C++ Mouse & Keyboard Input

Mouse and keyboard input lets your program react to keys and clicks, like a game reacting to your controller. The program checks each frame to see what you did.

In this page:

Keyboard Input with sf::Keyboard
Handling Keyboard Events
Mouse Position Tracking
Mouse Click Events
Collision and Selection

Syntax

cpp

if (sf::Keyboard::isKeyPressed(sf::Keyboard::Key_Name)) {
  // key is held down
}

if (event.type == sf::Event::KeyPressed) {
  // key was pressed once
}

Keyboard Input with sf::Keyboard

sf::Keyboard::isKeyPressed(key) checks the current, real-time state of a specific key at the moment you call it, independent of the event queue -- ideal for continuous actions like "move right while held," since it doesn't require the key to have just changed state.

Example: Keyboard Input with sf::Keyboard

cpp

#include <SFML/Window.hpp>

int main() {
	if (sf::Keyboard::isKeyPressed(sf::Keyboard::Right)) {
		// move right while the key is held
	}
	return 0;
}

Handling Keyboard Events

Keyboard events delivered through the event loop (KeyPressed/KeyReleased) fire exactly once per press or release, rather than continuously while held -- this makes them the right choice for discrete, one-shot actions like "jump" or "open menu," where you don't want the action repeating every frame the key stays down.

Example: Handling Keyboard Events

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::RenderWindow window(sf::VideoMode(400, 300), "Events");
	sf::Event event;
	while (window.pollEvent(event)) {
		if (event.type == sf::Event::KeyPressed)
			; // fires exactly once per press, good for "jump"
	}
	return 0;
}

Mouse Position Tracking

sf::Mouse::getPosition() returns the cursor's current pixel coordinates, either relative to the whole screen or, when passed a window reference, relative to that window's client area -- useful for anything that needs to know exactly where on screen the player is pointing.

Example: Mouse Position Tracking

cpp

#include <SFML/Window.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::Vector2i screenPos = sf::Mouse::getPosition();
	return 0;
}

Mouse Click Events

Like keyboard state, sf::Mouse::isButtonPressed() reports whether a mouse button is currently held down at the moment you ask, while the event loop's MouseButtonPressed event reports a single click -- choose whichever matches whether you need continuous or one-shot behavior.

Example: Mouse Click Events

cpp

#include <SFML/Window.hpp>

int main() {
	if (sf::Mouse::isButtonPressed(sf::Mouse::Left)) {
		// continuously true while held down
	}
	return 0;
}

Collision and Selection

getGlobalBounds() returns a shape's bounding rectangle in world coordinates, and calling .contains(mousePosition) on it tells you whether the cursor is currently over that shape -- the standard building block for clickable buttons or drag-and-select interactions.

Example: Collision and Selection

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::CircleShape shape(30.f);
	sf::Vector2f mousePos(35.f, 35.f);
	bool hovered = shape.getGlobalBounds().contains(mousePos);
	return 0;
}

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