Re: [PATCH v1 6/6] Documentation: Describe console mouse reporting

[Jiri Slaby]

Cc Randy who commented on v0 (you should have done it).

On 30. 06. 20, 9:12, Tammo Block wrote:
> This patch adds a description of the kernel interface(s) used for vt
> console mouse reporting and describes the protocols and bitmasks.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Tammo Block <tammo.block@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  .../admin-guide/console-mouse-reporting.rst   | 92 +++++++++++++++++++
>  Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst           |  1 +
>  2 files changed, 93 insertions(+)
>  create mode 100644 Documentation/admin-guide/console-mouse-reporting.rst
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/console-mouse-reporting.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/console-mouse-reporting.rst
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..11287cb233ba
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/console-mouse-reporting.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
> +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +
> +=======================
> +Console Mouse Reporting
> +=======================
> +
> +A terminal may send escape sequences to enable applications to react to mouse
> +input. As the kernel does not know when to emit these events a mouse daemon
> +is needed to react to mouse movements and signal the kernel accordingly. The
> +kernel will then send an escape sequence to the application. This is called
> +mouse reporting and several types and protocols have been developed over time.
> +
> +See tiocl.h, the :manpage:`ioctl_console(2)` and :manpage:`console_codes(4)`
> +man pages and the xterm [1]_ or terminalguide [2]_ home pages for a detailed
> +list and description of the various protocols, their bit layout as well as
> +their limitations.
> +
> +Events and formats
> +++++++++++++++++++
> +
> +A linux console keeps state about two different aspects of mouse reporting,
> +the kind of **events** to be reported and the **format** to send to userspace.
> +
> +A mouse daemon can check which kind of mouse events a clients wants to be

client

> +informed about via the TIOCLINUX ioctl, using the TIOCL_GETMOUSEREPORTING
> +subcall. The values of the supported event classes (9, 1000, 1002, 1003) are
> +described in tiocl.h. Based on this information the daemon is responsible
> +for not sending data packages for unrequested events.
> +
> +A userspace client may request to be informed by the kernel about one of
> +the event classes and chose one of the data formats URXVT (1005), SRG
> +(1006) or X10/X11 (default) via console escape sequences. In general all
> +of them encode similar information, only the escape sequences differ.
> +
> +See the xterm [1]_ or terminalguide [2]_ home pages for all details.
> +
> +Reports from kernel to userspace client
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> +
> +The requested events are sent by the kernel to userspace encoded in a

an

> +escape sequence, details depend on the chosen format. All of them use one
> +based pointer coordinates and a single byte to encode the button status.
> +
> +Short summary (we call this the SRG button format for the rest of this text):
> +
> + - 1,2 : Buttons, lower bits (see notes below)
> + - 3-5 : Modifier keys (Shift, Alt and Ctrl)
> + - 6   : Mouse movement only, no button status change
> + - 7-8 : Buttons, upper bits (for buttons 4-15)
> +
> +Reports send from daemon to kernel

sent

> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> +
> +A report is send by a mouse daemon to the kernel via the TIOCLINUX ioctl,

sent (Randy pointed out this one already)

> +using the TIOCL_SETSEL subcall. The coordinates are encoded zero based in
> +xs and ys, with 0,0 as upper left corner, but see note below.

I think "the" is missing twice in that sentence, but leave it as is
unless some native speaker confirms.

> +The format used by the userspace mouse daemon for button encoding is almost
> +identical to the SRG button layout decribed above and is put into the sel_mode

described

> +of the tiocl_selection struct. All bits masked in TIOCL_SELBUTTONMASK are
> +unchanged compared to the SRG button format above, the remaining three are
> +changed the following way :

no space belongs before colons, here in Europe.

> +
> +- 3,4  : Unused, must be zero. The kernel knows modifier key state anyway.
> +- 5    : Always 1, identifies mouse report / TIOCL_SELMOUSEREPORT
> +
> +Notes
> ++++++
...

thanks,
-- 
js
suse labs