CommonUI blocks/consumes all other Enhanced Input Keystrokes?

Development Programming & Scripting UI
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1

I’m using Unreal Engine 5.5.4 (Blueprint-only) with Common UI and Enhanced Input, and I’m having an input issue in my main menu.

Problem

  • As soon as the Common UI root widget (WBP_StackManager) is added to the viewport:

    • All keyboard input is consumed by Common UI

    • Enhanced Input Actions (e.g. Keys “N”, “1”, “G” - any Key actually) stop firing completely, i cant use their signals.

    • they seem to be “consumed” entirely by CommonUI Input Routing.

  • Common UI inputs that were mapped for tasks (like Escape → Back handling) or (Q/E → tabbing through tabs) still work.

Setup

  • Enhanced Input works fine in the gameplay world (PlayerController)

  • I use a Common UI Stack Manager + Activatable Widgets for the Main Menu

  • I have multiple Input Mapping Contexts (e.g. DefaultGame, GameMenu, Debug)

What I need

  • I need to be able to use my custom Enhanced Input Mappings like “Debug” (or even normal control EIMappings) - so that i can still use Keys like 1, 2, N, G - for debugging purposes - but no matter what i try (adding different Mapping contexts) - nothing worked, the input never fires unless it is tightly coupled to perform a CommonUI function.
  • I basically need to be able to use other Keys as well.

Question

How can I allow certain keys (e.g. anything other than what CommonUI uses) to pass through Common UI so that Enhanced Input still fires my keystrokes?

I tried using “Set Input Mode UI + Game” but it doesnt seem to do much.

This is hooked up in sequence on BeginPlay in the “GameMenuController” Blueprint

GameMenuController2
GameMenuController2914×386 76 KB

2

For everyone after me with the same problem.
I found a possible solution after Debugging for an entire Day.
What definetly helped was the following resources:

Especially from Mother_Ad717 on Reddit who said:

"When you activate a CommonActivatableWidget (by pushing it on a stack for example) it applies an Input Config using UCommonActivatableWidget::GetDesiredInputConfig. I think the default Input Config sets ECommonInputMode to Menu, which means that input is received by the UI only.

If you want input to be received by both the UI and the game, you can override the GetDesiredInputConfig function in your CommonActivatableWidget.Set the Input Mode to All.

Another option is to uncheck the project setting “Enable Default Input Config” to bypass the CommonUI Input Config system altogether and control the Input Mode yourself.

Read more about Input Configs here: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/input-fundamentals-for-commonui-in-unreal-engine?application_version=5.4

As for checking if a CommonActivatableWidgetStack is empty, I couldn’t find a specific node for that either. A workaround is to use the node GetActiveWidget and see if it returns something valid. If it doesn’t, I would assume that the stack is empty."

This was my Solution → every Common Activatable Widget (Widgets that are pushed onto the Stack) have a function called “Get Desired Input Config” → This function needs to be overwritten with the following (Set Input Mode to “All”):

Solution_1of2GetDesiredInputConfig
Solution_1of2GetDesiredInputConfig587×272 24.2 KB

This usually works, because when the CommonActivatableWidget is activated (pushed onto stack), it applies an Input Config (probably with default Input Mode set to UI).
Input Mode = UI means it blocks/consumes all other Inputs, setting it to “All” enables Inputs to fire.

You can test this by hooking up your active PlayerController with Enhanced Input Keys e.g. “IA_Key_G” or “IA_Key_N” whatever - with a print string attached to its trigger → with “UI” on the Input never fires, with set to “All” the Input fires within the PlayerController which was the desired outcome for me.

Common UI shouldve had this exposed to Blueprints long ago (E.g. having an exposed function like “Set Global UIInput Config Mode”).
It should be a basic feature to control the flow of Input behavior but unfortunately is not the case.
The solution is working but tedious (have to set it up for every Stack member).
There might be easier ways when working with C++ directly.

Note:

In Project Settings → “Enable Default Input Config” → Disabling this will have the same effect permanently, you dont need to overwrite every Stack Members Input Config Mode then.
But is not tested for side effects that may occur.