XSETDEVICEBUTTONMAPP(3)

💖 XSETDEVICEBUTTONMAPP — bestie, we're doing button mappings today 💖

okay so this is XSETDEVICEBUTTONMAPP(3) and it's literally the page about XSetDeviceButtonMapping and XGetDeviceButtonMapping — the two functions that let you query or change device button mappings. no cap. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

XSetDeviceButtonMapping, XGetDeviceButtonMapping — query or change device button mappings 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <X11/extensions/XInput.h>

int XSetDeviceButtonMapping( Display *display,
                             XDevice *device,
                             unsigned char map[],
                             int nmap);

int XGetDeviceButtonMapping( Display *display,
                             XDevice *device,
                             unsigned char map_return[],
                             int nmap);

• display — bestie this is the connection to the X server 💅
• device — the device whose button mapping is about to get queried or changed 👑
• map — the mapping list, hand it over 🫶
• map_return — this one returns the mapping list, it gives back 🌈
• nmap — how many items are in the mapping list, the count, the number, the vibes ⭐

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

The XSetDeviceButtonMapping request sets the mapping of the specified device. If it succeeds, the X server generates a DeviceMappingNotify event, and XSetDeviceButtonMapping returns MappingSuccess. Element map[i] defines the logical button number for the physical button i+1. The length of the list must be the same as XGetDeviceButtonMapping would return, or a BadValue error results. A zero element disables a button, and elements are not restricted in value by the number of physical buttons. However, no two elements can have the same nonzero value, or a BadValue error results. If any of the buttons to be altered are logically in the down state, XSetDeviceButtonMapping returns MappingBusy, and the mapping is not changed.

XSetDeviceButtonMapping can generate BadDevice, BadMatch, and BadValue errors.

The XGetDeviceButtonMapping request returns the current mapping of the specified device. Buttons are numbered starting from one. XGetDeviceButtonMapping returns the number of physical buttons actually on the device. The nominal mapping for a device is map[i]=i+1. The nmap argument specifies the length of the array where the device mapping is returned, and only the first nmap elements are returned in map_return.

XGetDeviceButtonMapping can generate BadDevice or BadMatch errors.

🚨 okay real talk: a zero element disables a button, and duplicate nonzero values are a whole BadValue situation. don't do it. and if a button is logically down while you're remapping, you get MappingBusy and literally nothing changes. the mapping stays exactly where it was. periodt.

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😭 DIAGNOSTICS 😭

• BadDevice — an invalid device was specified. the specified device does not exist, or has not been opened by this client via XOpenInputDevice. this error may also occur if the specified device is the X keyboard or X pointer device. 💀
• BadMatch — this error may occur if an XGetDeviceButtonMapping or XSetDeviceButtonMapping request was made specifying a device that has no buttons. 🙈
• 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. 🔥

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🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

• XChangeDeviceKeyboardControl(3)
• XChangeDeviceKeyMapping(3)
• XChangeDeviceModifierMapping(3)

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and that's the whole page, bestie!! 💜 this one came from the XSETDEVICEBUTTONMAPP(3) manual, dated 05/18/2026 — go forth and map those buttons, you absolute icon 👑✨