Moving ASCII art
Pulsing Dot
A single mark growing and shrinking through four weights, from a period to a filled circle.
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About the animation
What it is
A single mark growing and shrinking through four weights, from a period to a filled circle.
Status indicators, heartbeat displays and minimal loading states.
Motion guide
How the pulsing dot animation works
The six frames run small to large and back down, using characters of increasing visual weight rather than of increasing size. The return journey reuses the middle frames, which is what makes the pulse feel even.
Implementation tip
Because it is one character wide it can sit inline in a sentence, unlike the multi-line animations here. That makes it the most usable of these in a chat message.
Best uses
- 01
Status indicators
- 02
Heartbeat displays
- 03
Minimal loading states
Use the frames
How to run the pulsing dot animation
- 01
Copy the frame set
Copy all 6 frames at once, or take individual frames from the reference list below.
- 02
Display them in order
Use a timer in your script or bot to advance through the frames at about 6 frames per second.
- 03
Replace the previous frame
Because it is one character wide it can sit inline in a sentence, unlike the multi-line animations here. That makes it the most usable of these in a chat message.
Frame by frame
Every frame
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Common questions
About this ASCII animation
What is the pulsing dot ASCII animation?
A single mark growing and shrinking through four weights, from a period to a filled circle. The six frames run small to large and back down, using characters of increasing visual weight rather than of increasing size. The return journey reuses the middle frames, which is what makes the pulse feel even.
Does copying the frames make them animate?
No. The copied text contains each of the 6 drawings, while your terminal, app or bot supplies the timer and replaces one frame with the next. Because it is one character wide it can sit inline in a sentence, unlike the multi-line animations here. That makes it the most usable of these in a chat message.
Can I change the playback speed?
Yes. The preview uses 6 fps as a readable starting point. A shorter delay feels faster, while a longer delay makes each frame easier to inspect.
Where does the pulsing dot animation fit?
Status indicators, heartbeat displays and minimal loading states. It suits status indicators, heartbeat displays, minimal loading states.
Also known as
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