User input

AndEngine uses a simple abstraction layer above the Android user input handlers. We are going to use the touchscreen and the accelerometer, but it is of course possible to use any other sensors that are not implemented in AndEngine by directly calling the Android SDK methods.

Touchscreen

Let's start with the touchscreen, because it's the most common way of getting user input in smartphones and tablets. The Android system is handling the touchscreen itself and it is firing touch events. These touch events are caught and processed by AndEngine. We are going to handle them using event listeners.

Touch events

Touch events in AndEngine handle five basic motion events from the Android SDK. In this case, the terms motion and touch event can be used interchangeably. These five events are as follows:

• ACTION_DOWN: This is the most basic event; it happens at the beginning of a touch.

• ACTION_MOVE: When the touch starts and the user drags their finger or pen on the screen, move events are triggered...