--- key: mechanic/trackpad--family-03 type: mechanic id: trackpad--family-03 lang: en title: Hold and release summary: >- Touch starts a note and release can end it. AudioSwift’s separate sustain mode can retain the sound after finger contact ends. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/trackpad--family-03/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/trackpad--family-03.json markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/trackpad--family-03.md' aliases: [] tags: - Trackpad interactions - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-80fb36760a664f26 - source-27c6b989daeb79c9 - source-8303b0f3aad42806 - source-fd215230c062deb7 sources: - id: source-80fb36760a664f26 title: 'AppKit: contacts and system gestures' url: >- https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/EventOverview/HandlingTouchEvents/HandlingTouchEvents.html verifiedAt: null - id: source-27c6b989daeb79c9 title: 'libinput: swipe, pinch, hold' url: 'https://wayland.freedesktop.org/libinput/doc/latest/gestures.html' verifiedAt: null - id: source-8303b0f3aad42806 title: 'W3C: Pointer Events' url: 'https://www.w3.org/TR/pointerevents/' verifiedAt: null - id: source-fd215230c062deb7 title: AudioSwift url: 'https://audioswiftapp.com/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: trackpad id: family-03 title: Trackpad interactions url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/trackpad/#family-03' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Hold and release description: >- Touch starts a note and release can end it. AudioSwift’s separate sustain mode can retain the sound after finger contact ends. image: src: images/mechanics/control-audioswift-6.webp width: 1024 height: 576 game: AudioSwift sourceUrl: 'https://audioswiftapp.com/' originalUrl: >- https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hggbp41f16g87i1mb8z5s/07-Workflow-Scale.mp4?rlkey=1i7ekbx0r5m32sudh0er3r4lb&st=byr4pjge&raw=1 sourceFrameSeconds: 3 credit: Nigel Ríos; host apps and instruments retain their respective rights rights: >- Imagery © Nigel Ríos; host apps and instruments retain their respective rights. Developer-distributed screenshot or frame; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'AudioSwift Scale: trackpad contacts are used to play notes' alt: 'AudioSwift Scale: trackpad contacts are used to play notes' markers: - x: 30 'y': 52 label: A contact appears on the instrument’s virtual surface tips: - Define release behavior and prevent active actions from remaining stuck. examples: - title: AudioSwift url: 'https://audioswiftapp.com/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/trackpad --- # Hold and release id: trackpad--family-03 type: mechanic key: mechanic/trackpad--family-03 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/trackpad--family-03/ Touch starts a note and release can end it. AudioSwift’s separate sustain mode can retain the sound after finger contact ends. ## At a glance ![AudioSwift Scale: trackpad contacts are used to play notes](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/control-audioswift-6.webp) [AudioSwift](https://audioswiftapp.com/) · Imagery © Nigel Ríos; host apps and instruments retain their respective rights. Developer-distributed screenshot or frame; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. [Source recording](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hggbp41f16g87i1mb8z5s/07-Workflow-Scale.mp4?rlkey=1i7ekbx0r5m32sudh0er3r4lb&st=byr4pjge&raw=1), 3 s 1. A contact appears on the instrument’s virtual surface - Define release behavior and prevent active actions from remaining stuck. - [AudioSwift](https://audioswiftapp.com/) ## How it works The duration of the contact and the moment of its completion control the charge, timing or confirmation of the action. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Hold the button. Gesture: Do not release the click while the action is being performed. In the interface: Temporary tool, view, continuous action. In the game: Auto-fire, block, work with the tool. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. The physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: An exit is needed when focus is lost, canceled or released outside the element. - Hold a contact without clicking. Gesture: Keep your finger on the surface without pressing it. In the interface: Temporary mode or touch preview. In the game: Touch turns on the shield or holds the object. Access level: Individual contacts; You need access to coordinates, phases and contact IDs. The presence of multitouch on a device does not guarantee this. Conditions: A stationary cursor is not equal to a stationary contact; regular mouse events are not enough... - Long press. Gesture: Launch a command after a time threshold of a held click. In the interface: Contextual command, secure confirmation. In the game: Hacking, repair, interaction with the mechanism. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. Physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: A progress indicator and cancellation during movement are needed. To hold without clicking you need T. - Auto repeat when held. Gesture: After a delay, repeat the command at intervals. In the interface: Changing a value, paging, a set of identical elements. In the game: Serial construction, command queue. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. The physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: The limits and acceleration of the repetition are set by the application. - Accumulation over time. Gesture: Hold duration increases the selected value. In the interface: Adjust the intensity in the absence of a force sensor. In the game: Shot charge, jump or throw force. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. The physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: The duration and physical force of pressing are different channels. - Release action. Gesture: Confirm a command when releasing a held button. In the interface: Preview before final selection. In the game: Shoot a charged projectile, launch a throw. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. The physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: Release of the button is available through P; lifting your finger without clicking requires T. - Hold without moving. Gesture: Stay within the permissible deviation. In the interface: Stable confirmation, selection with cutting off random movement. In the game: Maintain balance, sight stabilization. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. The physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: Allowance for natural tremor is required; physical contact without button requires T. - Holding inside the target. Gesture: Maintain the click and position of the cursor in a given area. In the interface: Confirmation within a button or work area. In the game: Welding, grabbing, continuous target tracking. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. Physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: The boundary and exit behavior should be clearly shown. - Leaving the area to cancel. Gesture: Move the cursor away from the target before releasing. In the interface: Safely cancel a selection or confirmation. In game: Cancel a spell, throw or place an object. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. Physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: Cancellation of an OS event and voluntary cancellation by the player must be processed separately. - Switchable hold. Gesture: One click turns on the mode, the next one turns it off. In the interface: An alternative to long pressing; tool fixation. In the game: Switchable sight, capture, automatic movement. Access level: Cursor and buttons; The application gets the usual pointer and buttons. Physical fingers and their separation may be unknown to him. Conditions: The condition must be visible; This is a software fix, not a property of the sensor. ## Context and limits Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [AppKit: contacts and system gestures](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/EventOverview/HandlingTouchEvents/HandlingTouchEvents.html) (id: source-80fb36760a664f26) - [libinput: swipe, pinch, hold](https://wayland.freedesktop.org/libinput/doc/latest/gestures.html) (id: source-27c6b989daeb79c9) - [W3C: Pointer Events](https://www.w3.org/TR/pointerevents/) (id: source-8303b0f3aad42806) - [AudioSwift](https://audioswiftapp.com/) (id: source-fd215230c062deb7) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors