Component c61: Typewriter Effect

#webdev #animation #javascript

The typewriter effect reveals text character by character, simulating manual keyboard typing. It's commonly used in hero sections, terminal emulators, and chatbot reply animations.

Key implementation details:

Use recursive setTimeout instead of setInterval — typing, deleting, and pausing all need different delays
Loop through multiple texts with a textIndex counter
Keep cursor blink as an independent CSS animation

Common pitfalls: Don't use setInterval (fixed interval can't handle variable delays). Escape HTML to prevent tag parsing. For accessibility, provide an aria-label with the full text since screen readers read character by character.

Variants: Add keystroke sound effects, multi-line typing, real-time Markdown rendering, or reverse typewriter (delete from full text).

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