SDL_hid_read_timeout(3)

✨ NAME ✨

SDL_hid_read_timeout — bestie, this is how you read an Input report from a HID device, but with a timeout so you're not just sitting there forever waiting 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_hidapi.h>

int SDL_hid_read_timeout(SDL_hid_device *dev, unsigned char *data, size_t length, int milliseconds);

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So the way this works is: Input reports get handed back to the host through the INTERRUPT IN endpoint. That's the pipeline, that's the vibe. 🫶

And lowkey important: if your device uses numbered reports, the very first byte of what you get back is gonna be the Report number. First byte. Every time. Keep that in mind so you don't get jump-scared by it 😭

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🎀 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🎀

• dev — a device handle, and it has to be one that came back from SDL_hid_open(). No random handles, bestie, that's not the move.
• data — the buffer where the read data goes. It's giving "drop the bytes here please" 🍓
• length — how many bytes you wanna read. And fr fr, if your device has multiple reports, read an extra byte for the report number — don't forget it or you'll be off by one and crying about it.
• milliseconds — the timeout, in milliseconds. Or, and this is the iconic part, -1 for a blocking wait. Choose your own adventure ✨

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👑 RETURN VALUE 👑

It returns the actual number of bytes read, and -1 on failure — in which case you go call SDL_GetError() for the tea on what went wrong. ☕

And if no packet was available to be read within the timeout period? It returns 0. Not an error, just a "nobody showed up to the party" moment 🙈

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🌈 AVAILABILITY 🌈

This function is available since SDL 3.2.0. It's not ancient, it's fresh, it's new-ish main character energy ⭐

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That's the whole page, bestie — every flag, every byte, every return value, no skips, no skimming, periodt 💖

Written up in the Simple Directmedia Layer house style, SDL 3.4.18, dated SDL_hid_read_timeout(3) — mwah, go read some reports 🧚