Bracket Link
Square brackets slide in from either side to wrap the text, a nod to terminal and code aesthetics. The brackets are pseudo-element content, so they never touch the copy.
Also known as: brackets on hover, code style link.
HTML
<a class="hfx-link-bracket" href="#">Changelog</a>
CSS
.hfx-link-bracket {
--c: var(--hfx-color, #3b82f6);
font-size: var(--hfx-size, 16px);
position: relative;
display: inline-block;
color: var(--c);
font: 600 1em system-ui, sans-serif;
text-decoration: none;
padding: 0 0.6em;}
.hfx-link-bracket::before,
.hfx-link-bracket::after {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
opacity: 0;
transition: transform 0.25s ease, opacity 0.25s ease;
}
.hfx-link-bracket::before { content: "["; left: 0; transform: translateX(-0.4em); }
.hfx-link-bracket::after { content: "]"; right: 0; transform: translateX(0.4em); }
.hfx-link-bracket:hover::before,
.hfx-link-bracket:hover::after {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateX(0);
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.hfx-link-bracket, .hfx-link-bracket *, .hfx-link-bracket::before, .hfx-link-bracket::after {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}Customizing this snippet
- Color: set
--hfx-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Base size: set
--hfx-size. Every other dimension is inem, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing16px. - Speed: change the duration on the
transitionoranimationshorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.