> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hyperframes.heygen.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Top-Down Letters

> Letters descend from above in a pronounced staircase with zero blur.

export const InstallCommand = ({command}) => {
  const [copied, setCopied] = React.useState(false);
  const copy = async () => {
    try {
      if (navigator.clipboard && window.isSecureContext) {
        await navigator.clipboard.writeText(command);
      } else {
        const previous = document.activeElement;
        const scratch = document.createElement("textarea");
        scratch.value = command;
        scratch.setAttribute("readonly", "");
        scratch.style.position = "fixed";
        scratch.style.opacity = "0";
        document.body.appendChild(scratch);
        scratch.select();
        document.execCommand("copy");
        document.body.removeChild(scratch);
        previous?.focus?.();
      }
      setCopied(true);
      setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 2000);
    } catch {}
  };
  return <div className="hf-install-command not-prose my-4 flex items-stretch overflow-hidden rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 bg-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-800 dark:bg-zinc-900">
      <code className="flex-1 overflow-x-auto whitespace-nowrap border-r border-zinc-200 px-4 py-3 font-mono text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:border-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-100">
        {command}
      </code>
      <button type="button" onClick={copy} data-copied={copied ? "true" : "false"} aria-label={`Copy ${command} to the clipboard`} className="hf-install-copy">
        <svg className="hf-install-copy-clipboard" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.5" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
          <path d="M14.25 5.25H7.25C6.14543 5.25 5.25 6.14543 5.25 7.25V14.25C5.25 15.3546 6.14543 16.25 7.25 16.25H14.25C15.3546 16.25 16.25 15.3546 16.25 14.25V7.25C16.25 6.14543 15.3546 5.25 14.25 5.25Z" />
          <path d="M2.80103 11.998L1.77203 5.07397C1.61003 3.98097 2.36403 2.96397 3.45603 2.80197L10.38 1.77297C11.313 1.63397 12.19 2.16297 12.528 3.00097" />
        </svg>
        <svg className="hf-install-copy-check" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
          <path d="M2.75 9.5L6.5 13.25L15.25 4.5" />
        </svg>
      </button>
      <span className="hf-install-copy-status" role="status" aria-live="polite">
        {copied ? "Copied" : ""}
      </span>
    </div>;
};

<iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl border-0 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-800" title="top-down-letters preview" loading="lazy" srcDoc={`<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8"><style>html,body{margin:0;height:100%;overflow:hidden;background:transparent}hyperframes-player{display:block;width:100%;height:100%}</style><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@hyperframes/player@0.7/dist/hyperframes-player.global.js"><\/script></head><body><script>fetch("/public/catalog/components/top-down-letters.json").then(function(r){return r.json()}).then(function(d){var p=document.createElement("hyperframes-player");p.setAttribute("srcdoc",d.html);p.setAttribute("controls","");p.setAttribute("autoplay","");p.setAttribute("loop","");p.setAttribute("muted","");p.setAttribute("poster","https://static.heygen.ai/hyperframes-oss/docs/images/catalog/components/top-down-letters.png");document.body.appendChild(p)});<\/script></body></html>`} />

## Install

<InstallCommand command="npx hyperframes add top-down-letters" />

That writes one file: `compositions/components/top-down-letters.html`.

## Variables

Every one of these has a default, so the piece works untouched. Set the ones you
want to change on the element:

| Variable   | Default    | Accepts                    | What it does                                                                                            |
| ---------- | ---------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `text`     | `CASCADE`  | string                     | Word that cascades in. Every character becomes one letter span, in source order.                        |
| `distance` | `standard` | `close`, `standard`, `far` | Multiplies the drop the timeline drives, so the letters cover a shorter or longer run in the same time. |
| `tone`     | `ink`      | `ink`, `paper`, `accent`   | Letter colour: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand.                         |

Set them with `data-variable-values` on the element that mounts it. These are the
defaults, so this behaves exactly like the preview above until you change one:

```html wrap theme={null}
<div
  data-composition-id="top-down-letters"
  data-composition-src="compositions/components/top-down-letters.html"
  data-variable-values='{"text":"CASCADE","distance":"standard","tone":"ink"}'
></div>
```

## Source

<Accordion title={`top-down-letters.html`}>
  ```html theme={null}
  <!--
    Top-Down Letters - remocn typography primitive for HyperFrames.

    Paste the markup, CSS and script into a composition. Drive the timeline
    integration from a paused GSAP timeline so renders remain deterministic.

    Variables. The script reads each one, falls back to the declared default on
    anything missing or unrecognised, and writes the result either into the
    markup or into a custom property the CSS above consumes. The timeline recipe
    below is untouched by them: it keeps driving one offset per letter, and these
    decide which letters fall, how far that offset carries them, and what colour
    they are.

      - text (string, default CASCADE): the word that cascades. Every character
        becomes one span, in source order, exactly like the hand-written markup;
        a space becomes a non-breaking space so it keeps its width in the flex
        row. Anything that is not a non-empty string keeps the shipped word.
      - distance (close | standard | far, default standard): multiplies the drop
        the timeline drives, so the letters cover a shorter or longer run in the
        same time. close covers half of it, standard leaves the shipped 42px
        alone, far carries them nearly double.
      - tone (ink | paper | accent, default ink): letter colour. ink is
        near-black for light frames, paper near-white for dark ones, accent
        rides --brand.

    On every default the result is identical to the original: the seven
    near-black letters of CASCADE dropping 42px into place.
  -->

  <div
    class="hf-remocn-top-down-letters"
    data-composition-variables='[
      { "id": "text", "type": "string", "role": "content", "label": "Text", "description": "Word that cascades in. Every character becomes one letter span, in source order.", "default": "CASCADE" },
      { "id": "distance", "type": "enum", "role": "motion", "label": "Distance", "description": "Multiplies the drop the timeline drives, so the letters cover a shorter or longer run in the same time.", "default": "standard", "options": [{ "value": "close", "label": "Close" }, { "value": "standard", "label": "Standard" }, { "value": "far", "label": "Far" }] },
      { "id": "tone", "type": "enum", "role": "style", "label": "Tone", "description": "Letter colour: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand.", "default": "ink", "options": [{ "value": "ink", "label": "Ink" }, { "value": "paper", "label": "Paper" }, { "value": "accent", "label": "Accent" }] }
    ]'
  >
    <span>C</span><span>A</span><span>S</span><span>C</span><span>A</span><span>D</span><span>E</span>
  </div>

  <style>
    .hf-remocn-top-down-letters {
      color: var(--hf-letters-color, #18181b);
      font-family: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif;
      font-weight: 900;
      letter-spacing: -0.04em;
    }
    .hf-remocn-top-down-letters {
      display: inline-flex;
      gap: 1px;
      font-size: 74px;
      line-height: 0.9;
      overflow: hidden;
    }
    .hf-remocn-top-down-letters span {
      display: inline-block;
      transform: translateY(calc(var(--hf-char-y, 0px) * var(--hf-char-distance, 1)));
      will-change: transform, opacity;
    }
  </style>

  <script>
    (function () {
      "use strict";

      var vars =
        window.__hyperframes && window.__hyperframes.getVariables
          ? window.__hyperframes.getVariables()
          : {};

      // Unrecognised overrides return to their declared defaults.
      var distances = { close: 0.5, standard: 1, far: 1.8 };
      var tones = {
        ink: "#18181b",
        paper: "#fafafa",
        accent: "var(--brand, #34d399)",
      };

      function pick(table, value, fallback) {
        return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(table, value) ? value : fallback;
      }

      var distance = distances[pick(distances, vars.distance, "standard")];
      var tone = tones[pick(tones, vars.tone, "ink")];
      var text = typeof vars.text === "string" && vars.text !== "" ? vars.text : null;

      var roots = document.querySelectorAll(".hf-remocn-top-down-letters");
      for (var i = 0; i < roots.length; i += 1) {
        var root = roots[i];
        root.style.setProperty("--hf-char-distance", String(distance));
        root.style.setProperty("--hf-letters-color", tone);

        // Only rebuild when text was supplied; the shipped markup is already the
        // exact span-per-character output this branch produces for CASCADE.
        if (text !== null) {
          var characters = Array.from(text);
          root.textContent = "";
          for (var j = 0; j < characters.length; j += 1) {
            var span = document.createElement("span");
            span.textContent = characters[j] === " " ? "\u00a0" : characters[j];
            root.appendChild(span);
          }
          root.setAttribute("aria-label", text);
        }
      }
    })();
  </script>

  <!--
    Timeline integration:
    tl.fromTo('.hf-remocn-top-down-letters span', { opacity: 0, '--hf-char-y': '-42px' }, { opacity: 1, '--hf-char-y': '0px', duration: 0.22, stagger: 0.035, ease: 'power3.out' }, startTime);
  -->
  ```
</Accordion>

## Usage

Open `compositions/components/top-down-letters.html` and paste its contents into your composition. See the comment header in the file for detailed instructions.

Tagged `video-primitive` `motion-primitive` `remocn-port` `typography`.

## Related topics

* [Browse the complete Catalog](/catalog)
* [Add assets and Catalog items in Studio](/studio/assets-and-blocks)
* [Build a richer composition](/go-further)


## Related topics

- [Bottom Up Letters](/catalog/components/bottom-up-letters.md)
- [North Korea Locked Down](/catalog/blocks/north-korea-locked-down.md)
- [Slot Machine Roll](/catalog/components/slot-machine-roll.md)
