LaTeX: To make blinking text (if you dare)

README.md

bxblink Package

LaTeX: To make blinking text (if you dare)

System requirement

• TeX format: LaTeX.
• TeX engine / DVI driver: Anything supported by animate.
• Dependent packages: animate.

The blinking effect is available only when the document is prepared in PDF format and is viewed with an appropriate viewer.

Package Loading

\usepackage[<option>,...]{bxblink}

The available options are:

• dvips, dvipdfmx: Driver options, needed only in DVI mode. The default value (in DVI mode) is dvips.
• veryslow, slow, normalspeed, fast, veryfast: Specifies the speed of blinking. The default value is normalspeed.

Usage

• \begin{blink}...\end{blink}: Makes the text in the content (line- breaking is disallowed) blinking.
• \textblink{...} Makes the argument text blinking.

Revision History

• Version 0.4 〈2025/05/23〉
  • Support the recent animate package.
• Version 0.3 〈2019/03/25〉
  • Add \StopBlink.
• Version 0.2 〈2013/12/19〉
  • The first public version.

---

Takayuki YATO (aka. "ZR")
http://zrbabbler.sp.land.to/

bxblink.sty

%%
%% This is file 'bxblink.sty'.
%%
%% Copyright (c) 2013-2025 Takayuki YATO (aka. "ZR")
%%   GitHub:   https://github.com/zr-tex8r
%%   Twitter:  @zr_tex8r
%%
%% This package is distributed under the MIT License.
%%

%% package declarations
\NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e}
\ProvidesPackage{bxblink}[2025/05/23 v0.4]

%% preparations
\def\bxbk@pkgname{bxblink}
\def\bxbk@error{%
  \PackageError\bxbk@pkgname
}
\newbox\bxbk@boxa
\newbox\bxbk@boxb

%--------------------------------------- process options

\DeclareOption{dvipdfmx}{%
  \PassOptionsToPackage{dvipdfmx}{animate}%
}
\DeclareOption{dvips}{%
  \PassOptionsToPackage{dvips}{animate}%
}
\DeclareOption{xetex}{}
\DeclareOption{pdftex}{}
\DeclareOption{veryslow}{%
  \chardef\bxbk@speed=1
}
\DeclareOption{slow}{%
  \chardef\bxbk@speed=2
}
\DeclareOption{normalspeed}{%
  \chardef\bxbk@speed=3
}
\DeclareOption{fast}{%
  \chardef\bxbk@speed=4
}
\DeclareOption{veryfast}{%
  \chardef\bxbk@speed=5
}
\ExecuteOptions{normalspeed}
\ProcessOptions*

\ifx\StopBlink\@undefined
\RequirePackage{animate}
\fi

%---------------------------------------

\ifcase\bxbk@speed\or
  \def\bxbk@rshow{0.444}%
  \def\bxbk@rhide{1.333}%
  \def\bxbk@rshox{0.889}%
\or
  \def\bxbk@rshow{0.667}%
  \def\bxbk@rhide{2}%
  \def\bxbk@rshox{1.333}%
\or
  \def\bxbk@rshow{1.333}%
  \def\bxbk@rhide{4}%
  \def\bxbk@rshox{2.667}%
\or
  \def\bxbk@rshow{2.667}%
  \def\bxbk@rhide{8}%
  \def\bxbk@rshox{5.333}%
\or
  \def\bxbk@rshow{4}%
  \def\bxbk@rhide{12}%
  \def\bxbk@rshox{8}%
\fi

\newenvironment{blink}{%
  \begin{lrbox}{\bxbk@boxa}\strut%
}{%
  \end{lrbox}%
  \edef\bxbk@wd{\the\wd\bxbk@boxa}%
  \edef\bxbk@ht{\the\ht\bxbk@boxa}%
  \edef\bxbk@dp{\the\dp\bxbk@boxa}%
  \global\setbox\bxbk@boxb\hbox{}%
  \wd\bxbk@boxb\bxbk@wd\relax
  \ht\bxbk@boxb\bxbk@ht\relax
  \dp\bxbk@boxb\bxbk@dp\relax
  \ifx\StopBlink\@undefined
  \begin{animateinline}[%
    autoplay,loop,%
  ]{\bxbk@rshow}%
    \copy\bxbk@boxa
    \newframe[\bxbk@rhide]%
    \copy\bxbk@boxb
    \newframe[\bxbk@rshox]%
    \copy\bxbk@boxa
  \end{animateinline}%
  \else\ifnum\StopBlink=0
    \leavevmode\copy\bxbk@boxb
  \else
    \leavevmode\copy\bxbk@boxa
  \fi\fi
}

\newcommand{\textblink}[1]{%
  \begin{blink}#1\end{blink}%
}

%--------------------------------------- all done
\endinput
%% EOF

test-bxblinkl.tex

\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{bxblink}
\begin{document}
The package can make your document
more \textblink{attractive}, % NO!
really!
\end{document}

When you typeset test-bxblink1.tex with pdfLaTeX, you will get the following result: