Enhanced Input: Blueprint setup (contexts, actions, triggers)

Official Tutorial by Epic Games

This comprehensive video tutorial covers the complete Enhanced Input system implementation from Epic Games themselves. Key timestamps:

• 01:30 - Enhanced Input Overview
• 04:15 - Creating Input Actions & Mapping Contexts
• 08:45 - Blueprint Implementation
• 12:20 - Advanced Features & Modifiers

� Official Documentation & Resources

Primary References:

• 📖 Enhanced Input Official Documentation - Complete system reference
• 📖 Input Actions & Mapping Contexts - Asset creation guide
• 📖 Enhanced Input Blueprint Implementation - Blueprint integration

Related Video Tutorials:

• 🎥 Enhanced Input Modifiers & Triggers - Advanced input processing
• 🎥 Input Mapping Context Switching - Dynamic context management
• 🎥 Platform-Specific Input Configs - Multi-platform setup

🛠️ Implementation Guide

What/Why: Modern input that’s context-aware (gameplay, UI, vehicle) without per-tick logic. Cleanly routes events to Blueprints.

Prereqs

• Plugins: Enhanced Input (enabled by default in UE 5.6)
• Project Settings → Input → Default Classes use Enhanced Input

Steps

1. Create assets

• Create Input Actions: IA_Move (Axis2D), IA_Look (Axis2D), IA_Interact (Bool), IA_Jump (Bool)
• Create Mapping Contexts: IMC_Gameplay, IMC_UI

2. Bind hardware in Mapping Contexts

• In IMC_Gameplay: map WASD to IA_Move, Mouse to IA_Look, Space to IA_Jump, E to IA_Interact
• Add relevant Triggers/Modifiers (e.g., Press and Release for interact; Dead Zone for sticks)

3. Apply/Remove contexts at runtime

• In Player Controller or Pawn BP: On Begin Play → Get Local Player → Enhanced Input Local Player Subsystem → Add Mapping Context (IMC_Gameplay, Priority = 0)
• When opening UI: Add IMC_UI (Priority 10). When closing UI: Remove IMC_UI

4. Listen to input in Blueprints

• In the Pawn or a dedicated Input Component BP: add IA_* (Triggered) events
• Broadcast to gameplay components (e.g., MovementComponent, InteractionComponent)

Data

• DataAssets (optional): DA_InputSettings with soft refs to IMC_* and IA_* to centralize configuration

Networking

• Bind and process input only on owning client Pawn/Controller. Run gameplay logic on server via RPC (Server_*). Use tags/UI state to gate context swaps.

Performance

• Prefer event-driven IA_* events over Tick. Use Triggers for holds/double-taps.

Testing

• Create a map with the Pawn/Controller setup
• Press E → print “Interact” once; hold Space → jump once (no spamming); move/look axes update debug text

Notes

• For platform variants, use Player Mappable Input Configs; add per-platform redirects in Enhanced Input → Platform Settings.

Suggested prompts

• “UE 5.6 Blueprints only. Create IA_Move (Axis2D), IA_Look (Axis2D), IA_Interact (Bool), IA_Jump (Bool) and mapping contexts IMC_Gameplay and IMC_UI. Show the exact Blueprint nodes to add/remove contexts at runtime in Player Controller or Pawn.”
• “Explain which Triggers/Modifiers to add for interact (pressed once), jump (no spam), and move/look (dead zones). Return exact settings.”
• “Where should I listen for IA_* events (Pawn vs Controller vs Component) and how do I broadcast them to components cleanly?”
• “Give a troubleshooting checklist when actions fire twice or not at all. Include common causes and quick fixes.”

Prompts for this example

• “Using my current IMC_Gameplay and IA_Interact, show the nodes to print ‘Interact’ once on press and never repeat on hold.”
• “Given two contexts IMC_Gameplay (0) and IMC_UI (10), write the BP logic to swap to IMC_UI on menu open and back on close.”