plotly · andrei-ng · Jul 12, 2025 · Jul 11, 2025 · Jul 12, 2025
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,7 +6,13 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/) a
 ## [0.13.3] - 2025-xx-xx
 
 ### Fixed  
+
+### Changed
+
+## [0.13.3] - 2025-07-12
+
 ### Changed
+- [[#335](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.rs/pull/335)] Add minimal animation support 
 
 ## [0.13.2] - 2025-07-12
 

diff --git a/docs/book/src/SUMMARY.md b/docs/book/src/SUMMARY.md
@@ -35,3 +35,4 @@
     - [Custom Controls](./recipes/custom_controls.md)
         - [Dropdowns](./recipes/custom_controls/dropdowns.md)
         - [Sliders](./recipes/custom_controls/sliders.md)
+        - [Animations](./recipes/custom_controls/animations.md)
diff --git a/docs/book/src/fundamentals/static_image_export.md b/docs/book/src/fundamentals/static_image_export.md
@@ -198,11 +198,6 @@ let mut exporter = StaticExporterBuilder::default()
 - **Exporter Reuse**: Create a single `StaticExporter` and reuse it for multiple plots
 - **Parallel Usage**: Use unique ports for parallel operations (tests, etc.)
 - **Resource Management**: The exporter automatically manages WebDriver lifecycle
-- **Format Selection**: Choose appropriate formats for your use case:
-  - PNG: Good quality, lossless
-  - JPEG: Smaller files, lossy
-  - SVG: Scalable, good for web
-  - PDF: Good for printing
 
 ## Complete Example
 

diff --git a/docs/book/src/recipes/custom_controls.md b/docs/book/src/recipes/custom_controls.md
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ This section covers interactive controls that can be added to plots to modify da
 |--------------|---------|
 | [Dropdown Menus and Buttons](./custom_controls/dropdowns.md) | ![Dropdown Example](./img/dropdown.png) |
 | [Sliders](./custom_controls/sliders.md) | ![Slider Example](./img/sliders.png) |
+| [Animations](./custom_controls/animations.md) | ![Animation Example](./img/animation.png) |
diff --git a/docs/book/src/recipes/custom_controls/animations.md b/docs/book/src/recipes/custom_controls/animations.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Animations
+
+Animations in Plotly.rs allow you to create dynamic, interactive visualizations that can play through different data states over time.
+
+## GDP vs. Life Expectancy Animation
+
+This example demonstrates an animation based on the Gapminder dataset, showing the relationship between GDP per capita and life expectancy across different continents over several decades. The animation is based on the JavaScript example https://plotly.com/javascript/gapminder-example/ and shows how to create buttons and sliders that interact with the animation mechanism.
+
+```rust,no_run
+{{#include ../../../../../examples/custom_controls/src/main.rs:gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example}}
+```
+{{#include ../../../../../examples/custom_controls/output/inline_gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example.html}}
diff --git a/docs/book/src/recipes/img/animation.png b/docs/book/src/recipes/img/animation.png
diff --git a/examples/custom_controls/src/main.rs b/examples/custom_controls/src/main.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ use plotly::{
     common::{Anchor, ColorScalePalette, Font, Mode, Pad, Title, Visible},
     layout::{
         update_menu::{ButtonBuilder, UpdateMenu, UpdateMenuDirection, UpdateMenuType},
-        Axis, BarMode, Layout, Slider, SliderCurrentValue, SliderCurrentValueXAnchor, SliderStep,
-        SliderStepBuilder,
+        AnimationOptions, Axis, BarMode, Layout, Slider, SliderCurrentValue,
+        SliderCurrentValueXAnchor, SliderStep, SliderStepBuilder,
     },
     Bar, HeatMap, Plot, Scatter,
 };
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ fn gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example(show: bool, file_name: &str) {
             visible[start..end].fill(Visible::True);
 
             SliderStepBuilder::new()
-                .label(format!("year = {year}"))
+                .label(year.to_string())
                 .value(year)
                 .push_restyle(Scatter::<f64, f64>::modify_visible(visible))
                 .push_relayout(Layout::modify_title(format!(
@@ -409,8 +409,18 @@ fn gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example(show: bool, file_name: &str) {
                 .title(Title::with_text("gdpPercap"))
                 .type_(plotly::layout::AxisType::Log),
         )
-        .y_axis(Axis::new().title(Title::with_text("lifeExp")))
-        .sliders(vec![Slider::new().active(0).steps(steps)]);
+        .y_axis(
+            Axis::new()
+                .title(Title::with_text("lifeExp"))
+                .range(vec![30.0, 85.0]), // Fixed range for Life Expectancy
+        )
+        .sliders(vec![Slider::new().active(0).steps(steps).current_value(
+            SliderCurrentValue::new()
+                .visible(true)
+                .prefix("Year: ")
+                .x_anchor(SliderCurrentValueXAnchor::Right)
+                .font(Font::new().size(20).color("rgb(102, 102, 102)")),
+        )]);
     plot.set_layout(layout);
     let path = write_example_to_html(&plot, file_name);
     if show {
@@ -419,6 +429,291 @@ fn gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example(show: bool, file_name: &str) {
 }
 // ANCHOR_END: gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example
 
+// ANCHOR: gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example
+// GDP per Capita/Life Expectancy Animation (animated version of the slider
+// example)
+fn gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example(show: bool, file_name: &str) {
+    use plotly::{
+        common::Font,
+        common::Pad,
+        common::Title,
+        layout::Axis,
+        layout::{
+            update_menu::{ButtonBuilder, UpdateMenu, UpdateMenuDirection, UpdateMenuType},
+            Animation, AnimationMode, Frame, FrameSettings, Slider, SliderCurrentValue,
+            SliderCurrentValueXAnchor, SliderStepBuilder, TransitionSettings,
+        },
+        Layout, Plot, Scatter,
+    };
+
+    let data = load_gapminder_data();
+
+    // Get unique years and sort them
+    let years: Vec<i32> = data
+        .iter()
+        .map(|d| d.year)
+        .collect::<std::collections::HashSet<_>>()
+        .into_iter()
+        .sorted()
+        .collect();
+
+    // Create color mapping for continents to match the Python plotly example
+    let continent_colors = HashMap::from([
+        ("Asia".to_string(), "rgb(99, 110, 250)"),
+        ("Europe".to_string(), "rgb(239, 85, 59)"),
+        ("Africa".to_string(), "rgb(0, 204, 150)"),
+        ("Americas".to_string(), "rgb(171, 99, 250)"),
+        ("Oceania".to_string(), "rgb(255, 161, 90)"),
+    ]);
+    let continents: Vec<String> = continent_colors.keys().cloned().sorted().collect();
+
+    let mut plot = Plot::new();
+    let mut initial_traces = Vec::new();
+
+    for (frame_index, &year) in years.iter().enumerate() {
+        let mut frame_traces = plotly::Traces::new();
+
+        for continent in &continents {
+            let records: Vec<&GapminderData> = data
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|d| d.continent == *continent && d.year == year)
+                .collect();
+
+            if !records.is_empty() {
+                let x: Vec<f64> = records.iter().map(|r| r.gdp_per_cap).collect();
+                let y: Vec<f64> = records.iter().map(|r| r.life_exp).collect();
+                let size: Vec<f64> = records.iter().map(|r| r.pop).collect();
+                let hover: Vec<String> = records.iter().map(|r| r.country.clone()).collect();
+
+                let trace = Scatter::new(x, y)
+                    .name(continent)
+                    .mode(Mode::Markers)
+                    .hover_text_array(hover)
+                    .marker(
+                        plotly::common::Marker::new()
+                            .color(*continent_colors.get(continent).unwrap())
+                            .size_array(size.into_iter().map(|s| s as usize).collect())
+                            .size_mode(plotly::common::SizeMode::Area)
+                            .size_ref(200000)
+                            .size_min(4),
+                    );
+
+                frame_traces.push(trace.clone());
+
+                // Store traces from first year for initial plot
+                if frame_index == 0 {
+                    initial_traces.push(trace);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Create layout for this frame
+        let frame_layout = Layout::new()
+            .title(Title::with_text(format!(
+                "GDP vs. Life Expectancy ({year})"
+            )))
+            .x_axis(
+                Axis::new()
+                    .title(Title::with_text("gdpPercap"))
+                    .type_(plotly::layout::AxisType::Log),
+            )
+            .y_axis(
+                Axis::new()
+                    .title(Title::with_text("lifeExp"))
+                    .range(vec![30.0, 85.0]), // Fixed range for Life Expectancy
+            );
+
+        // Add frame with all traces for this year
+        plot.add_frame(
+            Frame::new()
+                .name(format!("frame{frame_index}"))
+                .data(frame_traces)
+                .layout(frame_layout),
+        );
+    }
+
+    // Add initial traces to the plot (all traces from first year)
+    for trace in initial_traces {
+        plot.add_trace(trace);
+    }
+
+    // Create animation configuration for playing all frames
+    let play_animation = Animation::all_frames().options(
+        AnimationOptions::new()
+            .mode(AnimationMode::Immediate)
+            .frame(FrameSettings::new().duration(500).redraw(false))
+            .transition(TransitionSettings::new().duration(300))
+            .fromcurrent(true),
+    );
+
+    let play_button = ButtonBuilder::new()
+        .label("Play")
+        .animation(play_animation)
+        .build()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let pause_animation = Animation::pause();
+
+    let pause_button = ButtonBuilder::new()
+        .label("Pause")
+        .animation(pause_animation)
+        .build()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let updatemenu = UpdateMenu::new()
+        .ty(UpdateMenuType::Buttons)
+        .direction(UpdateMenuDirection::Right)
+        .buttons(vec![play_button, pause_button])
+        .x(0.1)
+        .y(1.15)
+        .show_active(true)
+        .visible(true);
+
+    // Create slider steps for each year
+    let mut slider_steps = Vec::new();
+    for (i, &year) in years.iter().enumerate() {
+        let frame_animation = Animation::frames(vec![format!("frame{}", i)]).options(
+            AnimationOptions::new()
+                .mode(AnimationMode::Immediate)
+                .frame(FrameSettings::new().duration(300).redraw(false))
+                .transition(TransitionSettings::new().duration(300)),
+        );
+        let step = SliderStepBuilder::new()
+            .label(year.to_string())
+            .value(year)
+            .animation(frame_animation)
+            .build()
+            .unwrap();
+        slider_steps.push(step);
+    }
+
+    let slider = Slider::new()
+        .pad(Pad::new(55, 0, 130))
+        .current_value(
+            SliderCurrentValue::new()
+                .visible(true)
+                .prefix("Year: ")
+                .x_anchor(SliderCurrentValueXAnchor::Right)
+                .font(Font::new().size(20).color("rgb(102, 102, 102)")),
+        )
+        .steps(slider_steps);
+
+    // Set the layout with initial title, buttons, and slider
+    let layout = Layout::new()
+        .title(Title::with_text(format!(
+            "GDP vs. Life Expectancy ({}) - Click 'Play' to animate",
+            years[0]
+        )))
+        .x_axis(
+            Axis::new()
+                .title(Title::with_text("gdpPercap"))
+                .type_(plotly::layout::AxisType::Log),
+        )
+        .y_axis(
+            Axis::new()
+                .title(Title::with_text("lifeExp"))
+                .range(vec![30.0, 85.0]), // Fixed range for Life Expectancy
+        )
+        .update_menus(vec![updatemenu])
+        .sliders(vec![slider]);
+
+    plot.set_layout(layout);
+
+    let path = write_example_to_html(&plot, file_name);
+    if show {
+        plot.show_html(path);
+    }
+}
+// ANCHOR_END: gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example
+
+// ANCHOR: animation_randomize_example
+/// Animation example based on the Plotly.js "Randomize" animation.
+/// This demonstrates the new builder API for animation configuration.
+fn animation_randomize_example(show: bool, file_name: &str) {
+    use plotly::{
+        layout::update_menu::{ButtonBuilder, UpdateMenu, UpdateMenuDirection, UpdateMenuType},
+        layout::{
+            Animation, AnimationEasing, AnimationMode, Frame, FrameSettings, TransitionSettings,
+        },
+        Plot, Scatter,
+    };
+
+    // Initial data
+    let x = vec![1, 2, 3];
+    let y0 = vec![0.0, 0.5, 1.0];
+    let y1 = vec![0.2, 0.8, 0.3];
+    let y2 = vec![0.9, 0.1, 0.7];
+
+    let mut plot = Plot::new();
+    let base =
+        Scatter::new(x.clone(), y0.clone()).line(plotly::common::Line::new().simplify(false));
+    plot.add_trace(base.clone());
+
+    // Add frames with different y-values and auto-adjusting layouts
+    let mut trace0 = plotly::Traces::new();
+    trace0.push(base);
+
+    let mut trace1 = plotly::Traces::new();
+    trace1.push(Scatter::new(x.clone(), y1.clone()));
+
+    let mut trace2 = plotly::Traces::new();
+    trace2.push(Scatter::new(x.clone(), y2.clone()));
+
+    let animation = Animation::new().options(
+        AnimationOptions::new()
+            .mode(AnimationMode::Immediate)
+            .frame(FrameSettings::new().duration(500))
+            .transition(
+                TransitionSettings::new()
+                    .duration(500)
+                    .easing(AnimationEasing::CubicInOut),
+            ),
+    );
+
+    let layout0 = plotly::Layout::new()
+        .title(Title::with_text("First frame"))
+        .y_axis(plotly::layout::Axis::new().range(vec![0.0, 1.0]));
+    let layout1 = plotly::Layout::new()
+        .title(Title::with_text("Second frame"))
+        .y_axis(plotly::layout::Axis::new().range(vec![0.0, 1.0]));
+    let layout2 = plotly::Layout::new()
+        .title(Title::with_text("Third frame"))
+        .y_axis(plotly::layout::Axis::new().range(vec![0.0, 1.0]));
+
+    // Add frames using the new API
+    plot.add_frame(Frame::new().name("frame0").data(trace0).layout(layout0))
+        .add_frame(Frame::new().name("frame1").data(trace1).layout(layout1))
+        .add_frame(Frame::new().name("frame2").data(trace2).layout(layout2));
+
+    let randomize_button = ButtonBuilder::new()
+        .label("Animate")
+        .animation(animation)
+        .build()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let updatemenu = UpdateMenu::new()
+        .ty(UpdateMenuType::Buttons)
+        .direction(UpdateMenuDirection::Right)
+        .buttons(vec![randomize_button])
+        .x(0.1)
+        .y(1.15)
+        .show_active(true)
+        .visible(true);
+
+    plot.set_layout(
+        Layout::new()
+            .title("Animation Example - Click 'Animate'")
+            .y_axis(Axis::new().title("Y Axis").range(vec![0.0, 1.0]))
+            .update_menus(vec![updatemenu]),
+    );
+
+    let path = plotly_utils::write_example_to_html(&plot, file_name);
+    if show {
+        plot.show_html(path);
+    }
+}
+// ANCHOR_END: animation_randomize_example
+
 fn main() {
     // Change false to true on any of these lines to display the example.
     bar_plot_with_dropdown_for_different_data(false, "bar_plot");
@@ -429,4 +724,7 @@ fn main() {
     bar_chart_with_slider_customization(false, "bar_chart_with_slider_customization");
     sinusoidal_slider_example(false, "sinusoidal_slider_example");
     gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example(false, "gdp_life_expectancy_slider_example");
+    // Animation examples
+    animation_randomize_example(false, "animation_randomize_example");
+    gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example(false, "gdp_life_expectancy_animation_example");
 }
diff --git a/plotly/Cargo.toml b/plotly/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "plotly"
-version = "0.13.2"
+version = "0.13.3"
 description = "A plotting library powered by Plotly.js"
 authors = [
     "Ioannis Giagkiozis <i.giagkiozis@gmail.com>",