Input, focus, and navigation

Define per-screen policy

For each screen record:

• input mode: game only, UI only, or game and UI;
• mouse cursor/capture/lock policy;
• Enhanced Input Mapping Contexts applied while active;
• initial desired-focus widget;
• Back behavior;
• whether gameplay input continues beneath the screen.

Do not let individual buttons decide global input mode.

Focus lifecycle

1. Populate or restore screen data.
2. Ensure the target widget is visible, enabled, focusable, and in the active hierarchy.
3. Return/set the desired focus target during activation.
4. When a focused entry disappears, move focus to a deterministic neighbor or parent control.
5. When a modal closes, restore focus to the action that opened it when still valid.

Avoid arbitrary delays as a focus fix. A delay can mask invalid lifecycle or asynchronous list population. Focus after the target exists, using the activation/data-ready event.

Navigation

• Build logical visual order so automatic cardinal navigation is predictable.
• Add explicit navigation rules only where spatial layout makes automatic choice ambiguous.
• Test keyboard Tab/arrow navigation and gamepad cardinal navigation separately.
• Keep focus visible with a non-color-only indicator.
• Prevent focus from entering hidden, disabled, decorative, or offscreen controls.
• For scroll/list screens, keep the selected entry scrolled into view.

Unified CommonUI + Enhanced Input

• Use semantic UI Input Actions, not hard-coded keys.
• Mark generic actions so CommonUI handles routing without broadcasting unwanted global Enhanced Input events.
• Apply screen-specific Mapping Contexts on activation and remove them on deactivation.
• Keep gameplay and UI action namespaces clear; prioritize contexts intentionally.
• Route remapping/profile details to $unreal-enhanced-input.

Split-screen check

Run with two local players. Each player must have an independent focus user, root UI, action router/context state, and prompts. GetPlayerController(0) in reusable UI is a defect signal.

Common failures

Symptom	Check
Gamepad moves character behind menu	input mode/context priority and screen activation
Accept fires twice	duplicate action binding or both generic and specific action paths
Focus vanishes after list refresh	recycled entry was focus target; restore by item identity
Mouse works, gamepad does not	focusability, desired focus, viewport class, navigation
Back closes wrong screen	layer priority or competing local Back handlers