split-scroll-reveal.css'` line there.
- Safe under StrictMode, client-side navigation and prop changes: when a prop changes, the `key` gives React a fresh element, `kodza:destroy` stops the script on the old one and `kodza:init` starts it on the new one.

```tsx
'use client';
// Kodza — Text Reveal, for React. From https://kodza.dev/components/text-split-scroll-reveal/
// Kodza License: free to use, client work included. Not to resell or redistribute, ported or not: https://kodza.dev/docs/#print-license
// Next to this file: text-split-scroll-reveal.css and text-split-scroll-reveal.js, the component's CSS and JS from Kodza, as they are.
// Yours to edit: the markup is plain JSX below.
// The script changes this markup once React has rendered it (it adds layers, splits text, moves
// nodes), so React must not patch it afterwards. When a prop changes, the key gives React a fresh
// element: kodza:destroy stops the script on the old one, kodza:init starts it on the new one.
import { useRef, useEffect, type ComponentPropsWithoutRef, type ComponentRef, type CSSProperties } from 'react';
import './text-split-scroll-reveal.css';

export type TextRevealProps = Omit<ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h2'>, "children" | "vars" | "split"> & {
  /** data-split on the root */
  split?: "words" | "chars";
  /** Settings, as CSS variables on the root */
  vars?: {
    /** default: 0.9s */
    "--kz-text-reveal-duration"?: string | number;
    /** default: 90ms */
    "--kz-text-reveal-stagger"?: string | number;
    /** default: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1) */
    "--kz-text-reveal-ease"?: string | number;
  };
  /** The text, plain: the script reads it and rebuilds the markup around it */
  children?: string;
  className?: string;
};

export function TextReveal({ split, vars, children = "Copy, paste, and go home early.", className, style, ...rest }: TextRevealProps) {
  const ref = useRef<ComponentRef<'h2'>>(null);
  const classes = ["kodza-text-reveal", className].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
  // Everything the markup is made of: when it changes, React gets a fresh element (see the top)
  const key = JSON.stringify([classes, split, vars, children, style, rest]);

  // Starts the script on this element once React has rendered it, stops it when it goes
  useEffect(() => {
    const root = ref.current;
    let live = true;
    // @ts-ignore: a plain script, no types to find
    import('./text-split-scroll-reveal.js').then(() => {
      if (live) document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:init', { detail: { root } }));
    });
    return () => {
      live = false;
      document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('kodza:destroy', { detail: { root } }));
    };
  }, [key]);

  return (
    <h2 key={key} {...rest} className={classes} data-split={split} style={{ ...vars, ...style } as CSSProperties} ref={ref}>{children}</h2>
  );
}
```

## Code

```html
<h2 class="kodza-text-reveal">Copy, paste, and go home early.</h2>

<p class="kodza-text-reveal" data-split="words">No bloat. No setup. No drama.</p>

<p class="kodza-text-reveal" data-split="chars">Ship it.</p>
```

```css
/* Kodza License: free to use, client work included. Not to resell or redistribute, ported or not: https://kodza.dev/docs/#print-license */
/* Kodza — Text Reveal
   Text that writes itself in when it reaches the screen.
   Three ways, picked with data-split: (default) lines that rise from behind a mask,
   "words" that come into focus one after the other, "chars" for letters.
   It plays once; send a "kodza:replay" event to the element to play it again.
   Everything is tuned with the --kz-text-reveal-* variables. */
.kodza-text-reveal {
  --kz-text-reveal-duration: 0.9s;
  --kz-text-reveal-stagger: 90ms;
  --kz-text-reveal-ease: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
}

/* Hidden until it plays, only once the script is there to play it */
.kodza-text-reveal.is-ready:not(.is-revealed) .kodza-text-reveal__piece {
  opacity: 0;
}

.kodza-text-reveal__line {
  display: block;
  overflow: hidden;
  /* Room for descenders, without opening the gap between lines */
  padding-bottom: 0.08em;
  margin-bottom: -0.08em;
}

.kodza-text-reveal__piece {
  display: inline-block;
  white-space: pre;
}

.kodza-text-reveal.is-playing .kodza-text-reveal__piece {
  animation: kodza-text-reveal-rise var(--kz-text-reveal-duration) var(--kz-text-reveal-ease) both;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--i, 0) * var(--kz-text-reveal-stagger));
}

.kodza-text-reveal[data-split="words"].is-playing .kodza-text-reveal__piece {
  animation-name: kodza-text-reveal-focus;
}

.kodza-text-reveal[data-split="chars"].is-playing .kodza-text-reveal__piece {
  animation-name: kodza-text-reveal-char;
}

@keyframes kodza-text-reveal-rise {
  from { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(105%); }
  to { opacity: 1; transform: none; }
}

@keyframes kodza-text-reveal-focus {
  from { opacity: 0; filter: blur(10px); transform: translateY(0.3em); }
  to { opacity: 1; filter: none; transform: none; }
}

@keyframes kodza-text-reveal-char {
  from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(0.6em) rotate(8deg); }
  to { opacity: 1; transform: none; }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .kodza-text-reveal .kodza-text-reveal__piece {
    opacity: 1 !important;
    animation: none !important;
  }
}

/* kodza-guard 7481e5d1b0ec — generated by Kodza, do not edit.
   Theme guard: keeps a site's own CSS (WordPress themes, Bootstrap, CSS resets…) off this
   component. :not(#_) is always true and weighs as much as an id, so these lines win over
   theme rules made of classes and tags. Customise the component through its --kz-* variables. */

/* What the browser gives, on everything the component leaves to it */

.kodza-text-reveal:not(#_) {
  border: revert;
  padding: revert;
  border-radius: revert;
  outline: revert;
  text-decoration: revert;
  transition: revert;
  list-style: revert;
  box-sizing: revert;
  position: revert;
  background-color: revert;
  background-image: revert;
  box-shadow: revert;
  outline-offset: revert;
  appearance: revert;
  max-height: revert;
  color: revert;
  font-family: revert;
  font-style: revert;
  text-transform: revert;
  text-underline-offset: revert;
  text-align: revert;
  text-indent: revert;
  text-shadow: revert;
  vertical-align: revert;
}

.kodza-text-reveal__line:not(#_),
.kodza-text-reveal__piece:not(#_) {
  box-sizing: revert;
}

.kodza-text-reveal:not(#_):where(:not([hidden])) {
  display: revert;
}

.kodza-text-reveal:not(#_):where([hidden]) {
  display: none;
}
```

```js
// Kodza License: free to use, client work included. Not to resell or redistribute, ported or not: https://kodza.dev/docs/#print-license
// Kodza — Text Reveal
// When the text reaches the screen, splits it into lines, words or letters and plays
// the reveal, one piece after the other. Lines are measured where the browser actually
// wraps them. Once done, the text goes back to plain text, so it reflows normally.
(() => {
  const SELECTOR = '.kodza-text-reveal';
  const reduceMotion = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;

  function split(root, text, mode) {
    root.textContent = '';
    if (mode === 'chars' || mode === 'words') {
      const pieces = mode === 'chars' ? [...text] : text.split(/(\s+)/);
      let i = 0;
      pieces.forEach((piece) => {
        if (/^\s+$/.test(piece)) return root.append(piece);
        const span = document.createElement('span');
        span.className = 'kodza-text-reveal__piece';
        span.textContent = piece;
        span.style.setProperty('--i', i++);
        root.append(span);
      });
      return i;
    }
    // Lines: lay the words out, group them by height, then wrap each group
    const words = text.split(/\s+/).map((word) => {
      const span = document.createElement('span');
      span.textContent = word;
      root.append(span, ' ');
      return span;
    });
    const lines = [];
    words.forEach((word) => {
      const top = word.offsetTop;
      const line = lines.at(-1);
      if (line && Math.abs(line.top - top) < 4) line.words.push(word.textContent);
      else lines.push({ top, words: [word.textContent] });
    });
    root.textContent = '';
    lines.forEach((line, i) => {
      const outer = document.createElement('span');
      outer.className = 'kodza-text-reveal__line';
      const inner = document.createElement('span');
      inner.className = 'kodza-text-reveal__piece';
      inner.textContent = line.words.join(' ');
      inner.style.setProperty('--i', i);
      outer.append(inner);
      root.append(outer);
    });
    return lines.length;
  }

  // One instance. Everything it starts is tied to `signal`, so kodza:destroy stops it all
  function mount(root, signal) {
    const text = root.textContent.trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
    const mode = root.dataset.split || 'lines';
    const style = getComputedStyle(root);
    const duration = parseFloat(style.getPropertyValue('--kz-text-reveal-duration')) * 1000 || 900;
    const stagger = parseFloat(style.getPropertyValue('--kz-text-reveal-stagger')) || 90;
    let timer;

    const play = () => {
      if (reduceMotion) return;
      clearTimeout(timer);
      root.classList.remove('is-playing', 'is-revealed');
      root.setAttribute('aria-label', text);
      const count = split(root, text, mode);
      void root.offsetWidth; // restart the animation, even on a replay
      root.classList.add('is-playing');
      timer = setTimeout(() => {
        root.classList.remove('is-playing');
        root.classList.add('is-revealed');
        root.removeAttribute('aria-label');
        root.textContent = text;
      }, duration + stagger * count + 50);
    };

    root.classList.add('is-ready');
    if (reduceMotion) return;
    // Hidden until it plays (the pieces are only created then, so wrap the text in one)
    split(root, text, 'words');

    const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
      if (!entries[0].isIntersecting) return;
      observer.disconnect();
      document.fonts.ready.then(() => !signal.aborted && play());
    }, { threshold: 0.4 });
    observer.observe(root);
    root.addEventListener('kodza:replay', play, { signal });
    // A reveal still playing would put its plain text back into the restored markup
    signal.addEventListener('abort', () => {
      observer.disconnect();
      clearTimeout(timer);
    });
  }

  // Kodza lifecycle, the same in every component: `kodza:init` starts the instances inside
  // event.detail.root (the whole page by default), `kodza:destroy` stops them and puts their
  // markup back. For themes and apps that swap content without a page load.
  const instances = new WeakMap();
  const find = (scope = document) => [scope, ...scope.querySelectorAll(SELECTOR)].filter((el) => el.matches?.(SELECTOR));
  const init = (scope) => find(scope).forEach((root) => {
    if (root.classList.contains('is-ready')) return; // already running, maybe from another copy of this script
    const controller = new AbortController();
    instances.set(root, { controller, html: root.innerHTML, attrs: [...root.attributes].map((a) => [a.name, a.value]) });
    mount(root, controller.signal);
    root.classList.add('is-ready');
  });
  const destroy = (scope) => find(scope).forEach((root) => {
    const instance = instances.get(root);
    if (!instance) return;
    instances.delete(root);
    instance.controller.abort();
    [...root.attributes].forEach((a) => root.removeAttribute(a.name));
    instance.attrs.forEach(([name, value]) => root.setAttribute(name, value));
    root.innerHTML = instance.html;
  });
  document.addEventListener('kodza:init', (event) => init(event.detail?.root));
  document.addEventListener('kodza:destroy', (event) => destroy(event.detail?.root));
  init();
  // Loaded in <head>, the script runs before the markup exists: once more when it is parsed
  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => init(), { once: true });
})();
```

Free to use, from Kodza (https://kodza.dev).