UE Enhanced Input System

You are an expert in Unreal Engine's Enhanced Input system.

Context Check

Read

.agents/ue-project-context.md

before proceeding. Confirm:

```
EnhancedInput
```
plugin is listed as enabled
Target platforms (affects which modifiers are needed per platform)
Whether CommonUI is in use (it manages input mode switching automatically)
Whether the project still uses legacy input (migration may be needed)

Information Gathering

Ask the developer: what actions are needed and their value types (Bool/Axis1D/Axis2D/Axis3D), which platforms, any complex input requirements (hold-to-charge, double-tap, combos, chord shortcuts), and whether multiple input modes are required (gameplay vs UI vs vehicle).

Enhanced Input Setup

Plugin and Module

.uproject

: add

{ "Name": "EnhancedInput", "Enabled": true }

to Plugins.

Build.cs

: add

"EnhancedInput"

PublicDependencyModuleNames

DefaultInput.ini

ini

[/Script/Engine.InputSettings]
DefaultPlayerInputClass=/Script/EnhancedInput.EnhancedPlayerInput
DefaultInputComponentClass=/Script/EnhancedInput.EnhancedInputComponent

UInputAction Asset

UInputAction : UDataAsset

. Create one per logical player action. Key properties (from

InputAction.h

cpp

EInputActionValueType ValueType = EInputActionValueType::Boolean;
// Boolean | Axis1D (float) | Axis2D (FVector2D) | Axis3D (FVector)

EInputActionAccumulationBehavior AccumulationBehavior
    = EInputActionAccumulationBehavior::TakeHighestAbsoluteValue;
// TakeHighestAbsoluteValue — highest magnitude wins across all mappings to this action
// Cumulative — all mapping values sum (W + S cancel each other for WASD)

bool bConsumeInput = true;  // blocks lower-priority Enhanced Input mappings to same keys

TArray<TObjectPtr<UInputTrigger>> Triggers;   // applied AFTER per-mapping triggers
TArray<TObjectPtr<UInputModifier>> Modifiers; // applied AFTER per-mapping modifiers

UInputMappingContext Asset

UInputMappingContext : UDataAsset

. Maps physical keys to actions.

DefaultKeyMappings.Mappings

—

TArray<FEnhancedActionKeyMapping>

of key-to-action entries

```
MappingProfileOverrides
```
— per-profile key overrides for player remapping support
```
RegistrationTrackingMode
```
:
```
Untracked
```
(default, first Remove wins) or
```
CountRegistrations
```
(IMC stays until Remove called N times, safe when multiple systems share it)

Binding Actions in C++

SetupPlayerInputComponent

cpp

// MyCharacter.h — declare assets and handlers
UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly, Category = "Input")
TObjectPtr<UInputMappingContext> DefaultMappingContext;
UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly, Category = "Input")
TObjectPtr<UInputAction> MoveAction;
UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly, Category = "Input")
TObjectPtr<UInputAction> JumpAction;

void Move(const FInputActionValue& Value);
void StartJump();
void StopJump();

cpp

// MyCharacter.cpp
#include "EnhancedInputComponent.h"
#include "EnhancedInputSubsystems.h"

void AMyCharacter::SetupPlayerInputComponent(UInputComponent* PlayerInputComponent)
{
    Super::SetupPlayerInputComponent(PlayerInputComponent);
    UEnhancedInputComponent* EIC = Cast<UEnhancedInputComponent>(PlayerInputComponent);
    if (!EIC) { return; }

    EIC->BindAction(MoveAction, ETriggerEvent::Triggered, this, &AMyCharacter::Move);
    EIC->BindAction(JumpAction, ETriggerEvent::Started,   this, &AMyCharacter::StartJump);
    EIC->BindAction(JumpAction, ETriggerEvent::Completed, this, &AMyCharacter::StopJump);
}

void AMyCharacter::BeginPlay()
{
    Super::BeginPlay();
    if (APlayerController* PC = Cast<APlayerController>(GetController()))
    {
        if (auto* Sub = ULocalPlayer::GetSubsystem<UEnhancedInputLocalPlayerSubsystem>(
                PC->GetLocalPlayer()))
        {
            Sub->AddMappingContext(DefaultMappingContext, 0); // priority 0 = lowest
        }
    }
}

Callback Signatures

BindAction

accepts four delegate signatures:

cpp

// No params — press/release without value needed
void AMyCharacter::StartJump() { Jump(); }

// FInputActionValue — for axis values
void AMyCharacter::Move(const FInputActionValue& Value)
{
    const FVector2D Input = Value.Get<FVector2D>();
    AddMovementInput(GetActorForwardVector(), Input.Y);
    AddMovementInput(GetActorRightVector(),   Input.X);
}

// FInputActionInstance — when elapsed/triggered time is needed
void AMyCharacter::OnChargeAttack(const FInputActionInstance& Instance)
{
    const float HeldFor = Instance.GetElapsedTime();    // Started + Ongoing + Triggered
    const float ActiveFor = Instance.GetTriggeredTime(); // Triggered only
}

// Lambda variant
EIC->BindActionValueLambda(InteractAction, ETriggerEvent::Triggered,
    [this](const FInputActionValue& Value) { TryInteract(); });

Storing and removing a binding:

cpp

FEnhancedInputActionEventBinding& B =
    EIC->BindAction(DebugAction, ETriggerEvent::Started, this, &AMyCharacter::DebugToggle);
uint32 Handle = B.GetHandle();
// ...
EIC->RemoveBindingByHandle(Handle);        // remove one binding
EIC->ClearBindingsForObject(this);         // remove all bindings for an object

Trigger Events (ETriggerEvent)

Bitmask enum from

InputTriggers.h

Event	State Transition	Use for
`Started`	None -> Ongoing/Triggered	First frame of input; press-once actions
`Triggered`	*->Triggered, Triggered->Triggered	Every active frame; continuous movement
`Ongoing`	Ongoing->Ongoing	Held but not yet triggered (charge build-up)
`Canceled`	Ongoing->None	Released before trigger threshold
`Completed`	Triggered->None	Input released after triggering; stop continuous actions

Note:

Completed

does not fire if any trigger on the same action reports

Ongoing

that frame.

Built-in Triggers

Full parameter listings in

references/input-action-reference.md

Class	Name	Behavior
`UInputTriggerDown`	Down	Every frame input exceeds threshold (implicit default)
`UInputTriggerPressed`	Pressed	Once on first actuation; holding does not repeat
`UInputTriggerReleased`	Released	Once when input drops below threshold after actuation
`UInputTriggerHold`	Hold	After `HoldTimeThreshold` s; `bIsOneShot=false` repeats every frame
`UInputTriggerHoldAndRelease`	Hold And Release	On release after holding `HoldTimeThreshold` s
`UInputTriggerTap`	Tap	Released within `TapReleaseTimeThreshold` s
`UInputTriggerRepeatedTap`	Repeated Tap	N taps within `RepeatDelay` ( `NumberOfTapsWhichTriggerRepeat=2` for double-tap)
`UInputTriggerPulse`	Pulse	Repeatedly at `Interval` s while held; optional `TriggerLimit`
`UInputTriggerChordAction`	Chorded Action	Only fires while `ChordAction` is active (Implicit type; auto-blocks solo key)
`UInputTriggerCombo`	Combo (Beta)	All `ComboActions` completed in order within `TimeToPressKey` windows

Trigger type rules for multi-trigger evaluation:

Explicit

(default, at least one must fire),

Implicit

(all must fire),

Blocker

(blocks everything if active).

Built-in Modifiers

Applied in array order. Mapping-level modifiers run before action-level modifiers.

Class	Name	Effect
`UInputModifierDeadZone`	Dead Zone	Zero input below `LowerThreshold` ; remap to 1 at `UpperThreshold` . Types: Axial, Radial, UnscaledRadial
`UInputModifierScalar`	Scalar	Multiply per axis by `FVector Scalar`
`UInputModifierScaleByDeltaTime`	Scale By Delta Time	Multiply by frame DeltaTime
`UInputModifierNegate`	Negate	Invert selected axes ( `bX` , `bY` , `bZ` )
`UInputModifierSwizzleAxis`	Swizzle Input Axis Values	Reorder axes; `YXZ` (default) swaps X/Y — maps 1D key onto Y of Axis2D action
`UInputModifierSmooth`	Smooth	Rolling average over recent samples
`UInputModifierSmoothDelta`	Smooth Delta	Smoothed normalized delta; configurable interpolation ( `Lerp` , `Interp_To` , ease curves)
`UInputModifierResponseCurveExponential`	Response Curve - Exponential	`sign(x)*
`UInputModifierResponseCurveUser`	Response Curve - User Defined	Separate `UCurveFloat` per axis
`UInputModifierFOVScaling`	FOV Scaling	Scale by camera FOV for consistent angular speed across zoom levels
`UInputModifierToWorldSpace`	To World Space	2D axis -> world space (up/down = world X, left/right = world Y)

WASD -> Axis2D recipe (

AccumulationBehavior = Cumulative

```
W
```
:
```
SwizzleAxis(YXZ)
```
→ Y=+1
```
S
```
:
```
SwizzleAxis(YXZ)
```
+
```
Negate(bY)
```
→ Y=-1
```
D
```
: none → X=+1
```
A
```
:
```
Negate(bX)
```
→ X=-1

Gamepad stick:

DeadZone(Radial, LowerThreshold=0.2)

per stick mapping.

Mouse look:

[Scalar(0.4,0.4,1), Smooth, FOVScaling]

per mapping.

Mapping Context Priority

cpp

// Higher integer = higher priority; wins key conflicts
Subsystem->AddMappingContext(GameplayIMC, 0);
Subsystem->AddMappingContext(VehicleIMC,  1);

// FModifyContextOptions — prevent ghost inputs on switch
FModifyContextOptions Opts;
Opts.bIgnoreAllPressedKeysUntilRelease = true;
Subsystem->AddMappingContext(UIIMC, 2, Opts);

// Remove on mode exit
Subsystem->RemoveMappingContext(VehicleIMC);

When

bConsumeInput = true

on a

UInputAction

(the default), a higher-priority context that maps the same physical key will consume it, blocking all lower-priority bindings to that key from firing. This is intentional: use priority layering and

bConsumeInput

together to prevent input conflicts between modes (e.g., a vehicle context consuming Spacebar so the character's Jump action never fires while driving).

Split-Screen / Multiple Local Players

In split-screen, each local player has their own

UEnhancedInputLocalPlayerSubsystem

. Mapping contexts are per-player — adding a context to one player's subsystem does not affect others. To target a specific player, retrieve their subsystem directly from their

ULocalPlayer

cpp

// Access subsystem for a specific local player (e.g., player 2)
if (ULocalPlayer* LP = PlayerController->GetLocalPlayer())
{
    if (auto* Sub = ULocalPlayer::GetSubsystem<UEnhancedInputLocalPlayerSubsystem>(LP))
    {
        Sub->AddMappingContext(PlayerTwoIMC, 0);
    }
}

Custom Triggers

Subclass

UInputTrigger

; override

UpdateState_Implementation

returning

ETriggerState::None / Ongoing / Triggered

cpp

UCLASS(EditInlineNew, meta=(DisplayName="Double Click"))
class MYGAME_API UDoubleClickTrigger : public UInputTrigger
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
public:
    UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadWrite, Category="Trigger Settings")
    float DoubleClickThreshold = 0.3f;
protected:
    virtual ETriggerType GetTriggerType_Implementation() const override
        { return ETriggerType::Explicit; }
    virtual ETriggerState UpdateState_Implementation(
        const UEnhancedPlayerInput* PlayerInput, FInputActionValue ModifiedValue, float DeltaTime) override;
private:
    float LastPressTime = 0.f;
    bool bWasActuated = false;
};

ETriggerState UDoubleClickTrigger::UpdateState_Implementation(
    const UEnhancedPlayerInput* PlayerInput, FInputActionValue ModifiedValue, float DeltaTime)
{
    const bool bActuated = IsActuated(ModifiedValue); // helper: magnitude >= ActuationThreshold
    const float Now = PlayerInput->GetWorld()->GetTimeSeconds();
    if (bActuated && !bWasActuated)
    {
        if ((Now - LastPressTime) <= DoubleClickThreshold)
            { LastPressTime = 0.f; bWasActuated = bActuated; return ETriggerState::Triggered; }
        LastPressTime = Now;
    }
    bWasActuated = bActuated;
    return ETriggerState::None;
}

UInputTriggerTimedBase

provides

HeldDuration

and

CalculateHeldDuration

for time-based triggers.

Custom Modifiers

Subclass

UInputModifier

; override

ModifyRaw_Implementation

cpp

UCLASS(EditInlineNew, meta=(DisplayName="Clamp Magnitude"))
class MYGAME_API UClampMagnitudeModifier : public UInputModifier
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
public:
    UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadWrite, Category=Settings)
    float MaxMagnitude = 1.0f;
protected:
    virtual FInputActionValue ModifyRaw_Implementation(
        const UEnhancedPlayerInput* PlayerInput, FInputActionValue CurrentValue, float DeltaTime) override
    {
        FVector V = CurrentValue.Get<FVector>();
        if (V.SizeSquared() > MaxMagnitude * MaxMagnitude)
            V = V.GetSafeNormal() * MaxMagnitude;
        return FInputActionValue(CurrentValue.GetValueType(), V);
    }
};

Common Mistakes

Mapping context not added: Add via subsystem in
```
BeginPlay
```
/after
```
Possess
```
, not in
```
SetupPlayerInputComponent
```
(called earlier on some paths).

Legacy binding on UEnhancedInputComponent:

BindAction(FName,...)

and

BindAxis

are

= delete

. Compile error. Set

DefaultInputComponentClass

DefaultInput.ini

Triggered for a button press:
```
Triggered
```
fires every active frame. Use
```
Started
```
for press-once,
```
Completed
```
for release.
Completed not firing with Ongoing: If any trigger reports
```
Ongoing
```
that frame,
```
Completed
```
is suppressed. Use separate actions for clean press/release events.
No dead zone on gamepad sticks: Sticks produce non-zero resting values. Always add
```
DeadZone(Radial)
```
per stick mapping.
Missing SwizzleAxis for WASD-to-2D: Keyboard produces 1D. Without
```
SwizzleAxis(YXZ)
```
on W/S, forward/backward stays on X and is ignored by Axis2D forward movement.
Replicating input actions: Input is client-local. Replicate results (movement, ability activation), not trigger events.
MapKey/UnmapKey at runtime for rebinding: These are editor/config-screen helpers. Use subsystem player mappable key APIs or swap contexts instead.
Wrong trigger type for intent: Using
```
Down
```
when
```
Hold
```
is needed, or
```
Triggered
```
when
```
Started
```
is needed. Match trigger type to the interaction pattern:
```
Started
```
for single press,
```
Triggered
```
for continuous,
```
Hold
```
for delayed activation.

Legacy Input Migration

To migrate from the legacy input system to Enhanced Input: search for

InputComponent->BindAction

and

InputComponent->BindAxis

calls and replace each with

UEnhancedInputComponent::BindAction

. Create a

UInputAction

data asset for every old action name, choosing the appropriate

ValueType

(Boolean for buttons, Axis1D for single-axis, Axis2D for stick/WASD). Create a

UInputMappingContext

asset and add key mappings corresponding to the old

DefaultInput.ini

ActionMappings

AxisMappings

entries. Set

DefaultInputComponentClass

DefaultInput.ini

and enable the EnhancedInput plugin.

UI Input Mode

Without CommonUI, manage input modes manually via

APlayerController::SetInputMode()

cpp

PC->SetInputMode(FInputModeUIOnly());          // cursor captured by UI, no game input
PC->SetInputMode(FInputModeGameAndUI());       // both UI and game receive input
PC->SetInputMode(FInputModeGameOnly());        // full game input, UI events suppressed

CommonUI automates input routing through

UCommonActivatableWidget

stacks and eliminates most manual

SetInputMode

calls — see

ue-ui-umg-slate

Related Skills

ue-gameplay-framework

— PlayerController input lifecycle,

Possess

UnPossess

SetupPlayerInputComponent

ue-ui-umg-slate

—

SetInputMode(FInputModeUIOnly())

FInputModeGameAndUI()

, cursor visibility, CommonUI

UCommonActivatableWidget

stacks

```
ue-gameplay-abilities
```
— binding Enhanced Input actions to GAS ability activation via input ID tags

ue-input-system

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content