ChatInput

Text input component for the chat UI. Wraps a TMP_InputField and manages its activation state, message submission to the Chat singleton, and visual visibility via a CanvasGroup. Coordinates with ChatHUD for focus lifecycle.

Definition

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

public class ChatInput : ParagonUIBehaviour

Inheritance: SerializedMonoBehaviour → ParagonBehaviour → ParagonUIBehaviour → ChatInput

Remarks

ChatInput bridges the UI input field with the Chat messaging system. When the user submits a message, OnSubmit validates the input (rejecting empty/whitespace), sends it via Chat.SendMessage() to the currently active channel (from ChatWindow.Name), clears the input field, and triggers ChatHUD.Unfocus().

The input field starts deactivated (hidden via canvasGroup.alpha = 0). It is activated/deactivated by ChatHUD during focus transitions. When a chat tab is selected while the chat is focused, the input field is re-activated to maintain keyboard focus.

Quick Lookup

Goal	How
Get current message text	chatInput.Message
Show and focus input field	chatInput.ActivateInputField()
Hide and clear input field	chatInput.DeactivateInputField()
Clear text without hiding	chatInput.ClearMessage()

Properties

Message

public string Message { get; }

The current text content of the input field. Read-only accessor to inputField.text.

Methods

Initialize

public void Initialize(ChatHUD chatHUD)

Called by ChatHUD.Start(). Stores references to the parent HUD and its sub-components, and subscribes to ChatTabs.OnTabSelected.

Parameter	Type	Description
chatHUD	ChatHUD	The parent chat HUD

ActivateInputField

public void ActivateInputField()

Enables the TMP_InputField, gives it keyboard focus, and makes the input visible by setting canvasGroup.alpha = 1.0.

DeactivateInputField

public void DeactivateInputField()

Removes keyboard focus, disables the TMP_InputField, clears the text, and hides the input by setting canvasGroup.alpha = 0.0.

ClearMessage

public void ClearMessage()

Clears the input field text without changing visibility or activation state.

Internal Behavior

OnSubmit (private)

Triggered when the user submits text in the TMP_InputField:

1. Check if message is null/whitespace → return if empty
2. Chat.SendMessage(message, chatWindow.Name)
3. Clear input field text
4. chatHUD.Unfocus()

OnTabSelected (private)

Triggered when a chat tab is selected. If the chat is currently focused, re-activates the input field to restore keyboard focus (which is lost when clicking a tab button).

Common Pitfalls

CanvasGroup required on the same GameObject GetComponent<CanvasGroup>() is called in Awake(). The ChatInput GameObject must have a CanvasGroup component or a NullReferenceException occurs.

TMP_InputField must be a child GetComponentInChildren<TMP_InputField>() is used in Awake(). The input field must exist somewhere in the ChatInput hierarchy.

Input field disabled by default The input field is deactivated in Awake(). It will not accept input until ActivateInputField() is called (typically via ChatHUD.Focus()).

Message sent to current window's channel OnSubmit sends the message to chatWindow.Name, which is the currently displayed channel. If the channel is null or not set, Chat.SendMessage may fail.

See Also

• ChatHUD — parent coordinator that manages focus transitions

• ChatMessageLine — renders individual messages