Hold down a gamepad button (:down)

This method is available in versions after 20260805

Declaration

success, err = pad:down(button)

Parameters

• button Integer or string. An integer from 1 through 32, one of the names below, or "start" or "menu"; string matching is case-insensitive

Number	Button name	Aliases
1	a	-
2	b	-
3	x	-
4	y	-
5	left_shoulder	left_bumper, lb, l1
6	right_shoulder	right_bumper, rb, r1
7	left_trigger	lt, l2
8	right_trigger	rt, r2
9	left_stick	l3
10	right_stick	r3
11	l4	left_paddle
12	r4	right_paddle
13	m1	-
14	m2	-
15	m3	-
16	m4	-

Returns

• success Boolean. True if the operation succeeds; false if the device is disconnected or busy, or if input delivery fails
• err String. Error message when the operation fails

Description

• Numeric values 1 through 32 identify numeric buttons rather than button codes standardized across devices. Prefer the names in the table when possible
• Numeric buttons 17 through 32 have no predefined names and only have an effect when the target app supports the corresponding extended buttons
• "start" and "menu" are aliases for the same menu input and do not correspond to a numeric button from 1 through 32
• The names select, back, options, home, share, and touchpad buttons are not currently supported
• left_trigger and right_trigger support only pressed or released states, not analog pressure. menu does not trigger the system Home action
• Invalid argument types, unknown names, and out-of-range values raise Lua argument errors instead of returning false, error

Example

local pad = assert(gamepad.connect())

assert(pad:down("left_shoulder"))
assert(pad:up("left_shoulder"))
assert(pad:down(13))  -- numeric button 13
assert(pad:up(13))
assert(pad:disconnect())