FIX: ISXB-1319 Input recorder game view focus (#2407)

Author: MorganHoarau

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- Fixed `InputRecorder` playback not starting when the Game View is not focused in the Editor [ISXB-1319](https://jira.unity3d.com/browse/ISXB-1319)
 - Fixed a `NullReferenceException` thrown when removing all action maps [UUM-137116](https://jira.unity3d.com/browse/UUM-137116)
 - Simplified default setting messaging by consolidating repetitive messages into a single HelpBox.
 - Fixed a `NullPointerReferenceException` thrown in `InputManagerStateMonitors.FireStateChangeNotifications` logging by adding validation [UUM-136095].

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/Documentation~/Events.md

@@ -223,6 +223,9 @@ trace.Dispose();
 
 Dispose event traces after use, so that they do not leak memory on the unmanaged (C++) memory heap.
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> **Keyboard text input is not replayed to UI text fields.** Keyboard state (key presses) is captured and replayed correctly and remains accessible via `Keyboard.current`. However, there is a known limitation with character delivery to UI Framework components (uGUI `InputField` or UI Toolkit `TextField`). These components receive text through a separate native pipeline that is not fed by event replay. As a result, text typed into UI text fields during recording will not appear during playback.
+
 You can also write event traces out to files/streams, load them back in, and replay recorded streams.
 
 ```CSharp

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/InputSystem/Runtime/Events/InputEventTrace.cs

@@ -1072,6 +1072,9 @@ public class ReplayController : IDisposable
             private double m_StartTimeAsPerRuntime;
             private int m_AllEventsByTimeIndex = 0;
             private List<InputEventPtr> m_AllEventsByTime;
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+            private bool m_EditorEventPassthroughActive;
+#endif
 
             internal ReplayController(InputEventTrace trace)
             {
@@ -1088,12 +1091,52 @@ public void Dispose()
             {
                 InputSystem.onBeforeUpdate -= OnBeginFrame;
                 finished = true;
-
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                StopEditorEventPassthrough();
+#endif
                 foreach (var device in m_CreatedDevices)
                     InputSystem.RemoveDevice(device);
                 m_CreatedDevices = default;
             }
 
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+            private void StartEditorEventPassthrough()
+            {
+                if (!m_EditorEventPassthroughActive)
+                {
+                    m_EditorEventPassthroughActive = true;
+                    InputManager.StartEditorEventPassthrough();
+                }
+            }
+
+            private void StopEditorEventPassthrough()
+            {
+                // Clean up any pending deferred stop.
+                InputSystem.onAfterUpdate -= DeferredStopEditorEventPassthrough;
+
+                if (m_EditorEventPassthroughActive)
+                {
+                    m_EditorEventPassthroughActive = false;
+                    InputManager.StopEditorEventPassthrough();
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Defers passthrough stop to after the current update so events already queued
+            // in the native buffer are still processed with passthrough active.
+            private void ScheduleStopEditorEventPassthrough()
+            {
+                if (!m_EditorEventPassthroughActive)
+                    return;
+                InputSystem.onAfterUpdate += DeferredStopEditorEventPassthrough;
+            }
+
+            private void DeferredStopEditorEventPassthrough()
+            {
+                InputSystem.onAfterUpdate -= DeferredStopEditorEventPassthrough;
+                StopEditorEventPassthrough();
+            }
+
+#endif
             /// <summary>
             /// Replay events recorded from <paramref name="recordedDevice"/> on device <paramref name="playbackDevice"/>.
             /// </summary>
@@ -1249,6 +1292,9 @@ public ReplayController Rewind()
             public ReplayController PlayAllFramesOneByOne()
             {
                 finished = false;
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                StartEditorEventPassthrough();
+#endif
                 InputSystem.onBeforeUpdate += OnBeginFrame;
                 return this;
             }
@@ -1267,6 +1313,9 @@ public ReplayController PlayAllFramesOneByOne()
             public ReplayController PlayAllEvents()
             {
                 finished = false;
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                StartEditorEventPassthrough();
+#endif
                 try
                 {
                     while (MoveNext(true, out var eventPtr))
@@ -1311,6 +1360,9 @@ public ReplayController PlayAllEventsAccordingToTimestamps()
 
                 // Start playback.
                 finished = false;
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                StartEditorEventPassthrough();
+#endif
                 m_StartTimeAsPerFirstEvent = -1;
                 m_AllEventsByTimeIndex = -1;
                 InputSystem.onBeforeUpdate += OnBeginFrame;
@@ -1381,6 +1433,11 @@ private void Finished()
             {
                 finished = true;
                 InputSystem.onBeforeUpdate -= OnBeginFrame;
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                // Defer passthrough stop so events already queued in the native buffer
+                // this frame are still processed with passthrough active.
+                ScheduleStopEditorEventPassthrough();
+#endif
                 m_OnFinished?.Invoke();
             }
 

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/InputSystem/Runtime/InputManager.cs

@@ -492,8 +492,45 @@ public bool runPlayerUpdatesInEditMode
             set => m_RunPlayerUpdatesInEditMode = value;
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Ref-counted flag that bypasses Game View focus gating for event processing.
+        /// When greater than zero, events are processed as if the Game View has focus,
+        /// regardless of actual focus state. This affects event routing, disabled-device
+        /// discard, and UI module processing.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// Use <see cref="StartEditorEventPassthrough"/> / <see cref="StopEditorEventPassthrough"/>
+        /// to manage this counter. Follows the same pattern as
+        /// <c>AssetDatabase.StartAssetEditing/StopAssetEditing</c>.
+        /// </remarks>
+        /// <seealso cref="StartEditorEventPassthrough"/>
+        /// <seealso cref="StopEditorEventPassthrough"/>
+        private int m_EditorEventPassthroughCount;
+
+        internal bool isEditorEventPassthroughActive => m_EditorEventPassthroughCount > 0;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Signals that events should bypass Game View focus gating. Ref-counted:
+        /// each call must be balanced by a corresponding <see cref="StopEditorEventPassthrough"/>.
+        /// </summary>
+        internal static void StartEditorEventPassthrough()
+        {
+            ++InputSystem.s_Manager.m_EditorEventPassthroughCount;
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Signals that the caller no longer needs events to bypass Game View focus gating.
+        /// Decrements the ref count started by <see cref="StartEditorEventPassthrough"/>.
+        /// </summary>
+        internal static void StopEditorEventPassthrough()
+        {
+            if (InputSystem.s_Manager != null && InputSystem.s_Manager.m_EditorEventPassthroughCount > 0)
+                --InputSystem.s_Manager.m_EditorEventPassthroughCount;
+        }
+
 #endif // UNITY_EDITOR
 
+
         private bool gameIsPlaying =>
 #if UNITY_EDITOR
             (m_Runtime.isInPlayMode && !m_Runtime.isEditorPaused) || m_RunPlayerUpdatesInEditMode;
@@ -504,7 +541,7 @@ public bool runPlayerUpdatesInEditMode
 
         private bool gameHasFocus =>
 #if UNITY_EDITOR
-                     m_RunPlayerUpdatesInEditMode || applicationHasFocus || gameShouldGetInputRegardlessOfFocus;
+                     m_RunPlayerUpdatesInEditMode || applicationHasFocus || gameShouldGetInputRegardlessOfFocus || isEditorEventPassthroughActive;
 #else
             applicationHasFocus || gameShouldGetInputRegardlessOfFocus;
 #endif
@@ -3372,7 +3409,12 @@ private unsafe void ProcessEventBuffer(InputUpdateType updateType, ref InputEven
 
                     // If device is disabled, we let the event through only in certain cases.
                     // Removal and configuration change events should always be processed.
+                    // During replay, allow events through for devices disabled due to background
+                    // focus loss — the replay intentionally re-injects events for those devices.
                     if (device != null && !device.enabled &&
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+                        !isEditorEventPassthroughActive &&
+#endif
                         currentEventType != DeviceRemoveEvent.Type &&
                         currentEventType != DeviceConfigurationEvent.Type &&
                         (device.m_DeviceFlags & (InputDevice.DeviceFlags.DisabledInRuntime |
@@ -3411,7 +3453,6 @@ private unsafe void ProcessEventBuffer(InputUpdateType updateType, ref InputEven
 #endif
                         if (!shouldProcess)
                         {
-                            // Skip event if PreProcessEvent considers it to be irrelevant.
                             m_InputEventStream.Advance(false);
                             continue;
                         }

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/InputSystem/Runtime/Plugins/UI/InputSystemUIInputModule.cs

@@ -997,7 +997,11 @@ private bool shouldIgnoreFocus
             // if running in the background is enabled, we already have rules in place what kind of input
             // is allowed through and what isn't. And for the input that *IS* allowed through, the UI should
             // react.
-            get => explictlyIgnoreFocus || InputRuntime.s_Instance.runInBackground;
+            get => explictlyIgnoreFocus || InputRuntime.s_Instance.runInBackground
+#if UNITY_EDITOR
+            || InputSystem.s_Manager.isEditorEventPassthroughActive
+#endif
+            ;
         }
 
         /// <summary>