Pygame / python mouse button down issue

Question

I am trying to move an object by checking if the mouse is colliding with the objects rect and checking if a mouse button is down.

here is my code:

class Unit(pygame.sprite.Sprite):
    def __init__(self, display,):
    pygame.sprite.Sprite.__init__(self,)

    self.master_image = pygame.Surface((50, 100))
    self.master_image.fill((000,255,000))
    self.image = self.master_image
    self.rect = self.image.get_rect()
    self.rect.centerx = 500
    self.rect.centery = 500

def move(self):
    mouse = pygame.Surface((5, 5))
    mouse_rect = mouse.get_rect()
    (mouseX, mouseY) = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
    mouse_rect.centerx = mouseX
    mouse_rect.centery = mouseY

    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
            if mouse_rect.colliderect(self.rect):
                self.rect.centerx = mouseX
                self.rect.centery = mouseY
                print "move"

def update(self,):
    self.move()

This works but I have to spam every button on my mouse and eventually pygame will pick up the mouse event and the object will move as intended but only for a split second then it will stop.

My goal is just to click a button on the mouse and if the mouse is colliding with the box then the box will move whilst the mouse button is down to the mouse x and y.

I hope I am being clear.

Thanks for any help

peace!

Here is how I got it to work:

#unit sprite class
class Unit(pygame.sprite.Sprite):
   def __init__(self, display,):
      pygame.sprite.Sprite.__init__(self,)

      self.master_image = pygame.Surface((50, 100))
      self.master_image.fill((000,255,000))
      self.image = self.master_image
      self.rect = self.image.get_rect()
      self.rect.centerx = 500
      self.rect.centery = 500

      #mouse stuff
      self.mouse = pygame.Surface((5, 5))
      self.mouse_rect = self.mouse.get_rect()
      (self.mouse_rect.centerx , self.mouse_rect.centery) = pygame.mouse.get_pos()


  def move(self):
      if pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:#check for mouse button down
          (button1, button2, button3,) = pygame.mouse.get_pressed()#get button pressed

          if button1 and self.mouse_rect.colliderect(self.rect):#check for collision between object and mouse
              (self.rect.centerx, self.rect.centery) = pygame.mouse.get_pos()#set object POS to mouse POS

  def update(self,):
      (self.mouse_rect.centerx , self.mouse_rect.centery) = pygame.mouse.get_pos()#update mouse RECT
      self.move()#check movement

thanks for the help!

peace!

Answer 1

You'll get a MOUSEBUTTONDOWN event when it is first pressed, but not subsequently when it is held down. To determine when the user stops pressing it, you need to check for the MOUSEBUTTONUP event.

Alternatively you can use pygame.mouse.get_pressed() to just enquire the current state of the mouse buttons. Mouse function documentation is here.