FIX: Handle consecutive wildcards in StringMatches (1/x) (#2311)

Author: josepmariapujol-unity

Assets/Tests/InputSystem/CoreTests_Controls.cs

@@ -1607,4 +1607,30 @@ static void CheckChildControls(Type type, HashSet<Type> checkedTypes)
             Assert.That(setMethod.IsPublic, Is.True, inputControlMessage);
         }
     }
+
+    [Test]
+    [Category("Controls")]
+    public void Controls_MatchPathComponent_CollapsesConsecutiveWildcards()
+    {
+        var component = "leftTrigger";
+        var componentType = InputControlPath.PathComponentType.Name;
+
+        var patterns = new[]
+        {
+            "*Trigger",
+            "**Trigger",
+            "***Trigger"
+        };
+
+        foreach (var path in patterns)
+        {
+            var indexInPath = 0;
+            var result = InputControlPath.MatchPathComponent(component, path, ref indexInPath, componentType);
+
+            // All patterns should match
+            Assert.IsTrue(result, $"Pattern '{path}' should match '{component}'");
+            Assert.AreEqual(path.Length, indexInPath,
+                $"Index should advance past entire pattern for '{path}'");
+        }
+    }
 }

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -10,12 +10,17 @@ however, it has to be formatted properly to pass verification tests.
 
 ## [Unreleased] - yyyy-mm-dd
 
+### Changed
+- Consecutive wildcard characters ('*') used in input control-paths are now collapsed into a single wildcard when multiple consecutive wildcard characters are present.
+
+### Added
+
+### Fixed
 
 
 ## [1.18.0] - 2026-01-14
 
 ### Changed
-
 - Updated documentation to reflect that the OnMouse MonoBehaviour events are now supported in Unity 6.4 and above.
 - Updated the supported devices documentation to clarify that touchscreens are supported on Linux.
 - Updated documentation to reflect PS5 controller support on Linux.

Packages/com.unity.inputsystem/InputSystem/Controls/InputControlPath.cs

@@ -507,8 +507,8 @@ private static bool StringMatches(Substring str, InternedString matchTo)
                     nextChar = str[++posInStr];
                 if (nextChar == '*')
                 {
-                    ////TODO: make sure we don't end up with ** here
-
+                    while (posInStr + 1 < strLength && str[posInStr + 1] == '*')
+                        ++posInStr;
                     if (posInStr == strLength - 1)
                         return true; // Wildcard at end of string so rest is matched.
 
@@ -1031,15 +1031,15 @@ private static TControl MatchChildrenRecursive<TControl>(InputControl control, s
             return lastMatch;
         }
 
-        private enum PathComponentType
+        internal enum PathComponentType
         {
             Name,
             DisplayName,
             Usage,
             Layout
         }
 
-        private static bool MatchPathComponent(string component, string path, ref int indexInPath, PathComponentType componentType, int startIndexInComponent = 0)
+        internal static bool MatchPathComponent(string component, string path, ref int indexInPath, PathComponentType componentType, int startIndexInComponent = 0)
         {
             Debug.Assert(component != null, "Component string is null");
             Debug.Assert(path != null, "Path is null");
@@ -1072,10 +1072,13 @@ private static bool MatchPathComponent(string component, string path, ref int in
                         break;
                     }
 
-                    ////TODO: allow only single '*' and recognize '**'
                     // If we've reached a '*' in the path, skip character in name.
                     if (nextCharInPath == '*')
                     {
+                        // Collapse consecutive '*' so matching logic here only needs to handle a single '*'.
+                        while (indexInPath + 1 < pathLength && path[indexInPath + 1] == '*')
+                            ++indexInPath;
+
                         // But first let's see if we have something after the wildcard that matches the rest of the component.
                         // This could be when, for example, we hit "T" on matching "leftTrigger" against "*Trigger". We have to stop
                         // gobbling up characters for the wildcard when reaching "Trigger" in the component name.