ChatHUD

Root HUDElement for the in-game chat interface. Coordinates a ChatWindow, ChatTabs, and ChatInput component, and manages the focus/unfocus lifecycle with animated fade transitions using DOTween.

Definition

Namespace: Paragon.Townskeep.ChatSystem.HUD Assembly: Townskeep.dll

public class ChatHUD : HUDElement

Inheritance: SerializedMonoBehaviour → ParagonBehaviour → ParagonUIBehaviour → HUDElement → ChatHUD

Remarks

ChatHUD acts as the central coordinator for all chat UI components. It discovers its children (ChatWindow, ChatTabs, ChatInput) via GetComponentInChildren in Awake(), and initializes them in Start() — ensuring all child Awake() calls complete before initialization.

The focus system is the core state machine:

• Focused — Input field is active, tabs and background are fully visible. The OnFocus event fires.

• Unfocused — Input field is deactivated and cleared. After a 2-second delay, if still unfocused, the tabs fade out over 1.5 seconds. The OnUnfocus event fires immediately (not after the delay).

The delayed fade prevents the chat from flickering when the user briefly clicks away and returns. If Focus() is called during the 2-second delay, the fade is cancelled because the IsFocused check prevents it.

Quick Lookup

Goal	How
Open chat for input	chatHUD.Focus()
Close chat	chatHUD.Unfocus()
Check if focused	chatHUD.IsFocused
Get the chat window	chatHUD.Window
Get the input field	chatHUD.Input
Get the tab bar	chatHUD.Tabs
Listen for focus	chatHUD.OnFocus += handler
Listen for unfocus	chatHUD.OnUnfocus += handler

Properties

Window

public ChatWindow Window { get; }

The chat message display area. Manages the active channel and message rendering.

Input

public ChatInput Input { get; }

The text input component for typing messages.

Tabs

public ChatTabs Tabs { get; }

The tab bar for switching between chat channels.

IsFocused

public bool IsFocused { get; }

Whether the chat is currently in the focused state.

Events

OnFocus

public event Action OnFocus;

Fires when the chat becomes focused. Use this to disable gameplay input or update UI state.

OnUnfocus

public event Action OnUnfocus;

Fires immediately when the chat loses focus. The visual fade happens 2 seconds later.

Methods

Focus

public void Focus()

Activates the chat input field, sets IsFocused to true, fires OnFocus, and fades in the tabs group. No-op if already focused.

Unfocus

public async void Unfocus()

Deactivates the chat input field, sets IsFocused to false, fires OnUnfocus, then waits 2 seconds before fading out the tabs group. If Focus() is called during the delay, the fade is cancelled. No-op if already unfocused.

Unfocus() is async void — the 2-second delay is non-blocking. The OnUnfocus event fires immediately, not after the delay.

Lifecycle

Awake()
  ├─ GetComponentInChildren<ChatWindow>()
  ├─ GetComponentInChildren<ChatTabs>()
  ├─ GetComponentInChildren<ChatInput>()
  └─ tabsGroup.alpha = 0 (hidden by default)

Start()
  ├─ chatWindow.Initialize(this)
  ├─ chatInput.Initialize(this)
  └─ chatTabs.Initialize(this)

Focus()
  ├─ chatInput.ActivateInputField()
  ├─ isFocused = true
  ├─ OnFocus?.Invoke()
  └─ Fade tabs in (1.5s)

Unfocus()
  ├─ chatInput.DeactivateInputField()
  ├─ isFocused = false
  ├─ OnUnfocus?.Invoke()
  ├─ await 2 seconds
  └─ if still !IsFocused → Fade tabs out (1.5s)

Common Pitfalls

Child components must exist in hierarchy GetComponentInChildren is used without null checks. Missing ChatWindow, ChatTabs, or ChatInput children cause a NullReferenceException in Start().

Tabs GameObject must be named "Tabs" The CanvasGroup for the tabs fade is found via transform.Find("Tabs"). If the child is named differently, a NullReferenceException occurs.

Unfocus delay does not cancel the tween If Focus() → Unfocus() → Focus() happens rapidly, the fade-in tween from the second Focus() may conflict with a pending fade-out from the first Unfocus(). DOTween resolves this by applying the latest value, but visual jitter is possible.

See Also

• HUDElement — base class

• ChatInput — input field component

• ChatMessageLine — individual message renderer

• HUD — parent container