Version: 2023.1
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Messaging System

Event System

The Event System is a way of sending events to objects in the application based on input, be it keyboard, mouse, touch, or custom input. The Event System consists of a few components that work together to send events.

When you add an Event System component to a GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
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you will notice that it does not have much functionality exposed, this is because the Event System itself is designed as a manager and facilitator of communication between Event System modules.

The primary roles of the Event System are as follows:

  • Manage which GameObject is considered selected
  • Manage which Input Module is in use
  • Manage Raycasting (if required)
  • Updating all Input Modules as required

Input Modules

An Input Module is where the main logic of how you want the Event System to behave lives, they are used for:

  • Handling Input
  • Managing event state
  • Sending events to sceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
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    objects.

Only one Input Module can be active in the Event System at a time, and they must be components on the same GameObject as the Event System component.

If you want to write a custom Input Module, send events supported by existing UI(User Interface) Allows a user to interact with your application. Unity currently supports three UI systems. More info
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components in Unity. To extend and write your own events, see the Messaging System documentation.

Raycasters

Raycasters are used for figuring out what the pointer is over. It is common for Input Modules to use the Raycasters configured in the Scene to calculate what the pointing device is over.

There are 3 provided Raycasters that exist by default:

If you have a 2d / 3d Raycaster configured in your Scene, it is easy to make non-UI elements receive messages from the Input Module. Simply attach a script that implements one of the event interfaces. For examples of this, see the IPointerEnterHandler and IPointerClickHandler Scripting Reference pages.

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Messaging System