Debouncing Key Presses in SDL

What is the best way to debounce key presses in SDL?

Debouncing key presses involves ensuring that a single key press is registered only once, even if the key is held down for a longer duration.

This is particularly useful for preventing multiple triggers of a single action due to rapid key events.

Methods for Debouncing Key Presses

  1. Timing-Based Debounce: Use a timer to track the last time a key event was processed.
  2. State-Based Debounce: Track the state of keys and only process a key event when the state changes.

Timing-Based Debounce Example

Here's an example using a timing-based approach to debounce key presses:

#include <SDL.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <chrono>
using namespace std::chrono;

class Window {
public:
  Window() {
    SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO);
    SDLWindow = SDL_CreateWindow(
      "Debounce Key Presses",
      SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
      SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
      640, 480, SDL_WINDOW_SHOWN
    );
  }

  ~Window() {
    SDL_DestroyWindow(SDLWindow);
    SDL_Quit();
  }

  void HandleKeyboard() {
    const Uint8* state = SDL_GetKeyboardState(NULL);
    auto now = high_resolution_clock::now();
    auto elapsed = duration_cast<milliseconds>(
      now - lastPressTime).count();

    if (state[SDL_SCANCODE_SPACE]
      && elapsed > debounceDelay) {
      std::cout << "Space key pressed\n";
      lastPressTime = now;
    }
  }

private:
  SDL_Window* SDLWindow{nullptr};
  high_resolution_clock::time_point lastPressTime{};
  const int debounceDelay{200}; // 200 milliseconds
};

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
  Window GameWindow;
  bool running = true;
  SDL_Event event;

  while (running) {
    while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) {
      if (event.type == SDL_QUIT) {
        running = false;
      }
    }
    GameWindow.HandleKeyboard();
    // Rendering code here
  }

  return 0;
}
Space key pressed

State-Based Debounce Example

Here's an example using a state-based approach:

#include <SDL.h>
#include <iostream>

class Window {
public:
  Window() {
    SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO);
    SDLWindow = SDL_CreateWindow(
      "State-Based Debounce",
      SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
      SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
      640, 480, SDL_WINDOW_SHOWN
    );
    std::memset(prevState, 0, sizeof(prevState)); 
  }

  ~Window() {
    SDL_DestroyWindow(SDLWindow);
    SDL_Quit();
  }

  void HandleKeyboard() {
    const Uint8* state = SDL_GetKeyboardState(NULL);
    if (state[SDL_SCANCODE_SPACE]
      && !prevState[SDL_SCANCODE_SPACE]) {
      std::cout << "Space key pressed\n";
    }
    std::memcpy(
      prevState, state, sizeof(prevState)); 
  }

private:
  SDL_Window* SDLWindow{nullptr};
  Uint8 prevState[SDL_NUM_SCANCODES]; 
};

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
  Window GameWindow;
  bool running = true;
  SDL_Event event;

  while (running) {
    while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) {
      if (event.type == SDL_QUIT) {
        running = false;
      }
    }
    GameWindow.HandleKeyboard();
    // Rendering code here
  }

  return 0;
}
Space key pressed

Conclusion

Debouncing key presses in SDL can be achieved through timing-based or state-based methods.

The timing-based method uses a timer to ensure a key press is registered only after a certain delay, while the state-based method checks the state transition of the key.

Both methods are effective, and the choice depends on the specific requirements of your application.

Understanding Keyboard State

Learn how to detect and handle keyboard input in SDL2 using both event-driven and polling methods. This lesson covers obtaining and interpreting the keyboard state array.

Questions & Answers

Answers are generated by AI models and may not have been reviewed. Be mindful when running any code on your device.

SDL_PollEvent() vs SDL_PumpEvents()
What is the difference between SDL_PollEvent() and SDL_PumpEvents()?
Handling Multiple Key Presses
How can I handle multiple key presses simultaneously using SDL_GetKeyboardState()?
Advantages of Event-driven Input
What are the advantages of using event-driven input handling over polling?
Modifying the Keyboard State Array
Can I modify the keyboard state array directly?
Determining a Key's Scan Code
How do I determine the scan code for a specific key?
Keyboard State When Application Loses Focus
What happens to the keyboard state array when my application loses focus?
Handling Key Releases with Polling
How can I handle key releases using the polling method?
Detecting Multiple Keys in a Specific Order
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Polling for Continuous Interactions
What are some examples of continuous interactions best handled by polling?
Implications of Using SDL_PumpEvents() without Processing Events
What are the implications of using SDL_PumpEvents() without processing the events?
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