How to Create Custom Animation Blocks in WordPress (Developer Guide)

Creating custom animation blocks in WordPress opens endless possibilities for unique, brand-specific interactions. While plugins like Block Editor Animations provide pre-built effects, sometimes you need something completely custom.

This developer guide teaches you to build custom animation blocks from scratch using modern WordPress block development tools. You’ll learn block registration, attribute management, animation controls, and frontend implementation.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Install Node.js and npm, WordPress local development (Local by Flywheel or similar), and @wordpress/create-block scaffold tool.

npx @wordpress/create-block animation-showcase
cd animation-showcase
npm start

Block Structure and Registration

block.json configuration:

{
	"apiVersion": 2,
	"name": "yournamespace/animation-block",
	"title": "Custom Animation Block",
	"category": "design",
	"attributes": {
		"animationType": { "type": "string", "default": "fade-up" },
		"duration": { "type": "number", "default": 600 },
		"delay": { "type": "number", "default": 0 },
		"content": { "type": "string", "source": "html", "selector": ".content" }
	}
}

Adding Animation Controls

Use InspectorControls for sidebar settings:

import { InspectorControls } from "@wordpress/block-editor";
import { PanelBody, SelectControl, RangeControl } from "@wordpress/components";

<InspectorControls>
	<PanelBody title="Animation Settings">
		<SelectControl
			label="Animation Type"
			value={animationType}
			options={[
				{ label: "Fade Up", value: "fade-up" },
				{ label: "Slide Left", value: "slide-left" },
				{ label: "Zoom In", value: "zoom-in" }
			]}
			onChange={(value) => setAttributes({ animationType: value })}
		/>
		<RangeControl
			label="Duration (ms)"
			value={duration}
			onChange={(value) => setAttributes({ duration: value })}
			min={200}
			max={2000}
			step={100}
		/>
	</PanelBody>
</InspectorControls>;

Frontend Animation Implementation

CSS animations:

.animation-block.fade-up {
	opacity: 0;
	transform: translateY(30px);
	transition: all 0.6s ease;
}

.animation-block.fade-up.visible {
	opacity: 1;
	transform: translateY(0);
}

JavaScript (Intersection Observer):

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
	const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
		entries.forEach((entry) => {
			if (entry.isIntersecting) {
				entry.target.classList.add("visible");
			}
		});
	});

	document.querySelectorAll(".animation-block").forEach((el) => observer.observe(el));
});

Advanced Features

Add timing controls, easing options, trigger point customization, repeat/once toggle, and mobile detection.

Best Practices

• Use GPU-accelerated properties (transform, opacity)
• Implement prefers-reduced-motion support
• Lazy load animations (scroll-triggered)
• Test on low-end devices
• Keep JavaScript minimal

Conclusion

Building custom animation blocks requires block registration, animation controls in InspectorControls, CSS transitions/animations, Intersection Observer for lazy loading, and accessibility compliance.

Start with Block Editor Animations for ready-made solutions, then extend with custom blocks for unique needs.

Visit our support page for questions!