README.txt 3.0 KB

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  1. There are two implementations of HIDAPI for Linux. One (hid.c) uses the
  2. Linux hidraw driver, and the other (hid-libusb.c) uses libusb. Which one you
  3. use depends on your application. Complete functionality of the hidraw
  4. version depends on patches to the Linux kernel which are not currently in
  5. the mainline. These patches have to do with sending and receiving feature
  6. reports. The libusb implementation uses libusb to talk directly to the
  7. device, bypassing any Linux HID driver. The disadvantage of the libusb
  8. version is that it will only work with USB devices, while the hidraw
  9. implementation will work with Bluetooth devices as well.
  10. To use HIDAPI, simply drop either hid.c or hid-libusb.c into your
  11. application and build using the build parameters in the Makefile.
  12. By default, on Linux, the Makefile in this directory is configured to use
  13. the libusb implementation. To switch to the hidraw implementation, simply
  14. change hid-libusb.c to hid.c in the Makefile.
  15. Libusb Implementation notes
  16. ----------------------------
  17. For the libusb implementation, libusb-1.0 must be installed. Libusb 1.0 is
  18. different than the legacy libusb 0.1 which is installed on many systems. To
  19. install libusb-1.0 on Ubuntu and other Debian-based systems, run:
  20. sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
  21. Hidraw Implementation notes
  22. ----------------------------
  23. For the hidraw implementation, libudev headers and libraries are required to
  24. build hidapi programs. To install libudev libraries on Ubuntu,
  25. and other Debian-based systems, run:
  26. sudo apt-get install libudev-dev
  27. On Redhat-based systems, run the following as root:
  28. yum install libudev-devel
  29. Unfortunately, the hidraw driver, which the linux version of hidapi is based
  30. on, contains bugs in kernel versions < 2.6.36, which the client application
  31. should be aware of.
  32. Bugs (hidraw implementation only):
  33. -----------------------------------
  34. On Kernel versions < 2.6.34, if your device uses numbered reports, an extra
  35. byte will be returned at the beginning of all reports returned from read()
  36. for hidraw devices. This is worked around in the libary. No action should be
  37. necessary in the client library.
  38. On Kernel versions < 2.6.35, reports will only be sent using a Set_Report
  39. transfer on the CONTROL endpoint. No data will ever be sent on an Interrupt
  40. Out endpoint if one exists. This is fixed in 2.6.35. In 2.6.35, OUTPUT
  41. reports will be sent to the device on the first INTERRUPT OUT endpoint if it
  42. exists; If it does not exist, OUTPUT reports will be sent on the CONTROL
  43. endpoint.
  44. On Kernel versions < 2.6.36, add an extra byte containing the report number
  45. to sent reports if numbered reports are used, and the device does not
  46. contain an INTERRPUT OUT endpoint for OUTPUT transfers. For example, if
  47. your device uses numbered reports and wants to send {0x2 0xff 0xff 0xff} to
  48. the device (0x2 is the report number), you must send {0x2 0x2 0xff 0xff
  49. 0xff}. If your device has the optional Interrupt OUT endpoint, this does not
  50. apply (but really on 2.6.35 only, because 2.6.34 won't use the interrupt
  51. out endpoint).