XGRABDEVICEBUTTON(3) |  | XGRABDEVICEBUTTON(3)

# NAME

XGrabDeviceButton, XUngrabDeviceButton - grab/ungrab extension input device buttons

# SYNOPSIS

    #include <X11/extensions/XInput.h>

    int XGrabDeviceButton( Display *display,

                           XDevice *device,

                           unsigned int button,

                           unsigned int modifiers,

                           XDevice* modifier_device,

                           Window grab_window,

                           Bool owner_events,

                           unsigned int event_count,

                           XEventClass *event_list,

                           int this_device_mode,

                           int other_devices_mode);

    int XUngrabDeviceButton( Display *display,

                             XDevice *device,

                             unsigned int button,

                             unsigned int modifiers,

                             XDevice* modifier_device,

                             Window grab_window);

    display

           Specifies the connection to the X server.

    device

           Specifies the device that is to be grabbed or released

    button

           Specifies the device button that is to be grabbed or

           released or AnyButton.

    modifiers

           Specifies the set of keymasks or AnyModifier. The mask is

           the bitwise inclusive OR of the valid keymask bits.

           Valid bits are: ShiftMask, LockMask, ControlMask,

           Mod1Mask, Mod2Mask, Mod3Mask, Mod4Mask, Mod5Mask.

    modifier_device

           specifies the device whose modifiers are to be used. If

           the modifier_device specified is NULL, the X keyboard

           will be used as the modifier_device.

    grab_window

           Specifies the grab window.

    owner_events

           Specifies a Boolean value that indicates whether the

           device events are to be reported as usual or reported

           with respect to the grab window if selected by the event

           list.

    event_count

           Specifies the number of event classes in the event list.

    event_list

           Specifies which events are reported to the client.

    this_device_mode

           Specifies further processing of events from this

           device. You can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync.

    other_devices_mode

           Specifies further processing of events from all other

           devices. You can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync.

# DESCRIPTION

    The XGrabDeviceButton request establishes a passive grab. In
    the future, the device is actively grabbed (as for XGrabDevice,
    the last-grab time is set to the time at which the button was
    pressed (as transmitted in the DeviceButtonPress event), and
    the DeviceButtonPress event is reported if all of the following
    conditions are true:

      * The device is not grabbed, and the specified button is

        logically pressed when the specified modifier keys are

        logically down on the specified modifier device and no

        other buttons or modifier keys are logically down.

      * Either the grab window is an ancestor of (or is) the focus

        window, OR the grab window is a descendent of the focus

        window and contains the device.

      * A passive grab on the same button/modifier combination does

        not exist on any ancestor of grab_window.

    The interpretation of the remaining arguments is as for
    XGrabDevice. The active grab is terminated automatically when
    the logical state of the device has all buttons released
    (independent of the logical state of the modifier keys).

    Note that the logical state of a device (as seen by client
    applications) may lag the physical state if device event
    processing is frozen.

    This request overrides all previous grabs by the same client on
    the same button/modifier combinations on the same window. A
    modifiers of AnyModifier is equivalent to issuing the grab
    request for all possible modifier combinations (including the
    combination of no modifiers). It is not required that all
    modifiers specified have currently assigned KeyCodes. A button
    of AnyButton is equivalent to issuing the request for all
    possible buttons. Otherwise, it is not required that the
    specified button currently be assigned to a physical button.

    A modifier_device of NULL indicates that the X keyboard is to
    be used as the modifier_device.

    If some other client has already issued a XGrabDeviceButton
    with the same button/modifier combination on the same window, a
    BadAccess error results. When using AnyModifier or AnyButton ,
    the request fails completely, and a BadAccess error results (no
    grabs are established) if there is a conflicting grab for any
    combination. XGrabDeviceButton has no effect on an active grab.

    XGrabDeviceButton can generate BadClass, BadDevice, BadMatch,
    BadValue, and BadWindow errors.

    The XUngrabDeviceButton request releases the passive grab for a
    button/modifier combination on the specified window if it was
    grabbed by this client. A modifier of AnyModifier is equivalent to
    issuing the ungrab request for all possible modifier combinations,
    including the combination of no modifiers. A button of AnyButton is
    equivalent to issuing the request for all possible buttons.
    XUngrabDeviceButton has no effect on an active grab.

    A modifier_device of NULL indicates that the X keyboard should
    be used as the modifier_device.

    XUngrabDeviceButton can generate BadDevice, BadMatch, BadValue
    and BadWindow errors.

# DIAGNOSTICS

    BadDevice

           An invalid device was specified. The specified device

           does not exist or has not been opened by this client via

           XOpenInputDevice. This error may also occur if the

           specified device is the X keyboard or X pointer device.

    BadMatch

           This error may occur if an XGrabDeviceButton request was

           made specifying a device that has no buttons, or

           specifying a modifier device that has no keys.

    BadValue

           Some numeric value falls outside the range of values

           accepted by the request. Unless a specific range is

           specified for an argument, the full range defined by the

           argument's type is accepted. Any argument defined as a

           set of alternatives can generate this error.

    BadWindow

           A value for a Window argument does not name a defined

           Window.

# SEE ALSO

    XAllowDeviceEvents(3), XGrabDevice(3), XGrabDeviceKey(3)

05/18/2026 |