ScrollCrafter Legacy (for Elementor) WP Registry grade C-. High-severity findings · 1 findingWP RegistryHigh-severity findings · 1 findingOpen the reportC-

[!IMPORTANT] MAINTENANCE MODE: This project represents the original GSAP-based implementation of ScrollCrafter for Elementor. It is now in maintenance mode.

• ScrollCrafter Legacy: Focused on stability and bug fixes for existing users.
• ScrollCrafter Global: Our next-generation, Framer Motion powered engine for all WordPress environments is currently in development.

🚀 Recent Changes (v1.2.4.2 Legacy)

This release stabilizes the project for its long-term open-source status:

• Fix: Resolved "Expired Link" error when saving settings caused by nested form nonce collision.
• Fix: Resolved "Copy to Clipboard" button failure in non-secure (HTTP) environments.
• UI: Premium redesign of the DSL Editor with glassmorphism and refined animations.
• UI: Coffee-themed premium styling for "Support Project" buttons with heart pulse animation.
• Fix: Resolved issue where Lenis smooth scroll bypassed Elementor's "Disable Page Scrolling" setting in popups.
• Fix: Completely decommissioned "Ghost" and "Minimize" modes from the DSL Editor for improved stability and simplicity.
• Fix: Wrapped all frontend console logs in conditional debug checks.
• Tweak: Updated documentation to reflect the project's permanent Legacy status.

ScrollCrafter transforms Elementor into a powerhouse of motion design. It introduces a dedicated DSL (Domain Specific Language) editor that lets you construct advanced, production-grade scroll animations powered by GSAP and ScrollTrigger using a clean, readable, and type-safe syntax.

Say goodbye to messy JavaScript snippets and "spaghetti code" in your Elementor widgets. ScrollCrafter gives you IDE-like superpowers directly inside the builder.

Support the project: Buy me a coffee

🚀 Key Features

⚡ Power & Performance

• Smart Asset Loading: Automatically detects usage and only loads GSAP/ScrollCrafter scripts on pages that actually use them. Saves ~150KB on non-animated pages.
• Defer & Async: All frontend scripts are deferred to ensure non-blocking rendering (Core Web Vitals friendly).
• Production Safe: No eval(). Your DSL code is safely parsed on the server, validated, and converted into optimized JSON configuration.

🛠 The DSL Editor

• Integrated Modal: Distinct, distraction-free coding environment invoked directly from any Elementor widget, column, or container.
• Intelligent Autocomplete: Context-aware suggestions for sections ([animation], [scroll]), properties (duration, scrub), and even values (top center, play none...).
• Inline Validation: Real-time error checking with precise line reporting. Typos and invalid types are flagged instantly.
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • ESC: Safely close (with confirmation to prevent accidental loss).
  • CMD/CTRL + S: Quick Save & Apply.

🎨 Animation Capabilities

• GSAP Powered: Full access to the industry-standard GSAP 3 core and ScrollTrigger.
• Responsive Breakpoints: Define strict, non-overlapping responsive logic (e.g., [animation @mobile]).
• Timeline Support: create complex sequences with [timeline] and [step.N] for multi-stage animations.
• Advanced Calc: Native support for unit-mixed math like x=calc(100vw - 50%) or x=calc(vw - cw) for horizontal scrolling.
• Text Effects: Built-in support for SplitText and TextPlugin (requires GSAP customization).

📦 Installation

1. Download the plugin ZIP.
2. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
3. Upload and activate ScrollCrafter.
4. (Optional) Go to Settings → ScrollCrafter to configure custom Breakpoints or GSAP CDN links.

📖 DSL Syntax Guide

ScrollCrafter uses a Config-like syntax divided into Sections denoted by brackets [].

1. [target]

Defines what you are animating. By default, it animates the widget you are editing.

[target]
// Use any CSS selector. 
// 'selector' is optional if you want to animate the widget wrapper itself.
selector: .my-custom-class

2. [animation]

Defines a simple "Tween" (single animation).

[animation]
type: from          // from, to, fromTo
from: opacity=0, y=50
duration: 1
ease: power2.out
stagger: 0.1        // Stagger if multiple elements match target
delay: 0.5

SplitText Animation

Animate text by splitting into words, characters, or lines:

[animation]
split: words        // words, chars, lines
from: opacity=0, y=100
stagger.amount: 1
stagger.from: start // start, end, center, random
duration: 1
ease: back.out(1.7)

3. [scroll]

Connects your animation to the scrollbar (ScrollTrigger).

[scroll]
trigger: .section-container  // Optional trigger element
start: top 80%               // When top of element hits 80% viewport height
end: bottom 20%
scrub: 1                     // Smooth scrubbing (1s lag)
pin: true                    // Pin element during scroll
markers: true                // Debug markers (only for logged-in users)

4. [timeline] & [step.N]

For complex sequences. Steps execute one after another.

[timeline]
timeline.defaults.ease: none

[scroll]
pin: true
scrub: 1
end: +=2000

[step.1]
selector: .box-1
type: to
to: x=500

[step.2]
selector: .box-2
type: from
from: scale=0
position: <                  // Run at same time as previous step

5. Responsive Overrides (@slug)

Override settings for specific breakpoints. You must define these breakpoints in Settings → ScrollCrafter.

[animation]
from: x=500

[animation @mobile]
from: x=0, y=100  // On mobile, slide up instead of left

⚙️ Configuration

Go to Settings → ScrollCrafter to manage global options.

Breakpoints

Define your responsive breakpoints. ScrollCrafter uses a Strict Range system to prevent conflicts (e.g., Mobile style bleeding into Tablet). Example:

• mobile: 767px
• tablet: 1024px

GSAP Loading

Choose how GSAP is loaded:

1. Local (Default): Uses bundled GSAP files (safe, GDPR compliant).
2. CDN (GSAP Public): Loads from jsDelivr.
3. Custom CDN: Provide your own links (e.g., for GSAP Business/Club plugins like SplitText).

🛠 Troubleshooting

"Animation jumps when pinning ends" This is often caused by Elementor's default CSS transitions conflicting with GSAP. Fix: ScrollCrafter automatically forces transition: none on pinned elements to prevent this.

"Horizontal scroll doesn't move" Ensure you have scrub: 1 (or true) in your [scroll] section. Without scrub, the animation plays once instantly.

"Editor validates but nothing happens" Check the browser console (F12). Ensure the target element actually exists on the page.

📝 Changelog

1.2.4.2

• Fix: Resolved "hard/stiff" scroll feeling when Lenis is disabled. Restored native browser scrolling by removing global normalizeScroll.
• Improvement: Maintained "Absolute Zero" reload stability using manual scroll restoration and early initialization resets, without hijacking the native scroll momentum.

1.2.2

• Fix: Implemented "Absolute Zero" reload stability fix using normalizeScroll and manual restoration to prevent pin overlap when refreshing mid-page.
• Fix: Synchronized Lenis smooth scroll with ScrollTrigger refresh cycles to prevent layout corruption during measurement phases.
• Fix: Resolved Chrome-specific pin jitter and element "falling off tracks" during fast scrolling.
• Improvement: Streamlined and simplified ScrollTrigger refresh logic for better performance and stability.

1.2.1

• Fix: Resolved FOUC (Flash of Unstyled Content) and visibility issues for SplitText animations, especially with scrub.
• New: Native support for popular cache plugins (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, Autoptimize, etc.) with automatic purging on save.
• New: Added "Clear All Caches" button in the Performance tab.

1.2.0

• Transition: ScrollCrafter is now fully Open Source! All previous Pro features (Smooth Scroll, Special Condition Tags, Custom Breakpoints) are now available to everyone for free.
• Removal: Completely removed Freemius SDK and all licensing/tracking logic.
• UI: Redesigned Admin panel with consolidated features into the General tab.
• New: Added "Client Mode" to hide developer-facing tabs for a cleaner client experience.
• New: Added "Project Support" link to the sidebar.
• Fix: Resolved GSAP/SplitText re-initialization issues and hardened ScrollTrigger pin resilience.

1.1.10

• New (DSL Editor): Integrated Elementor Global CSS Variables (colors) into autocomplete suggestions.

• New (DSL Editor): Added "Copy to Clipboard" button for quick script export.

• New (DSL Editor UI): Replaced emojis with high-quality Material Design SVG icons.

• Perf: Implemented transient caching for parsed configurations to optimize frontend rendering.

• Perf: Optimized SVG icons with currentColor for seamless theme integration.

• Fix: Resolved "fail-safe" stagger visibility issues and prevent FOUC during initialization.

• Fix: Hardened ScrollTrigger pin resilience against lazy-loaded images, custom fonts, and bfcache.

• Fix: Improved hash navigation handling with clearScrollMemory and deferred initialization.

• Fix: Resolved regressions in SplitText animation re-initialization.

• New: Lenis smooth scroll integration with global and per-page control.

• New: Elementor Page Settings panel for per-page smooth scroll overrides.

• New: Client Mode toggle in Settings to hide developer-facing tabs for clean client handoff.

• New: fastScrollEnd and preventOverlaps properties in [scroll] DSL section.

• New: Comprehensive user documentation (DSL syntax, examples, troubleshooting).

• Fix: Prevented pin overlap issues on fast scroll and hash anchor navigation.

• Fix: Resolved PHP Fatal Error (Cannot redeclare sc_is_pro()) when activating Pro alongside free plugin.

1.1.8

• New: Redesigned isolated Preview System bypassing Elementor hooks for reliable playback.
• New: Direct scPreview() API with preview lock mechanism to prevent conflicts.
• New: Loading overlay (gray + spinner) during preview initialization.
• Perf: Lightweight lint_only validation mode to eliminate Editor lag.
• Perf: Session-based client-side caching for instant undo/redo.
• Fix: SplitText now properly handles breakpoint-specific types (words↔chars↔lines).
• Fix: SplitText type mismatch detection with smart revert and recreation.
• Fix: Unknown keys in [animation], [target], and step now correctly flagged.
• Fix: Autocomplete suggestions now appear correctly after from: and to: fields.
• New: Logic warnings for scrub/toggleActions, pin/scrub, and start/end positions.
• Security: Removed custom CDN URL fields to prevent arbitrary script injection.

1.1.5

• New: Official Freemius integration for licensing and seamless updates.
• Impr: Prepared foundation for Pro version features.

1.1.4

• New: "▶ Preview" button in Code Editor modal for instant animation preview.
• New: "📍 Markers" toggle (Ctrl+K) - shows GSAP markers during preview only.
• New: Loading overlay "Preparing animation..." during preview initialization.
• Security: Markers now require logged-in WordPress user.
• Impr: Fixed Ghost Mode (👁) - backdrop-filter no longer blocks visibility.
• Impr: Added 150ms debounce to prevent multiple rapid animation inits.
• Impr: Reduced console log spam in editor mode.
• Fix: SplitText re-initialization with proper revert logic.
• Fix: Improved preview cleanup for ScrollTrigger pin/scrub animations.

1.1.3

• New: Automated GitHub release workflow for custom ZIP packaging.
• New: Version sync tooling for consistent version management.
• Impr: Security improvements and code cleanup.
• Impr: Removed verbose PHP debug logs.

1.1.2

• Fix: Bug fixes and general code cleanup.

1.1.1

• New: SplitText support for text animations (words, chars, lines).
• New: Pro version foundation and licensing infrastructure.

1.1.0

• New: Smart Asset Loading - assets only load on pages where ScrollCrafter is used.
• New: defer attribute added to all scripts for faster page loads.
• New: Strict Breakpoint Logic - better isolation of responsive rules in JS.
• New: Keyboard Shortcuts (ESC to cancel, CMD+S to save).
• Impr: calc() engine now supports unit-like syntax (e.g., 100sw) and dynamic context (fixes vw - cw issues).
• Fix: Resolved "Jumping Pin" issue with Elementor transitions.

1.0.0

• Initial release with DSL Editor, Validator, and Elementor Integration.