Input

Query button presses, analog axes, and mouse movement using the Input API.

The Input static class provides everything you need to read player input. Actions are defined as named strings (e.g. "Attack1", "Jump") so your code never references raw keycodes — the player can rebind anything.

Querying actions

Use these three methods to check the state of an action each frame. Call them inside OnUpdate or OnFixedUpdate.

// True every frame while the button is held
if ( Input.Down( "Attack1" ) ) { }

// True only on the frame the button was first pressed
if ( Input.Pressed( "Jump" ) ) { }

// True only on the frame the button was released
if ( Input.Released( "Duck" ) ) { }

Input queries return false automatically when input is suppressed (e.g. while a UI element has focus), so you don’t need to guard against it yourself.

Analog inputs

AnalogMove

Input.AnalogMove is a Vector3 built from the four directional actions (Forward, Backward, Left, Right). Use it as a movement direction in local space.

protected override void OnFixedUpdate()
{
    var wishDir = Input.AnalogMove;   // normalized direction in local space
    var velocity = wishDir * MoveSpeed;
    characterController.Move( velocity * Time.Delta );
}

AnalogLook

Input.AnalogLook is an Angles value derived from mouse delta (and gamepad right stick). It is already scaled by the player’s sensitivity preference.

protected override void OnUpdate()
{
    EyeAngles += Input.AnalogLook;
    EyeAngles = EyeAngles.WithPitch( EyeAngles.pitch.Clamp( -89f, 89f ) );
}

MouseDelta

Raw mouse movement in screen pixels since the last frame:

Vector2 delta = Input.MouseDelta;

MouseWheel

Scroll wheel input as a Vector2 (y is the usual vertical scroll):

float scroll = Input.MouseWheel.y;

MouseCursorVisible

Check whether the cursor is currently visible (e.g. a menu is open):

if ( Input.MouseCursorVisible )
{
    // Don't rotate the camera while cursor is shown
    return;
}

Programmatic input

You can force an action on or off from code:

// Simulate a button press
Input.SetAction( "Jump", true );

// Release it
Input.Clear( "Jump" );

// Release all actions
Input.ReleaseActions();

Default actions

When no custom input settings are defined, s&box provides these built-in actions:

Movement

Action	Default key	Gamepad
Forward	W	—
Backward	S	—
Left	A	—
Right	D	—
Jump	Space	A button
Run	Shift	Left stick click
Walk	Alt	—
Duck	Ctrl	B button

Actions

Action	Default key	Gamepad
Attack1	Mouse 1	Right trigger
Attack2	Mouse 2	Left trigger
Reload	R	X button
Use	E	Y button
Drop	G	—
Flashlight	F	D-pad up

Inventory

Action	Default key	Gamepad
Slot1–Slot9	1–9	D-pad left/right/down
SlotPrev	Mouse 4	Left bumper
SlotNext	Mouse 5	Right bumper

Misc

Action	Default key	Gamepad
View	C	Right stick click
Voice	V	—
Score	Tab	Left menu
Menu	Q	Right menu
Chat	Enter	—

InputAction definitions

Define your game’s actions in Edit → Project Settings → Input. Each InputAction has:

Field	Description
Name	Identifier used in code, e.g. "Attack1"
KeyboardCode	Default keyboard key/combo, e.g. "mouse1"
GamepadCode	Mapped gamepad button
GroupName	Category shown in the rebinding UI
Title	Human-readable label, e.g. "Primary Attack"

You can also create actions in C#:

// This is how the engine defines its default actions
var actions = new List<InputAction>
{
    new InputAction( "Attack1", "mouse1", GamepadCode.RightTrigger )
    {
        GroupName = "Actions",
        Title     = "Primary Attack"
    },
    new InputAction( "Reload", "r", GamepadCode.X )
    {
        GroupName = "Actions"
    },
};

Querying bound keys

Get the current key name for an action — useful for button prompts in your HUD:

string key = Input.GetButtonOrigin( "Jump" );
// Returns "Space" on keyboard, "A Button" on gamepad

Input contexts

Input contexts let different systems consume input independently. Each context has its own ActionsCurrent, ActionsPrevious, and mouse delta accumulators. This allows a menu system to intercept input without affecting gameplay input.

When you push a UI panel that should capture the cursor, set Mouse.Visible = true. The engine automatically zeroes out AnalogLook when the cursor is visible.

Full movement example

public sealed class PlayerController : Component
{
    [Property] public float MoveSpeed { get; set; } = 200f;
    [Property] public float JumpStrength { get; set; } = 350f;

    Angles eyeAngles;

    protected override void OnUpdate()
    {
        // Camera look
        eyeAngles += Input.AnalogLook;
        eyeAngles = eyeAngles.WithPitch( eyeAngles.pitch.Clamp( -89f, 89f ) );
        Scene.Camera.WorldRotation = eyeAngles.ToRotation();
    }

    protected override void OnFixedUpdate()
    {
        var wishDir  = Input.AnalogMove.Normal;
        var rotation = Rotation.FromYaw( eyeAngles.yaw );
        var velocity = rotation * wishDir * MoveSpeed;

        if ( Input.Pressed( "Jump" ) )
        {
            velocity += Vector3.Up * JumpStrength;
        }

        WorldPosition += velocity * Time.Delta;
    }
}