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Knife Edge Rack Focus

A card-scale loader substitute built on the Foucault knife-edge test: a knife edge racks through a mirror's focus, sweeping the aperture's shadow pattern from one side to a flat null and back, with four baked zonal errors crossing that null at their own moment.

Usage

registry/core/knife-edge-rack-focus/demo.tsx
"use client";

import { KnifeEdgeRackFocus } from "./component";

export default function KnifeEdgeRackFocusDemo() {
  return (
    <main className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center gap-6 bg-background px-6 py-16">
      <p className="font-mono text-xs uppercase tracking-[0.2em] text-ns-muted">
        ns-ui / knife-edge-rack-focus
      </p>
      <KnifeEdgeRackFocus />
      <p className="max-w-sm text-center font-mono text-[11px] tracking-widest text-ns-muted">
        knife racks through focus, zones cross null at their own moment
      </p>
    </main>
  );
}

Component

registry/core/knife-edge-rack-focus/component.tsx
"use client";

import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";

// KnifeEdgeRackFocus — a card-scale loader substitute built on the Foucault
// knife-edge test: a knife edge is racked (moved axially) through a mirror's
// point of focus, and the shadow pattern cast back across the aperture
// sweeps from one side to a flat uniform grey exactly at the null, then to
// the other side. A local zone that departs from the ideal sphere crosses
// that null at a slightly different knife position than its neighbours, so
// it reads as a ring rising or sinking out of the otherwise-flat field —
// which is the real diagnostic signal a real optician is looking for.
//
// RENDERING: rather than raster a 2D field, the whole pattern collapses to
// ONE function of radius, L(r, t) = clamp(0.5 + K*(t - offset(r)), 0, 1),
// because each of the 4 baked zonal errors is a concentric shell and every
// point at the same radius shares the same optical path. offset(r) is a
// piecewise-linear interpolation between 4 anchor offsets at r = 0.25, 0.5,
// 0.7, 0.9 (of disc radius), spaced 0.12 apart, extrapolated flat beyond the
// anchors. That single 1D function is sampled at 48 points and painted as
// one radial CanvasGradient per frame — cheap, and the smoothness of a real
// shadow front comes for free from the gradient interpolation instead of a
// pixel raster.
//
// THE RACK is a triangle wave in knife position t, [-1, 1], 8s out + 8s
// back (16s full period) — never a reset, a real tester racks back and
// forth to bracket the null repeatedly. Exactly at a null (|t| < 0.05) the
// drive itself PAUSES for ~0.6s before continuing, mirroring how a real
// tester dwells there; that pause, not the sweep, is the clearest single
// followable event.
//
// Colours: the shadow ramp spans --foreground (dark) to --background
// (light) directly — this is a literal light/shadow phenomenon in both
// themes, so the mapping never inverts, only the read stays a shadow.
// --border is never used as a fill/stroke (it is a separator token only).

const RACK_PERIOD_S = 16; // 8s out + 8s back
const NULL_WINDOW = 0.05; // |t| under this counts as "at the null"
const NULL_DWELL_S = 0.6;
const SHADOW_K = 1.8;
const ZONE_ANCHORS = [0.25, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9];
const ZONE_OFFSETS = [-0.18, -0.06, 0.06, 0.18]; // spaced 0.12 apart
const RADIUS_RATIO = 0.42; // disc radius = 0.42 * min(w, h)
const GRADIENT_STEPS = 48;
const GRADIENT_REACH = 1.05; // sample slightly past the rim for a soft edge

// reduced-motion freeze frame: t = 0.3, named "half-sweep-zoned" — clear
// rise/fall banding across all 4 zones is visible here, unlike the null
// itself (t = 0) which is nearly featureless and would under-inform a
// static viewer. Deliberately not t0/the null.
const FREEZE_LABEL = "half-sweep-zoned";
const FREEZE_T = 0.3;

type RGB = [number, number, number];

function parseHex(raw: string): RGB | null {
  const m = /^#([0-9a-f]{3}|[0-9a-f]{6})$/i.exec(raw.trim());
  if (!m) return null;
  let h = m[1];
  if (h.length === 3) h = h.split("").map((c) => c + c).join("");
  const n = parseInt(h, 16);
  return [(n >> 16) & 255, (n >> 8) & 255, n & 255];
}

function mixRGB(a: RGB, b: RGB, t: number): RGB {
  const c = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, t));
  return [
    Math.round(a[0] + (b[0] - a[0]) * c),
    Math.round(a[1] + (b[1] - a[1]) * c),
    Math.round(a[2] + (b[2] - a[2]) * c),
  ];
}

function rgbToCss([r, g, b]: RGB): string {
  return `rgb(${r},${g},${b})`;
}

// offset(r): piecewise-linear through the 4 anchors, flat-clamped outside
function zoneOffsetAt(rFrac: number): number {
  if (rFrac <= ZONE_ANCHORS[0]!) return ZONE_OFFSETS[0]!;
  if (rFrac >= ZONE_ANCHORS[ZONE_ANCHORS.length - 1]!) {
    return ZONE_OFFSETS[ZONE_OFFSETS.length - 1]!;
  }
  for (let i = 0; i < ZONE_ANCHORS.length - 1; i++) {
    const a0 = ZONE_ANCHORS[i]!;
    const a1 = ZONE_ANCHORS[i + 1]!;
    if (rFrac >= a0 && rFrac <= a1) {
      const f = (rFrac - a0) / (a1 - a0);
      return ZONE_OFFSETS[i]! + (ZONE_OFFSETS[i + 1]! - ZONE_OFFSETS[i]!) * f;
    }
  }
  return 0;
}

function shadowL(rFrac: number, t: number): number {
  return Math.max(0, Math.min(1, 0.5 + SHADOW_K * (t - zoneOffsetAt(rFrac))));
}

// triangle wave over RACK_PERIOD_S, driveTime -> t in [-1, 1]
function triangleT(driveTime: number): number {
  const ph = ((driveTime / RACK_PERIOD_S) % 1 + 1) % 1;
  return ph < 0.5 ? -1 + 4 * ph : 1 - 4 * (ph - 0.5);
}

// nearest null (t = 0) as a driveTime value, mod RACK_PERIOD_S: nulls occur
// at ph = 0.25 and ph = 0.75
function nearestNullDriveTime(driveTime: number): number {
  const period = RACK_PERIOD_S;
  const ph = ((driveTime / period) % 1 + 1) % 1;
  const candidates = [0.25, 0.75];
  let best = candidates[0]!;
  let bestDist = Infinity;
  for (const c of candidates) {
    const d = Math.min(Math.abs(ph - c), 1 - Math.abs(ph - c));
    if (d < bestDist) {
      bestDist = d;
      best = c;
    }
  }
  const base = Math.floor(driveTime / period) * period;
  return base + best * period;
}

export interface KnifeEdgeRackFocusProps {
  /** accessible status text announced to assistive tech */
  label?: string;
  /** extra classes merged onto the rendered root element */
  className?: string;
}

export function KnifeEdgeRackFocus({
  label = "Testing",
  className = "",
}: KnifeEdgeRackFocusProps) {
  const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
  const canvasRef = useRef<HTMLCanvasElement>(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    const container = containerRef.current;
    const canvas = canvasRef.current;
    if (!container || !canvas) return;
    const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
    if (!ctx) return;

    const reduced = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches;

    let disposed = false;
    let visible = true;
    let raf = 0;

    let w = 0;
    let h = 0;
    let dpr = 1;
    let radius = 0;

    let fg: RGB = [23, 23, 23];
    let bg: RGB = [255, 255, 255];

    // no paint before this first read
    const deriveColors = () => {
      const cs = getComputedStyle(document.documentElement);
      fg = parseHex(cs.getPropertyValue("--foreground")) ?? fg;
      bg = parseHex(cs.getPropertyValue("--background")) ?? bg;
    };

    const build = () => {
      const rect = container.getBoundingClientRect();
      w = Math.round(rect.width);
      h = Math.round(rect.height);
      if (w < 2 || h < 2) return;
      dpr = Math.min(2, window.devicePixelRatio || 1);
      canvas.width = w * dpr;
      canvas.height = h * dpr;
      radius = RADIUS_RATIO * Math.min(w, h);
    };

    // the shadow pattern is one function of radius, painted as a single
    // radial gradient — the smoothness of a real shadow front comes free
    // from gradient interpolation rather than a pixel raster
    const drawDisc = (t: number, showPausedRing: boolean) => {
      if (w < 2 || h < 2 || radius <= 0) return;
      const cx = w / 2;
      const cy = h / 2;
      ctx.setTransform(dpr, 0, 0, dpr, 0, 0);
      ctx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h);

      const grad = ctx.createRadialGradient(cx, cy, 0, cx, cy, radius * GRADIENT_REACH);
      for (let i = 0; i <= GRADIENT_STEPS; i++) {
        const stop = i / GRADIENT_STEPS;
        const rFrac = stop / GRADIENT_REACH;
        const L = shadowL(Math.min(1, rFrac), t);
        grad.addColorStop(stop, rgbToCss(mixRGB(fg, bg, L)));
      }

      ctx.save();
      ctx.beginPath();
      ctx.arc(cx, cy, radius, 0, Math.PI * 2);
      ctx.closePath();
      ctx.fillStyle = grad;
      ctx.fill();

      // a manual "hold" affordance while the user is pausing the rack at a
      // null — foreground only, never --border as a stroke and never accent
      if (showPausedRing) {
        ctx.lineWidth = 1.5;
        ctx.strokeStyle = `rgba(${fg[0]},${fg[1]},${fg[2]},0.4)`;
        ctx.stroke();
      }
      ctx.restore();
    };

    const drawReduced = () => {
      drawDisc(FREEZE_T, false);
    };

    let driveTime = 0;
    let dwelling = false;
    let dwellElapsed = 0;
    let userPaused = false;
    let pausedDriveTime = 0;
    let last = 0;

    const loop = (now: number) => {
      if (disposed || !visible) {
        raf = 0;
        return;
      }
      const dt = last === 0 ? 1 / 60 : Math.min(0.05, (now - last) / 1000);
      last = now;

      let t: number;
      if (userPaused) {
        t = triangleT(pausedDriveTime);
      } else if (dwelling) {
        dwellElapsed += dt;
        t = triangleT(driveTime);
        if (dwellElapsed >= NULL_DWELL_S) {
          dwelling = false;
          dwellElapsed = 0;
        }
      } else {
        driveTime += dt;
        t = triangleT(driveTime);
        if (Math.abs(t) < NULL_WINDOW) {
          dwelling = true;
          dwellElapsed = 0;
        }
      }

      drawDisc(t, userPaused);
      raf = requestAnimationFrame(loop);
    };

    const startLoop = () => {
      if (!raf && !reduced) {
        last = 0;
        raf = requestAnimationFrame(loop);
      }
    };

    // press pauses the rack at the nearest null and holds it there; release
    // resumes the sweep from where it paused. Never alters the baked zone
    // profile, never touches SHADOW_K or the offsets.
    const onPointerDown = () => {
      pausedDriveTime = nearestNullDriveTime(driveTime);
      userPaused = true;
      drawDisc(triangleT(pausedDriveTime), true);
    };
    const endPause = () => {
      if (!userPaused) return;
      userPaused = false;
      driveTime = pausedDriveTime;
      dwelling = false;
      dwellElapsed = 0;
    };

    deriveColors();
    build();
    if (reduced) {
      drawReduced();
    } else {
      startLoop();
    }

    const ro = new ResizeObserver(() => {
      build();
      if (reduced) drawReduced();
    });
    ro.observe(container);

    const mo = new MutationObserver(() => {
      deriveColors();
      if (reduced) {
        drawReduced();
      } else if (userPaused) {
        drawDisc(triangleT(pausedDriveTime), true);
      }
    });
    mo.observe(document.documentElement, {
      attributes: true,
      attributeFilter: ["class"],
    });

    const io = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
      visible = entries[0]?.isIntersecting ?? true;
      if (visible && !reduced) startLoop();
    });
    io.observe(container);

    if (!reduced) {
      container.addEventListener("pointerdown", onPointerDown);
      container.addEventListener("pointerup", endPause);
      container.addEventListener("pointercancel", endPause);
      container.addEventListener("pointerleave", endPause);
    }

    return () => {
      disposed = true;
      cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
      raf = 0;
      ro.disconnect();
      mo.disconnect();
      io.disconnect();
      container.removeEventListener("pointerdown", onPointerDown);
      container.removeEventListener("pointerup", endPause);
      container.removeEventListener("pointercancel", endPause);
      container.removeEventListener("pointerleave", endPause);
    };
  }, []);

  return (
    <div
      ref={containerRef}
      role="status"
      className={`relative aspect-square w-full max-w-[280px] touch-none overflow-hidden rounded-md border border-border bg-background ${className}`}
    >
      <span className="sr-only">{label}</span>
      <canvas ref={canvasRef} aria-hidden="true" className="absolute inset-0 h-full w-full" />
    </div>
  );
}

export { FREEZE_LABEL };

The usage example imports ./component because it sits next to the component file in this repo. Installed, that file lands at components/ui/knife-edge-rack-focus.tsx, so point the import there.

Use when a card-scale loading/activity indicator whose motion has a real diagnostic-instrument mechanic (a sweep through a null, structured by baked local variation) instead of an arbitrary rotation, and the pause-at-the-interesting-moment beat reads better than a continuous unstructured loop; pick grinding-chatter-lobes instead when a growth/saturation/reset narrative fits better than a sweep-and-null one, loader-iris when a small fixed-footprint indeterminate glyph is enough with no diagnostic narrative, or profilometer-trace when the mechanic should read as a literal surface-height measurement rather than a shadow test.

Install

npx shadcn add https://design.helpmarq.com/r/knife-edge-rack-focus.json

Ask AI

Point an assistant at this component's docs (llms-full.txt) with one click.

Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity open with the prompt already in. Gemini copies it to your clipboard first. Paste it in once the chat opens.

Build spec

Build <KnifeEdgeRackFocus label? className?> as a self-contained Canvas 2D loader, DPR-clamped to 2, direct-DOM rAF as the sole writer, zero dependencies. Disc radius = 0.42 * min(container width, height). The shadow pattern collapses to ONE function of radius, L(r, t) = clamp(0.5 + 1.8 * (t - offset(r)), 0, 1), because every point at a given radius shares the same optical path in a real Foucault test — no 2D raster needed. offset(r) is a piecewise-linear interpolation between 4 anchor offsets [-0.18, -0.06, 0.06, 0.18] (spaced 0.12 apart) at radii [0.25, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9] of the disc radius, flat-clamped beyond the anchors. Painted every frame as ONE radial CanvasGradient sampled at 48 stops from r=0 to 1.05*radius (the extra 5% for a soft edge) — the smoothness of a real shadow front comes from gradient interpolation, not per-pixel work, so cost stays flat regardless of how far the disc grows. t is driven by a triangle wave over a 16s period (8s rising -1->1, 8s falling 1->-1) accumulated from an internal driveTime that only advances while not paused/dwelling (never derived from absolute elapsed time). Exactly at a null (|t| < 0.05) the drive PAUSES for 0.6s before continuing — that dwell, not the sweep itself, is the clearest single followable event, mirroring how a real tester holds position there. The 4 zone offsets crossing t=0 at different points in the sweep is what makes concentric rings visibly rise or sink relative to their neighbours rather than the whole disc changing uniformly — the real diagnostic signal. Pointer interaction: pointerdown snaps the drive to the nearest null (by driveTime modulo the 16s period, comparing against the two null phases at ph=0.25 and ph=0.75) and holds it there via a separate userPaused flag (driveTime itself frozen, never advanced) until pointerup/pointercancel/pointerleave, which resumes the sweep exactly where it paused; a paused-state affordance is a 1.5px stroke around the disc rim at foreground/40% alpha (never --ns-accent, never --border as a stroke). Colours: the fill is a direct two-point mix between --foreground (L=0) and --background (L=1) via a canvas fillStyle probe reading getComputedStyle(document.documentElement) before first paint and re-derived on a documentElement class MutationObserver — this ramp never inverts between themes because it is a literal light/shadow phenomenon, not a decorative palette. A ResizeObserver rebuilds geometry on layout change; an IntersectionObserver pauses/resumes the rAF loop off-screen. Under prefers-reduced-motion the component renders one static frame at t = 0.3, named FREEZE_LABEL = 'half-sweep-zoned' (clear rise/fall banding across all 4 zones, deliberately not the null itself, which is nearly featureless and would under-inform a static viewer) — the loop, pointer listeners and IntersectionObserver are never attached, though the ResizeObserver and MutationObserver stay live. Accessibility: the root carries role="status" with a visually-hidden label (default 'Testing'); the canvas is aria-hidden. Props: label (status text, default 'Testing'), className (merged onto the root).

Props

PropTypeDefaultDescription
label?string"Testing"accessible status text announced to assistive tech
className?string—extra classes merged onto the rendered root element