Dot Matrix
A 4×4 dot loader with four timing patterns: wave, spiral, pulse and rain. CSS only.
- Category: Transitions
- Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
- Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
- Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge
Examples
Dot Matrix
API reference
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
pattern | "wave" | "spiral" | "pulse" | "rain" | "wave" | |
size | number | 20 | |
duration | number | 1.4 | |
label | string | "Loading" |
About Dot Matrix
Dot Matrix is a 4 by 4 dot loader with four timing patterns, wave, spiral, pulse and rain, in CSS only.
Dot Matrix is an UI transition for React 19, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 and animated with Motion. It drops into Next.js, Vite, Remix or Astro through the shadcn CLI as a single file you own.
When to use Dot Matrix
- AI and processing states.
- Buttons and inline loaders.
- Dashboards.
- Retro UIs.
How it works
Each dot's delay comes from its position in the chosen pattern.
The change it animates is also announced to assistive tech, and the motion is short enough never to block what the user wants to do. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.
Customizing Dot Matrix
Every prop is documented in the API reference above with its type and default. The ones you will reach for first are listed here.
The Customize panel next to the preview lets you change size, duration live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.
- pattern (default "wave").
- size (number, default 20).
- duration (number, default 1.4).
- label (string, default "Loading").
Goes well with Dot Matrix
These transitions pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.
- Card Resize: A React box that springs to the size of its content
- Notification Badge: A React notification badge that pops in and slides new counts in
- Page Transition: React page transitions: native-feeling push and pop between views
- Error Shake: A React error shake: a decaying head shake for wrong input
- Arrow Link: A React arrow link whose chevron grows a stem on hover, CSS only
Install Dot Matrix
npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/dot-matrixDot Matrix is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 300 Pro components, 107 landing-page sections and 100 full templates, for every personal and client project, with updates included. Add the @charcoal registry once with your access token, then the command above copies dot-matrix.tsx into components/ui and installs clsx, tailwind-merge.
You own the file you install: no runtime package, no lock-in, nothing to keep in sync. Change it however your product needs.
See Charcoal UI Pro pricing · Pro setup
Frequently asked questions
- Which pattern should I use?
- Wave reads as working, spiral as searching, pulse as waiting and rain as streaming. All four are CSS only, so pick the one that matches what the user is waiting for.
- How do I install Dot Matrix?
- Dot Matrix is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/dot-matrix. It copies dot-matrix.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
- Is Dot Matrix free for commercial use?
- Dot Matrix needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.
- Does Dot Matrix work with Next.js?
- Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.
- Can an AI coding agent install Dot Matrix?
- Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Dot Matrix's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.