Enter and Exit Animations Without a Library
Implement mount/unmount animations by controlling display and opacity timing manually in React.
The Unmounting Problem
When you conditionally render with {show && , React removes the element from the DOM the instant show becomes false. There is no time for an exit animation because the node is already gone.
Enter animations are easy; exit animations are the real challenge.
Solution 1: Keep It Mounted
The simplest fix is to never unmount. Keep the element rendered and animate opacity to zero plus pointer-events: none when hidden, and back to one when shown.
This gives smooth fades in both directions, at the cost of the element staying in the DOM.
All lessons in this course
- CSS Transitions with React State Changes
- CSS Keyframe Animations with React
- useLayoutEffect for Pre-Animation Measurements
- Enter and Exit Animations Without a Library