## Installation and usage
### Installing
Install with npm:
```shell
$ npm install animate.css --save
```
with yarn:
```shell
$ yarn add animate.css
```
or add it directly to your webpage using a CDN:
```html
```
### Basic usage
After installing Animate.css, add the class `animate__animated` to an element, along with any of the [animation names](#attention_seekers) (don't forget the `animate__` prefix!):
```html
An animated element
```
That's it! You've got a CSS animated element. Super!
> Animations can improve the UX of an interface, but keep in mind that they can also get in the way of your users! Please read the [best practices](#best-practices) and [gotchas](#gotchas) sections to bring your web-things to life in the best way possible.
#### Using `@keyframes`
Even though the library provides you a few helper classes like the `animated` class to get you up running quickly, you can use the provided animations `keyframes` directly. This provides a flexible way to use Animate.css with your current projects without having to refactor your HTML code.
Example:
```css
.my-element {
display: inline-block;
margin: 0 0.5rem;
animation: bounce; /* referring directly to the animation's @keyframe declaration */
animation-duration: 2s; /* don't forget to set a duration! */
}
```
Be aware that some animations are dependent on the `animation-timing` property set on the animation's class. Changing or not declaring it might lead to unexpected results.
#### CSS Custom Properties (CSS Variables)
Since version 4, Animate.css makes use of custom properties (also known as CSS variables) to define the animations duration, delay, and iteractions. This makes Animate.css very flexible and customizable. Need to change an animation duration? Just set a new value to globally or locally.
Example:
```css
/* This only changes this particular animation duration */
.animate__animated.animate__bounce {
--animate-duration: 2s;
}
/* This changes all the animations globaly */
:root {
--animate-duration: 800ms;
--animate-delay: 0.9s;
}
```
Custom properties also make it easy to change all your animations time-constrained properties on the fly. It means that you can have a slow-motion or time-lapse effect with a javascript one-liner:
```javascript
// All animations will take twice the time to accomplish
document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--animate-duration', '2s');
// All animations will take half the time to accomplish
document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--animate-duration', '.5s');
```
Even though custom properties are not supported by some aging browsers, Animate.css provides a proper fallback, widening its support for any browser that supports CSS animations.