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CSS linear-gradient overlay

⚠ Only works properly in Firefox for now - the tool will be displayed in other browsers, but if you change the color formats from rgb[a] to something else, the overlay won't update ⚠

This tool overlays information on top of a CSS linear-gradient to help understand how it is rendered in browsers.

If you read the spec (http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css-images/#linear-gradients) carefully, you'll learn a tone of details about how linear gradients are constructed you might not know. This tool's goal is to make it more obvious how the gradient angle is calculated and how the color stops are positioned.

Tool usage:

  • you can change the linear-gradient value by typing into the text box,
  • you can use the up and down arrow keys on any number to increase/decrease the number (used in conjunction with the Ctrl and Shift keys, you can make it go slower or faster).

A Pen by Patrick Brosset on CodePen.

License.

<input type="text" class="gradient-input" />
<div class="test-element"></div>
<svg class="gradient-overlay" width="100%" height="100%">
<defs>
<marker id="extending-line-end" markerWidth="50" markerHeight="1"
orient="auto" markerUnits="userSpaceOnUse" refX="0" refY="0">
<line class="support-line" x1="0" y1="0" x2="50" y2="0" />
</marker>
<marker id="extending-line-start" markerWidth="50" markerHeight="1"
orient="auto" markerUnits="userSpaceOnUse" refX="50" refY="0">
<line class="support-line" x1="0" y1="0" x2="50" y2="0" />
</marker>
</defs>
<rect class="gradient-box" />
<line class="gradient-line extend-line" />
<line class="angle-0-line support-line" />
<line class="start-edge support-line extend-line" />
<line class="end-edge support-line extend-line" />
<circle class="start-point gradient-line-point" r="2" />
<circle class="center-point gradient-line-point" r="2" />
<circle class="end-point gradient-line-point" r="2" />
<path class="angle-arc" />
</svg>
// TODO
// - the gradient-box depends on background-size and background position
// - support multiple gradients!
// - other angle units don't work (rad, grad, turn)
// - bug with (red 30%, orange, yellow, black 10%) -> all stops should be at 30%
// - the computed-style isn't formatted the same on all browsers, so changing the value in the input only works in firefox for now.
/*
B
+-----+
| /
| /
A | / C
| /
|/
C2 = A2 + B2
A = cos(AC) * C
AC = acos(A/C)
*/
const SVG_NS = "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg";
const ANGLE_KEYWORDS = {
"to top": () => 0,
"to top right": ({width, height}) => {
return Math.acos((width/2) / (Math.sqrt(Math.pow(width, 2) + Math.pow(height, 2)) / 2));
},
"to right": () => Math.PI/2,
"to bottom right": bounds => Math.PI - ANGLE_KEYWORDS["to top right"](bounds),
"to bottom": () => Math.PI,
"to bottom left": bounds => Math.PI + ANGLE_KEYWORDS["to top right"](bounds),
"to left": () => 3*Math.PI/2,
"to top left": bounds => (2*Math.PI) - ANGLE_KEYWORDS["to top right"](bounds)
};
const ANGLE_REGEX = /^-?[0-9.]+deg$/;
const COLOR_REGEX = /^\([0-9., ]+\)/;
const ARC_RADIUS = 50;
let testElement = document.querySelector(".test-element");
let svg = document.querySelector(".gradient-overlay");
let box = document.querySelector(".gradient-box");
let line = document.querySelector(".gradient-line");
let angleArc = document.querySelector(".angle-arc");
let centerLine = document.querySelector(".angle-0-line");
let startEdge = document.querySelector(".start-edge");
let endEdge = document.querySelector(".end-edge");
let startPoint = document.querySelector(".start-point");
let centerPoint = document.querySelector(".center-point");
let endPoint = document.querySelector(".end-point");
let input = document.querySelector(".gradient-input");
input.value = document.styleSheets[0].cssRules[4]
.style.getPropertyValue("background-image");
function deleteStops() {
let stops = document.querySelectorAll(".color-stop, .color-stop-label");
[].slice.apply(stops).forEach(stop => {
stop.remove();
});
}
function renderStop(color, position, angle, index) {
let stop = document.createElementNS(SVG_NS, "circle");
stop.classList.add("color-stop");
stop.setAttribute("r", 4);
stop.setAttribute("cx", position.x);
stop.setAttribute("cy", position.y);
svg.appendChild(stop);
let label = document.createElement("div");
label.classList.add("color-stop-label");
label.style.background = color;
label.style.top = position.y + "px";
label.style.left = position.x + "px";
document.body.appendChild(label);
angle = angle * 180 / Math.PI;
if (index % 2 === 0) {
angle -= 90;
} else {
angle += 90;
}
label.style.webkitTransform = "translateX(-10px) translateY(10px) rotate(" + angle + "deg)";
label.style.transform = "translateX(-10px) translateY(10px) rotate(" + angle + "deg)";
}
function getColorStopPosition(angle, gradientLine, percentagePosition) {
let yDiff = Math.sin(angle-Math.PI/2) *
(gradientLine.length * percentagePosition/100);
let xDiff = Math.cos(angle-Math.PI/2) *
(gradientLine.length * percentagePosition/100);
return {
x: gradientLine.start.x + xDiff,
y: gradientLine.start.y + yDiff
};
}
function renderGradientLine(quad, {angle, stops, gradientLine}) {
deleteStops();
// Display the gradient box
box.setAttribute("x", quad.p1.x);
box.setAttribute("y", quad.p1.y);
box.setAttribute("width", quad.bounds.width);
box.setAttribute("height", quad.bounds.height);
// Display the gradient line
line.setAttribute("x1", gradientLine.start.x);
line.setAttribute("y1", gradientLine.start.y);
line.setAttribute("x2", gradientLine.end.x);
line.setAttribute("y2", gradientLine.end.y);
// Display the start point
startPoint.setAttribute("cx", gradientLine.start.x);
startPoint.setAttribute("cy", gradientLine.start.y);
// Display the center point
centerPoint.setAttribute("cx", gradientLine.center.x);
centerPoint.setAttribute("cy", gradientLine.center.y);
// Display the end point
endPoint.setAttribute("cx", gradientLine.end.x);
endPoint.setAttribute("cy", gradientLine.end.y);
// Display the center line
centerLine.setAttribute("x1", gradientLine.center.x);
centerLine.setAttribute("y1", gradientLine.center.y);
centerLine.setAttribute("x2", gradientLine.center.x);
centerLine.setAttribute("y2", gradientLine.center.y - ARC_RADIUS - 10);
// Display the angle arc
angle = angle % (Math.PI*2);
if (angle < 0) {
angle = (Math.PI*2) + angle;
}
let arcX = gradientLine.center.x + Math.cos(angle-Math.PI/2) * ARC_RADIUS;
let arcY = gradientLine.center.y + Math.sin(angle-Math.PI/2) * ARC_RADIUS;
let largeArc = angle > Math.PI ? 1 : 0;
let path = ["M", gradientLine.center.x, ",", gradientLine.center.y, " ",
"m", "0,-", ARC_RADIUS, " ",
"A", ARC_RADIUS, ",", ARC_RADIUS, " 0 ", largeArc, " 1 ", arcX, ",", arcY];
angleArc.setAttribute("d", path.join(""));
// Display the two perpendicular lines
let point1, point2;
if (angle <= Math.PI/2) {
point1 = quad.p4;
point2 = quad.p2;
} else if (angle <= Math.PI) {
point1 = quad.p1;
point2 = quad.p3;
} else if (angle <= 3*Math.PI/2) {
point1 = quad.p2;
point2 = quad.p4;
} else {
point1 = quad.p3;
point2 = quad.p1;
}
startEdge.setAttribute("x1", gradientLine.start.x);
startEdge.setAttribute("y1", gradientLine.start.y);
startEdge.setAttribute("x2", point1.x);
startEdge.setAttribute("y2", point1.y);
endEdge.setAttribute("x1", gradientLine.end.x);
endEdge.setAttribute("y1", gradientLine.end.y);
endEdge.setAttribute("x2", point2.x);
endEdge.setAttribute("y2", point2.y);
for (let i = 0; i < stops.length; i ++) {
let {color, position} = stops[i];
renderStop(color, getColorStopPosition(angle, gradientLine, position), angle, i);
}
}
function parseGradientPart(part, gradientBoxBounds) {
// All parts have a useless trailing character, either ) or ,
part = part.trim();
part = part.substring(0, part.length - 1);
// Check if the part is an angle, a signed float with 'deg' suffix or any of
// the accepted keywords.
if (Object.keys(ANGLE_KEYWORDS).indexOf(part) !== -1){
return {
type: "angle",
angle: ANGLE_KEYWORDS[part](gradientBoxBounds)
};
} else if (part.match(ANGLE_REGEX)) {
return {
type: "angle",
angle: parseFloat(part) * Math.PI / 180
};
} else {
// Otherwise, it's a color stop. Color stops may or may not have a position.
// Positions may be in px or %. Colors are a list of 3 or 4 numbers between
// parens, and are either rgb or rgba.
let color = part.match(COLOR_REGEX)[0];
let rgbPrefix = color.split(",").length === 3 ? "rgb" : "rgba";
let position = part.substring(color.length).trim();
return {
type: "stop",
position,
color: rgbPrefix + color
};
}
return part;
}
function getGradientLine(angle, gradientBoxBounds) {
let gradientLineLength = Math.abs(gradientBoxBounds.width * Math.sin(angle)) +
Math.abs(gradientBoxBounds.height * Math.cos(angle));
let center = {
x: gradientBoxBounds.x + gradientBoxBounds.width/2,
y: gradientBoxBounds.y + gradientBoxBounds.height/2
};
let yDiff = Math.sin(angle-Math.PI/2) * gradientLineLength/2;
let xDiff = Math.cos(angle-Math.PI/2) * gradientLineLength/2;
return {
length: gradientLineLength,
center: center,
start: {
x: center.x - xDiff,
y: center.y - yDiff
},
end: {
x: center.x + xDiff,
y: center.y + yDiff
}
};
}
function resolvePosition(positionString, gradientLine) {
positionString = positionString + "";
let isPx = positionString.endsWith("px");
let value = parseFloat(positionString);
return isPx ? value * 100 / gradientLine.length : value;
}
function parseGradient(parsedBackgroundImage, gradientBoxBounds) {
// The computed-style gives us some facility to parse the gradient, but not
// much. Color stops that don't have a defined position still don't have a
// position in the computed-style. Angle keywords aren't replaced with degrees.
// Position units can be mixed (% and px). So we need to parse the angle and
// stops ourselves.
let gradient = parsedBackgroundImage.value;
// TODO: use the tokens in parsedBackgroundImage to only care about the actual
// value between ( and ), and then add a new tokenizer function that will
// tokenize this value correctly (right now, it's failing with transparent)
let index = gradient.indexOf("linear-gradient");
if (index === -1) {
return;
}
// Removing the linear-gradient( part. Remaining is the angle and color stops.
gradient = gradient.substring(index + 16);
// Computed colors are always rgb or rgba, and positions, if present, are
// found after colors, so splitting by this will give us a nice array with
// the angle first (if present) and stops.
let parts = [];
while (true) {
let rgbIndex = gradient.indexOf("rgb(");
let rgbaIndex = gradient.indexOf("rgba(");
let transparentIndex = gradient.indexOf("transparent");
if (rgbIndex === -1 && rgbaIndex === -1 && transparentIndex === -1) {
parts.push(parseGradientPart(gradient, gradientBoxBounds));
break;
}
let index = Math.min.apply(null,
[rgbIndex, rgbaIndex, transparentIndex].filter(i => i >= 0));
let colorLength = rgbIndex === index ? 3 : rgbaIndex === index ? 4 : 11;
let part = gradient.substring(0, index);
if (part.trim()) {
parts.push(parseGradientPart(gradient.substring(0, index), gradientBoxBounds));
}
gradient = gradient.substring(index + (rgbIndex === index ? 3 : 4));
}
// An angle is not mandatory. If missing, defaults ot "to bottom".
let angle = ANGLE_KEYWORDS["to bottom"]();
if (parts[0].type === "angle") {
angle = parts[0].angle;
parts.splice(0, 1);
}
// Get the gradient line data.
let gradientLine = getGradientLine(angle, gradientBoxBounds);
// Post-process the color stops to calculate the missing positions.
// When a position is missing, it's typically between the previous and next.
// But there are edge cases. The gradient line extends infinitely in either
// directions, and so if the first position is missing but the second is -50
// then first is also -50.
// Given a stop index, get the position of the next stop. If there is no next
// stop, return either 100 (for 100%) or the provided last position if it is
// more than 100.
let nextPos = (i, lastPos) => {
if (parts[i+1]) {
// If there's a next stop, get its position, or go to the next one if it
// doesn't have one.
let pos = resolvePosition(parts[i+1].position, gradientLine);
return pos ? {nextIndex: i+1, next: pos} : nextPos(i+1, lastPos);
} else {
// Otherwise, this is the last stop.
return {nextIndex: i, next: Math.max(lastPos||0, 100)};
}
}
// The last defined position we found.
let lastPos;
let stops = [];
for (let i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
let stop = parts[i];
let position;
// If a position is already defined, use this one, except if there was
// previous, greater, position.
if (stop.position !== "") {
position = resolvePosition(stop.position, gradientLine);
if (typeof lastPos !== "undefined" && lastPos >= position) {
position = lastPos;
}
}
// Otherwise, distribute the value according to the number of stops until
// the next defined value.
else {
let {nextIndex, next} = nextPos(i, lastPos);
// If this is the first stop and the next is greater than 0, then this is
// 0.
if (i === 0 && next > 0) {
position = 0;
}
// If this is the first stop and the next is lower than 0, then clamp it
// to the next value.
if (i === 0 && next <= 0) {
position = next;
}
// If this is the last stop and the previous is lower than 100, then this
// is 100.
else if (i === parts.length - 1 && lastPos < 100) {
position = 100;
}
// If this is the last stop and the previous was greater than 100, then
// clamp it to the previous value.
else if (i === parts.length - 1 && lastPos >= 100) {
position = lastPos;
}
else {
if (typeof lastPos === "undefined") {
position = Math.min(0, next);
} else {
position = lastPos + ((next - lastPos) / (nextIndex - i + 1));
}
}
}
stops.push({
color: stop.color,
position: position
});
lastPos = position;
}
return {angle, stops, gradientLine};
}
/**
* Parses the value of a background-image CSS property.
* Note that this only works with computed properties! Do not attempt to use with
* authored styles as it doesn't handle malformed syntax at all (may fail
* unexpectedly or create an infinite loop).
* @param {String} backgroundImage The computed background-image value.
* @return {Array} An array of background image objects: {type, value, tokens}
*/
function parseBackgroundImage(backgroundImage) {
let images = [];
let tokens = tokenizeBackgroundImage(backgroundImage);
for (let i = 0; i < tokens.length; i += 5) {
images.push({
type: tokens[i].value,
value: tokens[i].value + tokens[i+1].value + tokens[i+2].value + tokens[i+3].value,
tokens: tokens.slice(i, i+4)
});
}
return images;
}
/**
* Tokenizes the value of a background-image CSS property.
* Note that this only works with computed properties! Do not attempt to use with
* authored styles as it doesn't handle malformed syntax at all (may fail
* unexpectedly or create an infinite loop).
* @param {String} backgroundImage The computed background-image value.
* @return {Array} An array of tokens: {type, value, startIndex, endIndex}
*/
function tokenizeBackgroundImage(backgroundImage) {
// A CSS <image> may be a <uri>, a <gradient>, or a part of the page, defined by
// the element() function.
// "linear-gradient(50deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6), transparent), repeating-linear-gradient(to right, transparent 0px, transparent 100px, rgb(0, 0, 0) 100px, rgb(0, 0, 0) 200px, transparent 200px), -moz-element(#angle-range), url("https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/714210/grid.png")"
let imageTypes = [
"repeating-linear-gradient", "linear-gradient",
"repeating-radial-gradient", "radial-gradient",
"url", "-moz-element"
];
// Expect one of the image types at startIndex, return the type and endIndex.
let eatType = startIndex => {
for (let type of imageTypes) {
if (backgroundImage.substring(startIndex).startsWith(type)) {
return {
endIndex: startIndex + type.length,
value: type
};
}
}
};
// Expect an <image> value at startIndex, looks for the next ) character.
let eatValue = startIndex => {
let nbOpen = 0;
let i = startIndex;
while (true) {
if (backgroundImage[i] === "(") {
nbOpen ++;
} else if (backgroundImage[i] === ")") {
nbOpen --;
if (nbOpen === -1) {
return {
endIndex: i,
value: backgroundImage.substring(startIndex, i)
}
}
}
i ++;
}
};
let tokens = [];
let lastToken = null;
let i = 0;
while (i < backgroundImage.length) {
let char = backgroundImage[i];
if (!lastToken) {
// Progress to end of function name.
let {endIndex, value} = eatType(i);
tokens.push({
type: "function",
value,
startIndex: i,
endIndex
});
i = endIndex;
lastToken = "function";
} else if (lastToken === "function" && char === "(") {
// Just saw a function, eat the (.
lastToken = "(";
tokens.push({
type: "(",
value: "(",
startIndex: i,
endIndex: i+1
});
i ++;
} else if (lastToken === "(") {
// Just opened a ( after a function, progress to end of value.
let {endIndex, value} = eatValue(i);
tokens.push({
type: "value",
value,
startIndex: i,
endIndex
});
i = endIndex;
lastToken = "value";
} else if (lastToken === "value" && char === ")") {
// Just saw a closing ). Eat it.
lastToken = ")";
tokens.push({
type: ")",
value: ")",
startIndex: i,
endIndex: i+1
});
i ++;
} else if (lastToken === ")" && char === ",") {
// Multiple background separator, go back to start.
lastToken = null;
tokens.push({
type: ",",
value: ",",
startIndex: i,
endIndex: i+1
});
i += 2;
} else {
i ++;
}
}
return tokens;
}
function getBoxQuad(element) {
let quad;
if (element.getBoxQuads) {
return element.getBoxQuads()[0];
} else {
return {
p1: {
x: element.offsetLeft,
y: element.offsetTop
},
p2: {
x: element.offsetLeft + element.offsetWidth,
y: element.offsetTop
},
p3: {
x: element.offsetLeft + element.offsetWidth,
y: element.offsetTop + element.offsetHeight
},
p4: {
x: element.offsetLeft,
y: element.offsetTop + element.offsetHeight
},
bounds: {
x: element.offsetLeft,
y: element.offsetTop,
width: element.offsetWidth,
height: element.offsetHeight
}
};
}
}
function previewGradient(element, index) {
let backgroundImages = getComputedStyle(element).backgroundImage;
let parsedImages = parseBackgroundImage(backgroundImages);
let gradient = parsedImages[index];
let quad = getBoxQuad(element);
renderGradientLine(quad, parseGradient(gradient, quad.bounds));
}
function isNumber(string) {
return parseInt(string) + "" === string || string === "-" || string === ".";
}
function isCloseToNumber(string, index) {
return (string[index - 1] && isNumber(string[index - 1])) ||
(string[index] && isNumber(string[index]));
}
function getNumberRange(string, index) {
if (isCloseToNumber(string, index)) {
let start, end;
index --;
while (string[index]) {
if (isNumber(string[index])) {
index --;
} else {
start = index + 1;
break;
}
}
index ++;
while (string[index]) {
if (isNumber(string[index])) {
index ++;
} else {
end = index;
break;
}
}
return {start: start, end: end};
} else {
return false;
}
}
function increaseValue(input, isUp, isShift, isCtrl) {
let selectionStartBefore = input.selectionStart;
let nbRange = getNumberRange(input.value, selectionStartBefore);
if (nbRange) {
let delta = isUp === false ? -1 : 1;
if (isShift) {
delta *= 10;
} else if (isCtrl) {
delta /= 10;
}
let value = parseFloat(input.value.substring(nbRange.start, nbRange.end));
value += delta;
value = Math.round(value * 10) / 10;
input.value = input.value.slice(0, nbRange.start) + value + input.value.slice(nbRange.end);
setTimeout(function () {
input.setSelectionRange(nbRange.start, nbRange.start);
}, 0);
}
}
input.addEventListener("keydown", e => {
if (e.keyCode !== 38 && e.keyCode !== 40) {
return;
}
increaseValue(input, e.keyCode === 38, e.shiftKey, e.ctrlKey);
e.preventDefault();
testElement.style.backgroundImage = input.value;
previewGradient(testElement, 0);
});
input.addEventListener("keyup", e => {
let value = input.value;
testElement.style.backgroundImage = value;
previewGradient(testElement, 0);
});
addEventListener("resize", e => {
previewGradient(testElement, 0);
});
previewGradient(testElement, 0);
// TESTS
const TEST_DATA = [
{input: [undefined, undefined],
output: [0, 100]},
{input: [undefined, undefined, undefined],
output: [0, 50, 100]},
{input: [undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined],
output: [0, 25, 50, 75, 100]},
{input: [-10, 100],
output: [-10, 100]},
{input: [-10, -20],
output: [-10, -10]},
{input: [110, 100],
output: [110, 110]},
{input: [50, undefined, 100],
output: [50, 75, 100]},
{input: [100, 50, 75, undefined],
output: [100, 100, 100, 100]},
{input: [undefined, undefined, undefined, -20],
output: [-20, -20, -20, -20]},
{input: [10, 20, 30, -20],
output: [10, 20, 30, 30]},
{input: [10, undefined, 20],
output: [10, 15, 20]},
{input: [75, 20, 30],
output: [75, 75, 75]},
{input: [75, 20, undefined],
output: [75, 75, 100]},
{input: [60, 20, undefined, undefined],
output: [60, 60, 80, 100]},
];
for (let {input, output} of TEST_DATA) {
let inputStr = "linear-gradient(rgb(0,0,0)";
for (let i = 0; i < input.length; i ++) {
let stop = input[i];
if (stop) {
inputStr += " " + stop + "%";
}
if (i < input.length - 1) {
inputStr += ", rgb(0,0,0)";
}
}
inputStr += ")";
console.log("Testing " + inputStr);
let {stops} = parseGradient({value: inputStr}, {
x: 0,
y: 0,
width: 200,
height: 200
});
if (stops.length !== output.length) {
console.error("Unexpected number of stops. Expected " + output.length + ". Got " + stops.length);
}
for (let i = 0; i < stops.length; i ++) {
let stop = stops[i];
let expected = output[i];
if (stop.position !== expected) {
console.error("Unexpected stop " + i + " position. Expected " + expected + ". Got " + stop.position);
}
}
}
html, body {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
overflow: hidden;
}
body {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
}
.gradient-input {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 5vw;
width: 90vw;
font-size: 1em;
padding: .8em 0;
color: #777;
background: transparent;
border-color: #eee;
border-style: solid;
border-width: 0 0 1px 0;
text-align: center;
transition: .2s all;
}
.gradient-input:hover,
.gradient-input:focus {
background: #eee;
color: rgb(222, 7, 159);
}
.test-element {
width: 50vw;
height: 50vh;
background-image: linear-gradient(75deg, #3800fd -5%, #ff0092 40%, #ff6fb1 65%, #ff4740 90%);
}
.gradient-overlay {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
pointer-events: none;
color: #555;
}
.gradient-box {
stroke: currentColor;
fill: none;
shape-rendering: crispEdges;
}
.gradient-line {
stroke-width: 2;
stroke: currentColor;
}
.angle-arc {
stroke-width: 1;
stroke: currentColor;
fill: transparent;
}
.support-line {
stroke-width: 1;
stroke: currentColor;
stroke-dasharray: 3 2;
}
.extend-line {
marker-start: url(#extending-line-start);
marker-end: url(#extending-line-end);
}
.gradient-line-point,
.color-stop {
fill: currentColor;
}
.color-stop-label {
position: absolute;
width: 20px;
height: 20px;
border-radius: 5px;
border: 2px solid white;
box-sizing: border-box;
box-shadow: 0 1px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3);
pointer-events: auto;
transform-origin: 10px -10px;
}
.color-stop-label::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
width: 0;
height: 0;
border-style: solid;
border-color: transparent transparent white transparent;
border-width: 0px 6px 6px;
top: -6px;
left: 2px;
}
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