[SOLVED] Unity New Input System: Overlap Problem Between PrimaryTouch [Touchscreen] and GUI Elements

Are you tired of dealing with the frustrating overlap issue between the PrimaryTouch input and GUI elements in Unity’s New Input System? Well, you’re in luck because today we’re going to tackle this problem head-on and provide a comprehensive solution to get your touchscreen input working seamlessly with your GUI.

What’s the Problem?

In Unity’s New Input System, the PrimaryTouch input is used to detect touchscreen input on mobile devices. However, when you try to use this input to interact with GUI elements, such as buttons or sliders, you might encounter an overlap problem. This occurs when the PrimaryTouch input is received by the GUI element, causing unintended behavior, such as accidental button clicks or slider movements.

This issue can be particularly frustrating because it’s not immediately clear why it’s happening or how to fix it. But don’t worry, we’re about to dive into the solution.

Understanding the Cause of the Problem

Before we jump into the solution, let’s take a step back and understand why this overlap problem occurs in the first place.

In Unity’s New Input System, the PrimaryTouch input is a global input that listens for touchscreen events on the entire screen. When a touchscreen event occurs, the PrimaryTouch input is triggered, and the input system sends the event to the first UI element that can handle it. If no UI element can handle the event, the input system will send it to the next element, and so on.

The problem arises when you have GUI elements that don’t want to receive PrimaryTouch input, but still need to receive other types of input, such as mouse or keyboard input. In this case, the PrimaryTouch input can interfere with the intended behavior of the GUI element, causing unintended consequences.

The Solution: Using Input System’s Ignore Composition

So, how do we solve this overlap problem? The answer lies in using the Input System’s Ignore Composition feature.

Ignore Composition is a powerful tool that allows you to specify which UI elements should ignore specific input types, including the PrimaryTouch input. By ignoring the PrimaryTouch input on specific GUI elements, you can ensure that they don’t receive unintended input events.

Here’s an example of how to use Ignore Composition to solve the overlap problem:

<!-- GUI Button Element -->
<Button>
    <!-- Add an Ignore Composition to ignore PrimaryTouch input -->
    <composition>
        <ignore>
            <input type="PrimaryTouch"/>
        </ignore>
    </composition>
</Button>

In this example, we add an Ignore Composition to the GUI button element, specifying that it should ignore the PrimaryTouch input. This ensures that the button won’t receive unintended PrimaryTouch input events.

Using Input System’s Event System

Another approach to solving the overlap problem is to use the Input System’s Event System.

The Event System is a powerful tool that allows you to handle input events in a more granular way. By using the Event System, you can specify which input events should be handled by specific GUI elements, and which ones should be ignored.

Here’s an example of how to use the Event System to solve the overlap problem:

<!-- GUI Button Element -->
<Button>
    <!-- Add an Event Trigger to handle Pointer Click events -->
    <events>
        <eventTrigger>
            <event>pointerDown</event>
            <response>HandlePointerDown</response>
        </eventTrigger>
    </events>
</Button>

In this example, we add an Event Trigger to the GUI button element, specifying that it should handle Pointer Click events. We then define a response function, HandlePointerDown, to handle the event.

By using the Event System, we can ensure that the GUI button element only receives intended input events, and ignores unintended PrimaryTouch input events.

Best Practices for Avoiding Overlap Problems

To avoid overlap problems between the PrimaryTouch input and GUI elements, follow these best practices:

• Use Ignore Composition to ignore PrimaryTouch input on GUI elements that don’t need it. This ensures that unintended PrimaryTouch input events won’t interfere with the intended behavior of the GUI element.
• Use the Event System to handle input events in a granular way. This allows you to specify which input events should be handled by specific GUI elements, and which ones should be ignored.
• Test your GUI elements thoroughly. Make sure to test your GUI elements on different devices and platforms to ensure that they behave as intended.
• Use a consistent input handling approach. Use a consistent approach to handling input events across your entire project to avoid confusion and overlap problems.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve tackled the frustrating overlap problem between the PrimaryTouch input and GUI elements in Unity’s New Input System. By understanding the cause of the problem and using the Input System’s Ignore Composition and Event System features, we can ensure that our GUI elements work seamlessly with touchscreen input.

Remember to follow the best practices outlined in this article to avoid overlap problems and ensure a smooth user experience in your Unity projects.

Keyword	Description
PrimaryTouch	A global input in Unity’s New Input System that listens for touchscreen events on mobile devices.
A feature in Unity’s New Input System that allows you to specify which UI elements should ignore specific input types.
Event System	A powerful tool in Unity’s New Input System that allows you to handle input events in a more granular way.

We hope this article has been helpful in solving the overlap problem between the PrimaryTouch input and GUI elements in Unity’s New Input System. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Frequently Asked Question

Get answers to the most common issues with Unity’s New Input System and GUI elements overlapping on touchscreen devices.