| The input protocol uses a map of types and codes to express input device values |
| to userspace. This document describes the types and codes and how and when they |
| may be used. |
| |
| A single hardware event generates multiple input events. Each input event |
| contains the new value of a single data item. A special event type, EV_SYN, is |
| used to separate input events into packets of input data changes occurring at |
| the same moment in time. In the following, the term "event" refers to a single |
| input event encompassing a type, code, and value. |
| |
| The input protocol is a stateful protocol. Events are emitted only when values |
| of event codes have changed. However, the state is maintained within the Linux |
| input subsystem; drivers do not need to maintain the state and may attempt to |
| emit unchanged values without harm. Userspace may obtain the current state of |
| event code values using the EVIOCG* ioctls defined in linux/input.h. The event |
| reports supported by a device are also provided by sysfs in |
| class/input/event*/device/capabilities/, and the properties of a device are |
| provided in class/input/event*/device/properties. |
| |
| Event types: |
| =========== |
| Event types are groupings of codes under a logical input construct. Each |
| type has a set of applicable codes to be used in generating events. See the |
| Codes section for details on valid codes for each type. |
| |
| * EV_SYN: |
| - Used as markers to separate events. Events may be separated in time or in |
| space, such as with the multitouch protocol. |
| |
| * EV_KEY: |
| - Used to describe state changes of keyboards, buttons, or other key-like |
| devices. |
| |
| * EV_REL: |
| - Used to describe relative axis value changes, e.g. moving the mouse 5 units |
| to the left. |
| |
| * EV_ABS: |
| - Used to describe absolute axis value changes, e.g. describing the |
| coordinates of a touch on a touchscreen. |
| |
| * EV_MSC: |
| - Used to describe miscellaneous input data that do not fit into other types. |
| |
| * EV_SW: |
| - Used to describe binary state input switches. |
| |
| * EV_LED: |
| - Used to turn LEDs on devices on and off. |
| |
| * EV_SND: |
| - Used to output sound to devices. |
| |
| * EV_REP: |
| - Used for autorepeating devices. |
| |
| * EV_FF: |
| - Used to send force feedback commands to an input device. |
| |
| * EV_PWR: |
| - A special type for power button and switch input. |
| |
| * EV_FF_STATUS: |
| - Used to receive force feedback device status. |
| |
| Event codes: |
| =========== |
| Event codes define the precise type of event. |
| |
| EV_SYN: |
| ---------- |
| EV_SYN event values are undefined. Their usage is defined only by when they are |
| sent in the evdev event stream. |
| |
| * SYN_REPORT: |
| - Used to synchronize and separate events into packets of input data changes |
| occurring at the same moment in time. For example, motion of a mouse may set |
| the REL_X and REL_Y values for one motion, then emit a SYN_REPORT. The next |
| motion will emit more REL_X and REL_Y values and send another SYN_REPORT. |
| |
| * SYN_CONFIG: |
| - TBD |
| |
| * SYN_MT_REPORT: |
| - Used to synchronize and separate touch events. See the |
| multi-touch-protocol.txt document for more information. |
| |
| * SYN_DROPPED: |
| - Used to indicate buffer overrun in the evdev client's event queue. |
| Client should ignore all events up to and including next SYN_REPORT |
| event and query the device (using EVIOCG* ioctls) to obtain its |
| current state. |
| |
| EV_KEY: |
| ---------- |
| EV_KEY events take the form KEY_<name> or BTN_<name>. For example, KEY_A is used |
| to represent the 'A' key on a keyboard. When a key is depressed, an event with |
| the key's code is emitted with value 1. When the key is released, an event is |
| emitted with value 0. Some hardware send events when a key is repeated. These |
| events have a value of 2. In general, KEY_<name> is used for keyboard keys, and |
| BTN_<name> is used for other types of momentary switch events. |
| |
| A few EV_KEY codes have special meanings: |
| |
| * BTN_TOOL_<name>: |
| - These codes are used in conjunction with input trackpads, tablets, and |
| touchscreens. These devices may be used with fingers, pens, or other tools. |
| When an event occurs and a tool is used, the corresponding BTN_TOOL_<name> |
| code should be set to a value of 1. When the tool is no longer interacting |
| with the input device, the BTN_TOOL_<name> code should be reset to 0. All |
| trackpads, tablets, and touchscreens should use at least one BTN_TOOL_<name> |
| code when events are generated. |
| |
| * BTN_TOUCH: |
| BTN_TOUCH is used for touch contact. While an input tool is determined to be |
| within meaningful physical contact, the value of this property must be set |
| to 1. Meaningful physical contact may mean any contact, or it may mean |
| contact conditioned by an implementation defined property. For example, a |
| touchpad may set the value to 1 only when the touch pressure rises above a |
| certain value. BTN_TOUCH may be combined with BTN_TOOL_<name> codes. For |
| example, a pen tablet may set BTN_TOOL_PEN to 1 and BTN_TOUCH to 0 while the |
| pen is hovering over but not touching the tablet surface. |
| |
| Note: For appropriate function of the legacy mousedev emulation driver, |
| BTN_TOUCH must be the first evdev code emitted in a synchronization frame. |
| |
| Note: Historically a touch device with BTN_TOOL_FINGER and BTN_TOUCH was |
| interpreted as a touchpad by userspace, while a similar device without |
| BTN_TOOL_FINGER was interpreted as a touchscreen. For backwards compatibility |
| with current userspace it is recommended to follow this distinction. In the |
| future, this distinction will be deprecated and the device properties ioctl |
| EVIOCGPROP, defined in linux/input.h, will be used to convey the device type. |
| |
| * BTN_TOOL_FINGER, BTN_TOOL_DOUBLETAP, BTN_TOOL_TRIPLETAP, BTN_TOOL_QUADTAP: |
| - These codes denote one, two, three, and four finger interaction on a |
| trackpad or touchscreen. For example, if the user uses two fingers and moves |
| them on the touchpad in an effort to scroll content on screen, |
| BTN_TOOL_DOUBLETAP should be set to value 1 for the duration of the motion. |
| Note that all BTN_TOOL_<name> codes and the BTN_TOUCH code are orthogonal in |
| purpose. A trackpad event generated by finger touches should generate events |
| for one code from each group. At most only one of these BTN_TOOL_<name> |
| codes should have a value of 1 during any synchronization frame. |
| |
| Note: Historically some drivers emitted multiple of the finger count codes with |
| a value of 1 in the same synchronization frame. This usage is deprecated. |
| |
| Note: In multitouch drivers, the input_mt_report_finger_count() function should |
| be used to emit these codes. Please see multi-touch-protocol.txt for details. |
| |
| EV_REL: |
| ---------- |
| EV_REL events describe relative changes in a property. For example, a mouse may |
| move to the left by a certain number of units, but its absolute position in |
| space is unknown. If the absolute position is known, EV_ABS codes should be used |
| instead of EV_REL codes. |
| |
| A few EV_REL codes have special meanings: |
| |
| * REL_WHEEL, REL_HWHEEL: |
| - These codes are used for vertical and horizontal scroll wheels, |
| respectively. |
| |
| EV_ABS: |
| ---------- |
| EV_ABS events describe absolute changes in a property. For example, a touchpad |
| may emit coordinates for a touch location. |
| |
| A few EV_ABS codes have special meanings: |
| |
| * ABS_DISTANCE: |
| - Used to describe the distance of a tool from an interaction surface. This |
| event should only be emitted while the tool is hovering, meaning in close |
| proximity of the device and while the value of the BTN_TOUCH code is 0. If |
| the input device may be used freely in three dimensions, consider ABS_Z |
| instead. |
| |
| * ABS_MT_<name>: |
| - Used to describe multitouch input events. Please see |
| multi-touch-protocol.txt for details. |
| |
| EV_SW: |
| ---------- |
| EV_SW events describe stateful binary switches. For example, the SW_LID code is |
| used to denote when a laptop lid is closed. |
| |
| Upon binding to a device or resuming from suspend, a driver must report |
| the current switch state. This ensures that the device, kernel, and userspace |
| state is in sync. |
| |
| Upon resume, if the switch state is the same as before suspend, then the input |
| subsystem will filter out the duplicate switch state reports. The driver does |
| not need to keep the state of the switch at any time. |
| |
| EV_MSC: |
| ---------- |
| EV_MSC events are used for input and output events that do not fall under other |
| categories. |
| |
| A few EV_MSC codes have special meaning: |
| |
| * MSC_TIMESTAMP: |
| - Used to report the number of microseconds since the last reset. This event |
| should be coded as an uint32 value, which is allowed to wrap around with |
| no special consequence. It is assumed that the time difference between two |
| consecutive events is reliable on a reasonable time scale (hours). |
| A reset to zero can happen, in which case the time since the last event is |
| unknown. If the device does not provide this information, the driver must |
| not provide it to user space. |
| |
| EV_LED: |
| ---------- |
| EV_LED events are used for input and output to set and query the state of |
| various LEDs on devices. |
| |
| EV_REP: |
| ---------- |
| EV_REP events are used for specifying autorepeating events. |
| |
| EV_SND: |
| ---------- |
| EV_SND events are used for sending sound commands to simple sound output |
| devices. |
| |
| EV_FF: |
| ---------- |
| EV_FF events are used to initialize a force feedback capable device and to cause |
| such device to feedback. |
| |
| EV_PWR: |
| ---------- |
| EV_PWR events are a special type of event used specifically for power |
| management. Its usage is not well defined. To be addressed later. |
| |
| Device properties: |
| ================= |
| Normally, userspace sets up an input device based on the data it emits, |
| i.e., the event types. In the case of two devices emitting the same event |
| types, additional information can be provided in the form of device |
| properties. |
| |
| INPUT_PROP_DIRECT + INPUT_PROP_POINTER: |
| -------------------------------------- |
| The INPUT_PROP_DIRECT property indicates that device coordinates should be |
| directly mapped to screen coordinates (not taking into account trivial |
| transformations, such as scaling, flipping and rotating). Non-direct input |
| devices require non-trivial transformation, such as absolute to relative |
| transformation for touchpads. Typical direct input devices: touchscreens, |
| drawing tablets; non-direct devices: touchpads, mice. |
| |
| The INPUT_PROP_POINTER property indicates that the device is not transposed |
| on the screen and thus requires use of an on-screen pointer to trace user's |
| movements. Typical pointer devices: touchpads, tablets, mice; non-pointer |
| device: touchscreen. |
| |
| If neither INPUT_PROP_DIRECT or INPUT_PROP_POINTER are set, the property is |
| considered undefined and the device type should be deduced in the |
| traditional way, using emitted event types. |
| |
| INPUT_PROP_BUTTONPAD: |
| -------------------- |
| For touchpads where the button is placed beneath the surface, such that |
| pressing down on the pad causes a button click, this property should be |
| set. Common in clickpad notebooks and macbooks from 2009 and onwards. |
| |
| Originally, the buttonpad property was coded into the bcm5974 driver |
| version field under the name integrated button. For backwards |
| compatibility, both methods need to be checked in userspace. |
| |
| INPUT_PROP_SEMI_MT: |
| ------------------ |
| Some touchpads, most common between 2008 and 2011, can detect the presence |
| of multiple contacts without resolving the individual positions; only the |
| number of contacts and a rectangular shape is known. For such |
| touchpads, the semi-mt property should be set. |
| |
| Depending on the device, the rectangle may enclose all touches, like a |
| bounding box, or just some of them, for instance the two most recent |
| touches. The diversity makes the rectangle of limited use, but some |
| gestures can normally be extracted from it. |
| |
| If INPUT_PROP_SEMI_MT is not set, the device is assumed to be a true MT |
| device. |
| |
| INPUT_PROP_TOPBUTTONPAD: |
| ----------------------- |
| Some laptops, most notably the Lenovo *40 series provide a trackstick |
| device but do not have physical buttons associated with the trackstick |
| device. Instead, the top area of the touchpad is marked to show |
| visual/haptic areas for left, middle, right buttons intended to be used |
| with the trackstick. |
| |
| If INPUT_PROP_TOPBUTTONPAD is set, userspace should emulate buttons |
| accordingly. This property does not affect kernel behavior. |
| The kernel does not provide button emulation for such devices but treats |
| them as any other INPUT_PROP_BUTTONPAD device. |
| |
| Guidelines: |
| ========== |
| The guidelines below ensure proper single-touch and multi-finger functionality. |
| For multi-touch functionality, see the multi-touch-protocol.txt document for |
| more information. |
| |
| Mice: |
| ---------- |
| REL_{X,Y} must be reported when the mouse moves. BTN_LEFT must be used to report |
| the primary button press. BTN_{MIDDLE,RIGHT,4,5,etc.} should be used to report |
| further buttons of the device. REL_WHEEL and REL_HWHEEL should be used to report |
| scroll wheel events where available. |
| |
| Touchscreens: |
| ---------- |
| ABS_{X,Y} must be reported with the location of the touch. BTN_TOUCH must be |
| used to report when a touch is active on the screen. |
| BTN_{MOUSE,LEFT,MIDDLE,RIGHT} must not be reported as the result of touch |
| contact. BTN_TOOL_<name> events should be reported where possible. |
| |
| For new hardware, INPUT_PROP_DIRECT should be set. |
| |
| Trackpads: |
| ---------- |
| Legacy trackpads that only provide relative position information must report |
| events like mice described above. |
| |
| Trackpads that provide absolute touch position must report ABS_{X,Y} for the |
| location of the touch. BTN_TOUCH should be used to report when a touch is active |
| on the trackpad. Where multi-finger support is available, BTN_TOOL_<name> should |
| be used to report the number of touches active on the trackpad. |
| |
| For new hardware, INPUT_PROP_POINTER should be set. |
| |
| Tablets: |
| ---------- |
| BTN_TOOL_<name> events must be reported when a stylus or other tool is active on |
| the tablet. ABS_{X,Y} must be reported with the location of the tool. BTN_TOUCH |
| should be used to report when the tool is in contact with the tablet. |
| BTN_{STYLUS,STYLUS2} should be used to report buttons on the tool itself. Any |
| button may be used for buttons on the tablet except BTN_{MOUSE,LEFT}. |
| BTN_{0,1,2,etc} are good generic codes for unlabeled buttons. Do not use |
| meaningful buttons, like BTN_FORWARD, unless the button is labeled for that |
| purpose on the device. |
| |
| For new hardware, both INPUT_PROP_DIRECT and INPUT_PROP_POINTER should be set. |