Gamepads & Input Shaping¶

The com.vcs.valleylib.ftc.input package wraps the FTC Gamepad with WPILib-style trigger factories, configurable deadbands, and response-curve shaping.

Class overview¶

Class	Role
`CommandGamepad`	The class you use — wraps an FTC `Gamepad` in the Xbox layout
`CommandXboxLike`	The base class: button trigger factories + axis shaping (works with any suppliers)
`GamepadEx`	Backward-compatible alias for `CommandGamepad` (FTCLib naming)

CommandGamepad driver = new CommandGamepad(gamepad1);

Presets¶

Two factory presets return a gamepad pre-tuned with sensible deadbands and curves:

// Logitech F310 in XInput mode
CommandGamepad driver = CommandGamepad.forLogitechF310(gamepad1);

// PlayStation-style controllers
CommandGamepad operator = CommandGamepad.forDualShockLike(gamepad2);

Preset	Stick deadband	Stick exponent	Trigger deadband	Trigger exponent
`forLogitechF310`	0.08	1.7	0.05	1.5
`forDualShockLike`	0.07	1.6	0.04	1.4

Buttons → Triggers¶

Every button method returns a Trigger you can bind commands to:

driver.a().onTrue(claw.closeCommand());
driver.rightBumper().whileTrue(intake.runIn());

Xbox naming: a(), b(), x(), y(), leftBumper(), rightBumper(), dpadUp(), dpadDown(), dpadLeft(), dpadRight(), start(), back(), guide(), leftStickButton(), rightStickButton()

PlayStation aliases (map to the same physical buttons):

PlayStation	Xbox
`cross()` / `circle()` / `square()` / `triangle()`	`a()` / `b()` / `x()` / `y()`
`l1()` / `r1()`	`leftBumper()` / `rightBumper()`
`options()` / `share()` / `ps()`	`start()` / `back()` / `guide()`
`l3()` / `r3()`	`leftStickButton()` / `rightStickButton()`

Analog triggers as buttons:

// Fires when the trigger is pulled at least 35% (after shaping)
Trigger shoot = driver.rightTriggerButton(0.35);
Trigger brake = driver.leftTriggerButton(0.5);

Axes¶

Axis methods return shaped values — deadbanded and curved:

double forward = driver.leftY();
double turn    = driver.rightX();
double slow    = driver.leftTrigger();   // 0..1

Available: leftX(), leftY(), rightX(), rightY(), leftTrigger(), rightTrigger().

FTC stick convention

Like the raw FTC SDK, pushing a stick up gives a negative Y. Negate in your drive code if you want up = forward.

How shaping works¶

Two knobs per input class, set fluently:

CommandGamepad driver = new CommandGamepad(gamepad1)
        .withStickDeadband(0.10)     // ignore small stick noise
        .withStickExponent(2.0)      // stronger curve = finer low-speed control
        .withTriggerDeadband(0.05)
        .withTriggerExponent(1.5);

The shaping pipeline for sticks (signed inputs, −1..1):

Values inside the deadband become exactly 0.
The remaining range is renormalized so output still spans the full 0..1 — no dead zone "jump" at the deadband edge.
The magnitude is raised to the exponent (1.0 = linear; higher = more precision near center, same maximum at full deflection).
The original sign is restored.

Triggers use the same pipeline on the clamped 0..1 range without the sign step.

Defaults (plain constructor, no preset): stick deadband 0.08, trigger deadband 0.05, both exponents 1.0 (linear).

Custom layouts with `CommandXboxLike`¶

CommandXboxLike takes plain BooleanSupplier/DoubleSupplier arguments, so you can build a "gamepad" from any input source — a keyboard shim in desktop simulation, a second gamepad's combined state, or a test harness:

CommandXboxLike simPad = new CommandXboxLike(
    () -> keyboard.isDown('a'), () -> false, () -> false, () -> false,
    () -> false, () -> false,
    () -> false, () -> false, () -> false, () -> false,
    () -> joystickModel.x(), () -> joystickModel.y(),
    () -> 0, () -> 0, () -> 0, () -> 0
);

Two constructors exist: the 16-argument form above (start/back/guide and stick buttons default to never-pressed) and a full 21-argument form that also takes suppliers for start, back, guide, leftStickButton, and rightStickButton.

Everything documented above — triggers, aliases, shaping — works identically.