SDL_AttachVirtualJoystick(3)

💖 SDL_AttachVirtualJoystick(3) 💖

okay bestie, so this is a page from the SDL3 FUNCTIONS manual, and we're about to make a joystick that... doesn't exist. spiritually. let's get into it ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_AttachVirtualJoystick — attach a new virtual joystick, no hardware required, it's giving imaginary bestie 🎀

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🌈 SYNOPSIS 🌈

#include <SDL3/SDL_joystick.h>

SDL_JoystickID SDL_AttachVirtualJoystick(const SDL_VirtualJoystickDesc *desc);

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

So here's the tea: apps can literally create virtual joysticks. Like, joysticks that exist with zero hardware backing them up, and all their inputs are supplied by the program. no cap. Once it's attached, a virtual joystick looks exactly like any other joystick SDL can access — it's just out there living its life, main character energy, indistinguishable from the real thing. 👑

Why would you even do this? Obsessed of you to ask. You can use these to make other things look like joysticks, or to feed in pre-recorded input, etc. it's a whole vibe.

Once it's attached, your app can send joystick inputs to the new virtual joystick using SDL_SetJoystickVirtualAxis(), etc. slay.

And when you're done with it, when it's no longer needed, you can remove the virtual joystick by calling SDL_DetachVirtualJoystick(). closure, healthy, we love to see it 🦋

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🎀 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🎀

• desc — the joystick description, initialized using SDL_INIT_INTERFACE(). don't skip this step bestie, it's literally required. 🙈

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

Returns the joystick instance ID 💖 — or 0 on failure. and if it fails? call SDL_GetError() for more information, she'll tell you what went wrong, no gatekeeping.

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🔥 THREAD SAFETY 🔥

It is safe to call this function from any thread. periodt. call it from wherever, whenever, she's unbothered 💅

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🌸 AVAILABILITY 🌸

This function is available since SDL 3.2.0. so if you're on anything older... iykyk, time to update bestie 🧚

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

• SDL_DetachVirtualJoystick(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualAxis(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualButton(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualBall(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualHat(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualTouchpad(3)
• SDL_SetJoystickVirtualSensorData(3)

go read those next, they're the rest of the friend group 🫶

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ok that's the whole page, you ate that. now go attach a joystick that isn't real. iconic behaviour, honestly. 👑

mwah 💋 — brought to you by <strong>Simple Directmedia Layer</strong>, version <strong>SDL 3.4.18</strong>, and this little page is <strong>SDL_AttachVirtualJoystick(3)</strong>. bye bestie, see you in the next manpage 🍓