Unity UI Extensions

Input Field Enter Submit

A simple utility component that automatically submits an InputField when the Enter key is pressed.

Contents

1 Overview

2 Properties

3 Methods

4 Usage

5 Video Demo

6 See also

7 Credits and Donation

8 External links

Overview

InputFieldEnterSubmit is a lightweight utility component that extends the standard Unity InputField with automatic submission on Enter key press. When the Enter key is pressed (or Enter on the numeric keypad), the component:

  1. Triggers the EnterSubmit event with the current input text
  2. Optionally defocuses the input field (clears selection)

This is useful for creating form-like interactions where pressing Enter should submit data (search boxes, chat input, command prompts, etc.).

Properties

The properties of the Input Field Enter Submit control are as follows:

Property Description
Defocus Input When true, the InputField loses focus after submission. When false, the field retains focus for further input.
Enter Submit (event) Event invoked when Enter is pressed, passes the current input text as a string parameter.

Methods

Method Arguments Description
OnEndEdit txt (string) Internal method called by InputField’s onEndEdit event. Checks for Enter key press and invokes EnterSubmit event.

Usage

Add the Input Field Enter Submit component to the same GameObject as an InputField:

“Add Component -> UI -> Extensions -> Input Field Submit”

The component will automatically detect the InputField on the same GameObject.

Basic Usage

public InputFieldEnterSubmit inputField;

void Start()
{
    // Listen for Enter key submission
    inputField.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnInputSubmitted);
}

void OnInputSubmitted(string input)
{
    Debug.Log("User submitted: " + input);
}

Search Box Example

public InputFieldEnterSubmit searchField;
public Text resultsText;

void Start()
{
    searchField.defocusInput = true;  // Clear focus after search
    searchField.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnSearch);
}

void OnSearch(string query)
{
    // Perform search with the query
    var results = SearchDatabase(query);
    resultsText.text = "Found " + results.Count + " results";
}

Chat Input Example

public InputFieldEnterSubmit chatInput;
public ScrollRect messageScroll;

void Start()
{
    chatInput.defocusInput = false;  // Keep focus for rapid typing
    chatInput.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnMessageSent);
}

void OnMessageSent(string message)
{
    // Send the message
    SendChatMessage(message);
    
    // Clear for next message
    chatInput.GetComponent<InputField>().text = "";
}

Command Prompt Example

public InputFieldEnterSubmit commandInput;

void Start()
{
    commandInput.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnCommandEntered);
}

void OnCommandEntered(string command)
{
    // Parse and execute command
    ExecuteCommand(command);
}

void ExecuteCommand(string command)
{
    string[] parts = command.Split(' ');
    string action = parts[0];
    
    switch (action)
    {
        case "help":
            Debug.Log("Available commands: help, load, save, exit");
            break;
        case "load":
            LoadGame(parts.Length > 1 ? parts[1] : "");
            break;
        case "save":
            SaveGame(parts.Length > 1 ? parts[1] : "");
            break;
    }
}

Controlling Defocus Behavior

public InputFieldEnterSubmit inputField;
private bool shouldFocusAfterSubmit;

void Start()
{
    inputField.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnSubmit);
}

void OnSubmit(string text)
{
    ProcessInput(text);
    
    // Optionally defocus based on some condition
    if (shouldFocusAfterSubmit)
    {
        inputField.defocusInput = false;
    }
    else
    {
        inputField.defocusInput = true;
    }
}

Using with Multiple InputFields

public InputFieldEnterSubmit[] formFields;

void Start()
{
    foreach (var field in formFields)
    {
        field.EnterSubmit.AddListener(OnFieldSubmitted);
    }
}

void OnFieldSubmitted(string value)
{
    // Process submission - context comes from which field was submitted
    Debug.Log("Field submitted: " + value);
}

Video Demo

Coming soon…

See also

Credits and Donation

Vicente Russo

Sourced from Unity InputField Documentation

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