Creating “Follow” Functionality with Short/Long Press

This use case describes how to create a simple “Follow” functionality using short/long press configuration of a push button. In this setup, pressing and holding the button generates an ON command on a group object, and releasing the button generates an OFF command on the same group object.

This behavior is typically used for functions such as temporary activation, momentary control, or “press‑and‑hold” operation.

Configuration of the Push Button

Open IHC Plugin > DEVICE MAPPING > Input Devices.
Select the input device you want to configure.
Set:
- Device type: Push button
- Function: Short / Long press
Assign the same KNX group object to both:
- Long press start status
- Long press stop status
  
  Existing group objects can be selected, or a new one can be created using the Add new object option.
Configure the press functions:
- Long press start function: ON
- Long press stop function: OFF
Save the configuration.

Functional Overview

The functional overview is illustrated in the diagram below.

When the push button is pressed and held, the long press start event is generated and an ON value is sent to the assigned KNX group object.
When the button is released, the long press stop event is generated and an OFF value is sent to the same group object.
The KNX group object is linked to an output device, such as a binary output, which follows the button state.

This configuration provides a simple and reliable “Follow” behavior, where the controlled output remains active only while the button is pressed.

NOTE: The same functionality on an input device can also be achieved by using the Binary input device type with the Doorbell function. This alternative solution is simpler to configure and may be preferred for basic follow‑type applications.