Keep your page interactive during view transitions #GoogleIO

Chrome for Developers · Beginner ·🌐 Frontend Engineering ·3mo ago

Key Takeaways

Element-scoped view transitions in Chrome 117 allow for interactive pages during view transitions by starting a transition on a DOM subtree, keeping the rest of the page interactive, and enabling multiple transitions to run simultaneously.

Full Transcript

A new sub feature of view transitions, and one that I personally find very exciting, is the addition of element scoped view transitions. And instead of starting a view transition that covers the entire document, [music] you can now start a view transition on a subtree of the DOM while keeping the rest of the page interactive. Yes, you are hearing this right. After 4 years of talking about it, we got all the necessary foundations in place, got all the details sorted, and we have shipped this in Chrome 117. And this demo right here extensively relies on element scoped view transitions. When adding one of the cards to the selection list, a scoped transition is started on only the sidebar, >> [music] >> meaning that I can still hover and interact with the other cards while the animation is running. Or when filtering the list of items, a scoped view transition is started only on the grid, while other elements such as a navigation bar and the drop-downs also remain interactive. To start an element scoped view transition, it's really easy. Instead of calling document.startViewTransition, you now call startViewTransition on a specific element. >> This allows for multiple view transitions to run at the same time, as well as the nesting of view transitions. >> [music] >> Scope view transitions are perfect for micro interactions and in-page stateful morphing, giving the user more context when there is a visual change. This is a great way to enhance the usability of your application, while also elevating how it looks and feels. [music]

Original Description

Element-scoped view transitions are available in Chrome 147! Instead of starting a view transition that covers the entire document, you can now start a transition on a DOM subtree. This keeps the rest of the page fully interactive while the animation is running. Subscribe to Chrome for Developers → https://goo.gle/ChromeDevs #ChromeForDevelopers #Chrome #GoogleIO Event: Google I/O 2026 Speaker: Bramus Van Damme Products Mentioned: Chrome
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Element-scoped view transitions in Chrome 117 enable interactive pages during view transitions by starting a transition on a DOM subtree, keeping the rest of the page interactive. This feature enhances usability and elevates the look and feel of web applications.

Key Takeaways
  1. Start an element-scoped view transition by calling startViewTransition on a specific element
  2. Use element-scoped view transitions for micro interactions and in-page stateful morphing
  3. Enable multiple view transitions to run simultaneously
  4. Nest view transitions for complex interactions
💡 Element-scoped view transitions allow for multiple transitions to run at the same time and enable nesting of view transitions, providing a more interactive and engaging user experience.

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