fadeIn.js

define(['durandal/system', './transitionHelper'], function(system, helper) {
  var settings = {
		inAnimation: 'fadeInLeftBig',
		outAnimation: 'fadeOutRight'
	},
		fadeIn = function(context) {
			system.extend(context, settings);
			return helper.create(context);
		};

	return fadeIn;
});

transitionHelper.js

define(['durandal/system', 'jquery'], function (system, $) {

  var animationTypes = [
    'bounce',
    'bounceIn',
    'bounceInDown',
    'bounceInLeft',
    'bounceInRight',
    'bounceInUp',
    'bounceOut',
    'bounceOutDown',
    'bounceOutLeft',
    'bounceOutRight',
    'bounceOutUp',
    'fadeIn',
    'fadeInDown',
    'fadeInDownBig',
    'fadeInLeft',
    'fadeInLeftBig',
    'fadeInRight',
    'fadeInRightBig',
    'fadeInUp',
    'fadeInUpBig',
    'fadeOut',
    'fadeOutDown',
    'fadeOutDownBig',
    'fadeOutLeft',
    'fadeOutLeftBig',
    'fadeOutRight',
    'fadeOutRightBig',
    'fadeOutUp',
    'fadeOutUpBig',
    'flash',
    'flip',
    'flipInX',
    'flipInY',
    'flipOutX',
    'flipOutY',
    'hinge',
    'lightSpeedIn',
    'lightSpeedOut',
    'pulse',
    'rollIn',
    'rollOut',
    'rotateIn',
    'rotateInDownLeft',
    'rotateInDownRight',
    'rotateInUpLeft',
    'rotateInUpRight',
    'rotateOut',
    'rotateOutDownLeft',
    'rotateOutDownRight',
    'rotateOutUpLeft',
    'roateOutUpRight',
    'shake',
    'swing',
    'tada',
    'wiggle',
    'wobble'
  ];

  return App = {
    duration: 1000 * .35, // seconds
    create: function (settings) {
      settings = ensureSettings(settings);
      return doTrans(settings);
    }
  };

  function animValue(type) {
    return Object.prototype.toString.call(type) == '[object String]' ? type : animationTypes[type];
  }

  function ensureSettings(settings) {
    settings.inAnimation = settings.inAnimation || 'fadeInRight';
    settings.outAnimation = settings.outAnimation || 'fadeOut';
    return settings;
  }

  function doTrans(settings) {
    var activeView = settings.activeView,
      newChild = settings.child,
      outAn = animValue(settings.outAnimation),
      inAn = animValue(settings.inAnimation),
      $previousView,
      $newView = $(newChild).removeClass([outAn, inAn]).addClass('animated');

    return system.defer(function (dfd) {
      if (newChild) {
        startTransition();
      } else {
        endTransistion();
      }
      
      function startTransition() {
        if (settings.activeView) {
          outTransition(inTransition);
        } else {
          inTransition();
        }
      }
      
      function outTransition(callback) {
        $previousView = $(activeView);
        $previousView.addClass('animated');
        $previousView.addClass(outAn);
        setTimeout(function () {
          if (callback) {
            callback();
            endTransistion();
          }
        }, App.duration);
      }
      function inTransition() {
        settings.triggerAttach();
        $newView.css('display', '');
        $newView.addClass(inAn);

        setTimeout(function () {
          $newView.removeClass(inAn + ' ' + outAn + ' animated');
          endTransistion();
        }, App.duration);
      }

      function endTransistion() {
        dfd.resolve();
      }
    }).promise();
  }
});

This works in Durandal 2.0.1 except when using cacheViews: true, which will make views stick around if you navigate too fast (before the animation's finished, I think).

I still couldn't get it to work either LayzeeDK with cacheViews:true, but I think I have figured it out now: (version 2.0.1), animate taken from http://daneden.me/animate today, and animation settings in animate.css changed to:

.animated {
  -webkit-animation-duration:0.35s;
  animation-duration: 0.35s;
  -webkit-animation-fill-mode: both;
  animation-fill-mode: both;
}

    define(['durandal/system', 'jquery'], function (system, $) {

    return App = {
        duration: 1000 * .35, // seconds
        create: function (settings) {
            settings = ensureSettings(settings);
            return doTrans(settings);
        }
    };

    function animValue(type) {
        if (Object.prototype.toString.call(type) == '[object String]') {
            return type;
        } else {
            return animationTypes[type];
        }
    }

    function ensureSettings(settings) {
        settings.inAnimation = settings.inAnimation || 'fadeInRight';
        settings.outAnimation = settings.outAnimation || 'fadeOut';
        return settings;
    }

    function doTrans(settings) {
        var parent = settings.parent,
          activeView = settings.activeView,
          newChild = settings.child,
          outAn = animValue(settings.outAnimation),
          inAn = animValue(settings.inAnimation),
          $previousView,
          $newView = $(newChild).removeClass(outAn); // just need to remove outAn here, keeping the animated class so we don't get a "flash"

        return system.defer(function (dfd) {
            if (newChild) {

                $newView = $(newChild);
                if (settings.activeView) {
                    outTransition(inTransition);
                } else {
                    inTransition();
                }
            }

            function outTransition(callback) {
                $previousView = $(activeView);
                $previousView.addClass('animated')
                $previousView.addClass(outAn);
                setTimeout(function () {
                    if (callback) {
                        callback();
                    }
                }, App.duration);
            }

            function inTransition() {
                if ($previousView) {
                    $previousView.css('display', 'none');
                }
                settings.triggerAttach();

                $newView.addClass('animated');  //moved the adding of the animated class here so it keeps it together
                $newView.addClass(inAn);
                $newView.css('display', '');

                setTimeout(function () {
                    $newView.removeClass(inAn + ' animated'); // just need to remove inAn here, that's all we'll have
                    dfd.resolve(true);
                }, App.duration);
            }

        }).promise();
    }
});

Thanks very much for the transition helper evanlarsen and jstott, it's great!!

@jiggle - Thanks for this, works great! Thanks all for the samples here.

How do I apply a transition to a particular element rather than the whole document ?

This is great thanks!!!