Igams

Have you been using keyboard / mouse to start the game and then try to switch to a controller from inside of the game? That part is broken, reported and awaiting a fix atm.

Sorry I can't help with an Xbox controller(I'm using a DS4). But I'd say give the patch another go as they've been updating it frequently and generally Xbox controllers seem to be responding better to the patch.
 
Go to your steam library and right-click Project Zomboid and click backup game files from the drop down menu. I would name it something like "Project Zomboid Main Branch Backup". It will create an image file of the games current version in the steam backups folder by default.
 
Now update to the controller beta. Once you've switched over to the beta, backup the game again in the same manner(right click PZ and click backup game files). Name this backup something like "Project Zomboid Controller Beta".
 
To have Steam switch between those back ups use steams Backup and Restore Wizard, accessed by clicking Steam in the upper left-hand corner of the steam app. You simply open the wizard and it will guide you to the steam backups folder where you select the backup that you want to use. Now you can just use that to switch between the Stable branch and Controller beta even when you're offline.
 
The other way would just be to manually copy the games files over and just switching them out when you want to, but the Steams Backup and Restore Wizard is a lot less of a hassle.

Gamepad Test Build - Version 7 Released
 
• Fixed: change inventory button has no effect - inventory open by Y button still.
• Fixed: Game doesn't save changed sizes of the columns in inventory (column size changed automatically.)
• Survival guide border looks better in gamepad focus
• Fixed: sometimes game not focused on help window after game loading finished
• Fixed: Add a notification along the lines of "Use X to switch to gamepad" (Any gamepad control can activate gamepad.)
• Fixed: Can't close "version update" window with a gamepad

I forgot to mention this but if you're using a playstation controller and you previously used a 3rd party driver like SCP make sure you uninstall it. And in general for anyone using a PS controller try uninstalling its drivers(it will just appear as 'wireless controller' in your device manager) and then reinstalling the drivers. You can reinstall Playstation controller drivers by pushing the tiny button located in the hole on the back left side of the controller.
 
Even though I haven't used it in a long time the SCP driver was interfering with the games detection of my controller. I unistalled the SCP driver as well as the driver for the dual shock 4 controller and then reinstalled it by pushing that button and afterwards the game detected it properly.
 
If the patch is 'totally broken' for you it's probably a driver issue or else you just didn't enable the controller through steam.

What controller are you using? A PS4 Dualshock Controller(connected through USB). Does the controller work? Yes! Enabled through steam overlay/big picture. Please check out the new gamepad customization menu in the Options. Does it work, and does it make sense? Is it relevant to the pad you’re using? How could it be improved? The layout is fine! After following instructions earlier in the thread I was able to get the game to recognize my DS controller and the game now displays the Playstation buttons correctly. How does your gamepad feel in-game? Is there anything missing, and has anything changed that you’re used to playing with? Gamepad mostly responds without issue. I haven't noticed any kind of input lag but just as others have pointed out I'm having issues with the shoulder buttons. It looks like the shoulder buttons are replacing the triggers and even if I remap the shoulders it doesn't actually change anything. Meanwhile the triggers can't be remapped at all and seem completely unresponsive in game. I tried deleting all of the relevant files(gamepads/joypad folders and gamepadBinding.config, as well as all of my existing saves, and reinstalling my controllers drivers) and starting a new character but it didn't make a difference. How would you like your gamepad play further improved? Besides the issue above I don't have any major complaints with the controls. It's mostly a slight personal preference but I enjoy being able to toggle running on/off with a left joy-stick click and being able to toggle sneaking with a right joy-stick click. I admit that toggle-sneaking may be kind of cheap in this game since it's also the melee-charge button, but not being able to toggle sprinting with the joystick feels clunky. Do you play in split-screen? If so, how is this beta playing? I haven't tried split-screen yet but hopefully soon I'll be able to update this with results! In the current game when you use inventory and character windows, your survivor on-screen can still move and perform some actions. If we were to forbid this, and have you either controller as your survivor OR having you navigate the UI, how would you feel? How would this change your playing style? My worries with this are that since this game was designed with PC controls in mind navigating the inventory and UI doesn't feel as fluid with a controller as with a mouse yet. I think forcing the avatar to not be able to move while navigating the UI is just gonna highlight that even more at the moment, although I wouldn't rule it out completely once the controller build becomes more stable. What other gamepad bugs or weirdness have you noticed in this build? Ok so I have no idea what's causing this although I suspect it's something on my end. When playing with a controller in the stable branch I will sometimes(although it's rare) have connection issues with the controller if I do something like hit alt+tab or if I just want to open the health menu quickly by hitting 'H' it will override the gamepad controls with the keyboard layout. In the stable branch if I just press a button on my gamepad it will automatically switch back to the gamepad control scheme and it doesn't slow me down in the slightest. In this beta if I do the same thing and my controller loses connection or the keyboard layout overrides the gamepad, the controller becomes unresponsive and the game doesn't switch back to the gamepad controls like it normally does. However, I can still click the X button to open up the drop down menu that lets you take over or create a new character,  and when I select "take over" by using the gamepad it will revert to the gamepad controls. Sorry if that doesn't make much sense but basically in the stable branch I can just hit any button on my gamepad and it will automatically revert to the gamepad controls if something happens like a connection issue or if the keyboard ends up overriding the gamepad, but in this beta I have to manually open the drop-down menu and select to take over the character in order to get back to the gamepad control scheme when that happens. Since I've become used to switching back and forth between the gamepad and the keyboard for certain things it's a slight annoyance although in the long run once the controller issues are worked out I don't think it will really be an issue. This build also contains a java lwjgl upgrade. Have you noticed any changes in game performance and stability, especially at higher resolutions? I haven't other than I can say it definitely hasn't caused any slowdowns on my end. For the record I generally play with a locked 45fps on 1920 x 1080 resolution. What's the Number 1 most important issue that you'd like to see resolved in the next update to this beta? My only real issue right now is the shoulder/triggers mapping problem. Everything else is mostly just personal preference and I suspect my opinion will change once the beta becomes more stable.  
Please let my know if anything wasn't clear or if there are any other settings I should test out! I'm really looking forward to the new gamepad controls so best of luck to the team! 

Improved Controllers Build: First Bout of Public Testing!
 
We currently have General Arcade’s Stas working on a new controllers build, and we’re now at a point at which we need to hear feedback from PZ survivors who like to play with a pad, and/or in split-screen, about how it's playing.
 
The joypad back-end system, configuration and bindings have been completely rewritten from the ground up, and in the process some aspects of the controls and default bindings have been changed in the rewriting process - if you have any issues with the default bindings and behaviours of the controls we'd like to hear about it.
 
So what we need from you are answers to all of the questions below and a few hours of testing, and if you put in the time we will say thank you with a free Steam PZ code.
 
First off, here are the details for the Controller Test beta:
 
Password: badassstas456
Beta name: controllertest
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE PC TESTING ON THIS BETA, SADLY MAC AND LINUX VERSIONS WILL NOT WORK.
 
As ever, please be aware, that this build WILL be buggy – and that you should please back up your save games before installing and playing.
 
We need to have answers from every tester on each of the following questions:
 
What controller are you using? Does the controller work? Please check out the new gamepad customization menu in the Options. Does it work, and does it make sense? Is it relevant to the pad you’re using? How could it be improved? How does your gamepad feel in-game? Is there anything missing, and has anything changed that you’re used to playing with? How would you like your gamepad play further improved? Do you play in split-screen? If so, how is this beta playing? In the current game when you use inventory and character windows, your survivor on-screen can still move and perform some actions. If we were to forbid this, and have you either controller as your survivor OR having you navigate the UI, how would you feel? How would this change your playing style? What other gamepad bugs or weirdness have you noticed in this build? This build also contains a java lwjgl upgrade. Have you noticed any changes in game performance and stability, especially at higher resolutions? What's the Number 1 most important issue that you'd like to see resolved in the next update to this beta?  
This is only the first iteration of our gamepad improvement testing, so please expect a few bugs and inconsistencies.
 
Please leave all feedback in this thread! Thank you