STRUCT INPUT_HANDLE(9)

💅 struct input_handle(9)

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this is the page for struct input_handle, and honestly? it's giving matchmaker. no cap.

✨ NAME ✨

struct input_handle — the literal link between an input device and an input handler 🫶 like it's the group chat that connects the two of them

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct input_handle {
    void *private;
    int open;
    const char *name;
    struct input_dev *dev;
    struct input_handler *handler;
    unsigned int (*handle_events)(struct input_handle *handle, struct
input_value *vals, unsigned int count);
    struct list_head        d_node;
    struct list_head        h_node;
 };

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🎀 Members 🎀

okay bestie, here's the member-by-member vibe check, every single one, no skipping 😤

• private — handler-specific data 💖 it's your little stash, the handler gets to put whatever it wants in here and the struct doesn't ask questions
• open — a counter showing whether the handle is 'open', i.e. whether it should be delivering events from its device 👀 so like. is it serving looks or is it asleep
• name — the name the handler that created this handle gave it 🏷️ it's the handle's name, gifted by its maker
• dev — the input device this handle is attached to 🔌 the actual device it's linked up with
• handler — the handler that works with the device through this handle 🤝 that's the whole point of the handle, it's the middle bestie
• handle_events — the event sequence handler 🎬 this one's set up by the input core according to the event handling method specified in the handler. see input_handle_setup_event_handler. ok and here's the important bit, pay attention: this method is being called by the input core with interrupts disabled and dev->event_lock spinlock held and so it may not sleep 😴🚫 like fr fr, it may NOT sleep. do not make it sleep. it cannot sleep.
• d_node — used to put the handle on the device's list of attached handles 📋 device-side bookkeeping
• h_node — used to put the handle on the handler's list of handles from which it gets events 📋 handler-side bookkeeping

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

go read these next, i'm obsessed with the whole little ecosystem:

• Kernel file ./include/linux/input.h
• struct input_value(9)
• struct input_dev(9)
• struct input_handler(9)
• input_set_events_per_packet(9)
• struct ff_device(9)

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💀 reminder bestie: handle_events runs with interrupts disabled and the dev->event_lock spinlock held. it may not sleep. that's not a suggestion, that's the whole rule.

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k that's the page! this iconic little document lives in ./include/linux and it's dated October 2026 — mwah, slay, periodt 💅✨🎀