SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent(3type)

👑 SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent — bestie edition (SDL3 DATATYPES)

okay so you opened the SDL3 DATATYPES section of the manual, and you landed on SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent — the Gamepad device event structure. yes it's literally the one under event.gdevice.* 💅

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent — the Gamepad device event structure, aka event.gdevice.* 🎮

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_events.h>

typedef struct SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent
{
    SDL_EventType type; /**< SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_ADDED, SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_REMOVED, or SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_REMAPPED, SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_UPDATE_COMPLETE or SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_STEAM_HANDLE_UPDATED */
    Uint32 reserved;
    Uint64 timestamp;   /**< In nanoseconds, populated using SDL_GetTicksNS() */
    SDL_JoystickID which;       /**< The joystick instance id */
} SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent;

like. look at her. four little fields and she's carrying the whole gamepad-hotplug experience on her back 🫶

Let's go field by field, no skips:

• type — an SDL_EventType, and it's gonna be one of SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_ADDED, SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_REMOVED, SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_REMAPPED, SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_UPDATE_COMPLETE, or SDL_EVENT_GAMEPAD_STEAM_HANDLE_UPDATED. pick your fighter ✨
• reserved — a Uint32 just sitting there. not your business. leave her alone 🙈
• timestamp — a Uint64, measured in nanoseconds, and it gets populated using SDL_GetTicksNS(). so it's giving very precise ⏱️
• which — an SDL_JoystickID, and it's the joystick instance id. that's the one you actually use to know WHICH gamepad we're talking about 👑

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the tea: joysticks that are supported gamepads get both an SDL_JoyDeviceEvent and an SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent. two events, one controller, iconic behaviour honestly 💅

and SDL is not gonna make you wait around for a hotplug moment either. SDL will send GAMEPAD_ADDED events for joysticks that are already plugged in during SDL_Init() and are recognized as gamepads. so yes, your controller that was chilling in the USB port the whole time still gets announced. main character entrance 🎀

on top of that, SDL will also send events for joysticks that get gamepad mappings at runtime. so a controller can become a gamepad mid-session and SDL is like "noted, slay" 🔥

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🦋 AVAILABILITY 🦋

this struct is available since SDL 3.2.0. periodt.

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• SDL_JoyDeviceEvent(3type) — go read her too, they're a matched set 🫶

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and that's the whole vibe check, bestie 💜 that footer energy — Simple Directmedia Layer, SDL 3.4.18, dated SDL_GamepadDeviceEvent(3type) — mwah, go plug something in and watch the events roll in 😭✨