XGrabPointer(3)

🎀 XGrabPointer(3) 🎀

okay bestie, welcome to the Xlib functions corner 💖 this is XGrabPointer(3), and we’re about to talk about grabbing the pointer like it’s the main character. no cap.

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✨ NAME ✨

XGrabPointer, XUngrabPointer, XChangeActivePointerGrab — grab the pointer 🫶

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💅 SYNTAX 💅

int XGrabPointer(Display *display, Window grab_window, Bool
       owner_events, unsigned int event_mask, int pointer_mode, int
       keyboard_mode, Window confine_to, Cursor cursor, Time time);

int XUngrabPointer(Display *display, Time time);

int XChangeActivePointerGrab(Display *display, unsigned int event_mask,
       Cursor cursor, Time time);

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• confine_to — tells the server which window to confine the pointer in, or None. it’s giving “stay in your lane” but for the pointer 💅
• cursor — the cursor that gets displayed during the grab, or None. yes, this is the vibe of your mouse pointer ✨
• display — specifies the connection to the X server. the whole social network, basically.
• event_mask — specifies which pointer events are reported to the client. the mask is the bitwise inclusive OR of the valid pointer event mask bits. very bitwise, very demure.
• grab_window — specifies the grab window. this is the window catching the grab energy 🎀
• keyboard_mode — specifies further processing of keyboard events. you can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync. keyboard girlies, pay attention.
• owner_events — a Boolean value that says whether pointer events are reported as usual or reported with respect to the grab window if selected by the event mask. true/false but make it fashion.
• pointer_mode — specifies further processing of pointer events. you can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync. pointer behavior unlocked 🔥
• time — specifies the time. you can pass either a timestamp or CurrentTime. it’s giving scheduling anxiety but make it X11 😭

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

XGrabPointer actively grabs control of the pointer and returns GrabSuccess if the grab was successful. further pointer events are reported only to the grabbing client. XGrabPointer overrides any active pointer grab by this client. periodt.

if owner_events is False, all generated pointer events are reported with respect to grab_window and are reported only if selected by event_mask. if owner_events is True and if a generated pointer event would normally be reported to this client, it is reported as usual. otherwise, the event is reported with respect to grab_window and is reported only if selected by event_mask. for either value of owner_events, unreported events are discarded. bye, unselected events 👋

if pointer_mode is GrabModeAsync, pointer event processing continues as usual. if the pointer is currently frozen by this client, the processing of events for the pointer is resumed. if pointer_mode is GrabModeSync, the state of the pointer, as seen by client applications, appears to freeze, and the X server generates no further pointer events until the grabbing client calls XAllowEvents or until the pointer grab is released. actual pointer changes are not lost while the pointer is frozen; they are simply queued in the server for later processing. queued, not cancelled — important bestie 💖

if keyboard_mode is GrabModeAsync, keyboard event processing is unaffected by activation of the grab. if keyboard_mode is GrabModeSync, the state of the keyboard, as seen by client applications, appears to freeze, and the X server generates no further keyboard events until the grabbing client calls XAllowEvents or until the pointer grab is released. actual keyboard changes are not lost while the pointer is frozen; they are simply queued in the server for later processing. yes, it literally says “while the pointer is frozen” in this keyboard paragraph — keep that exact energy 🫶

if a cursor is specified, it is displayed regardless of what window the pointer is in. if None is specified, the normal cursor for that window is displayed when the pointer is in grab_window or one of its subwindows; otherwise, the cursor for grab_window is displayed. cursor rules: iconic, specific, a little extra ✨

if a confine_to window is specified, the pointer is restricted to stay contained in that window. the confine_to window need have no relationship to the grab_window. if the pointer is not initially in the confine_to window, it is warped automatically to the closest edge just before the grab activates and enter/leave events are generated as usual. if the confine_to window is subsequently reconfigured, the pointer is warped automatically, as necessary, to keep it contained in the window. it’s literally being herded but make it window manager realness 🐑

the time argument allows you to avoid certain circumstances that come up if applications take a long time to respond or if there are long network delays. consider a situation where you have two applications, both of which normally grab the pointer when clicked on. if both applications specify the timestamp from the event, the second application may wake up faster and successfully grab the pointer before the first application. the first application then will get an indication that the other application grabbed the pointer before its request was processed. race condition drama, but make it documented 😭

XGrabPointer generates EnterNotify and LeaveNotify events. yes, both. we love a notify moment.

either if grab_window or confine_to window is not viewable or if the confine_to window lies completely outside the boundaries of the root window, XGrabPointer fails and returns GrabNotViewable. if the pointer is actively grabbed by some other client, it fails and returns AlreadyGrabbed. if the pointer is frozen by an active grab of another client, it fails and returns GrabFrozen. if the specified time is earlier than the last-pointer-grab time or later than the current X server time, it fails and returns GrabInvalidTime. otherwise, the last-pointer-grab time is set to the specified time (CurrentTime is replaced by the current X server time). time math: real, strict, and not playing around ⏰

XGrabPointer can generate BadCursor, BadValue, and BadWindow errors. noted, bestie 💀

the XUngrabPointer function releases the pointer and any queued events if this client has actively grabbed the pointer from XGrabPointer, XGrabButton, or from a normal button press. XUngrabPointer does not release the pointer if the specified time is earlier than the last-pointer-grab time or is later than the current X server time. it also generates EnterNotify and LeaveNotify events. the X server performs an UngrabPointer request automatically if the event window or confine_to window for an active pointer grab becomes not viewable or if window reconfiguration causes the confine_to window to lie completely outside the boundaries of the root window. automatic cleanup is lowkey mother behavior 🧚

the XChangeActivePointerGrab function changes the specified dynamic parameters if the pointer is actively grabbed by the client and if the specified time is no earlier than the last-pointer-grab time and no later than the current X server time. this function has no effect on the passive parameters of a XGrabButton. the interpretation of event_mask and cursor is the same as described in XGrabPointer. dynamic parameters only — do not come for the passive ones 💅

XChangeActivePointerGrab can generate a BadCursor and BadValue error.

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🔥 DIAGNOSTICS 🔥

• BadCursor — a value for a Cursor argument does not name a defined Cursor. cursor said who? not a defined Cursor, apparently 🙈
• 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. numbers are giving boundaries, and the request is not respecting them 😭
• BadWindow — a value for a Window argument does not name a defined Window. window said absolutely not recognized, bestie 💀

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• XAllowEvents(3)
• XGrabButton(3)
• XGrabKey(3)
• XGrabKeyboard(3)
• Xlib - C Language X Interface

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and that’s the tea ☕ source/version vibes are X Version 11 and libX11 1.8.14, page XGrabPointer(3) — bye bestie, go grab that pointer responsibly 💅✨