libusb
Typedefs | Enumerations | Functions
Device handling and enumeration

The functionality documented below is designed to help with the following operations: More...

Typedefs

typedef struct libusb_device libusb_device
 Structure representing a USB device detected on the system.
typedef struct libusb_device_handle libusb_device_handle
 Structure representing a handle on a USB device.

Enumerations

enum  libusb_speed {
  LIBUSB_SPEED_UNKNOWN = 0, LIBUSB_SPEED_LOW = 1, LIBUSB_SPEED_FULL = 2, LIBUSB_SPEED_HIGH = 3,
  LIBUSB_SPEED_SUPER = 4
}
 Speed codes. More...

Functions

ssize_t libusb_get_device_list (libusb_context *ctx, libusb_device ***list)
 Returns a list of USB devices currently attached to the system.
void libusb_free_device_list (libusb_device **list, int unref_devices)
 Frees a list of devices previously discovered using libusb_get_device_list().
uint8_t libusb_get_bus_number (libusb_device *dev)
 Get the number of the bus that a device is connected to.
uint8_t libusb_get_device_address (libusb_device *dev)
 Get the address of the device on the bus it is connected to.
int libusb_get_device_speed (libusb_device *dev)
 Get the negotiated connection speed for a device.
int libusb_get_max_packet_size (libusb_device *dev, unsigned char endpoint)
 Convenience function to retrieve the wMaxPacketSize value for a particular endpoint in the active device configuration.
int libusb_get_max_iso_packet_size (libusb_device *dev, unsigned char endpoint)
 Calculate the maximum packet size which a specific endpoint is capable is sending or receiving in the duration of 1 microframe.
libusb_devicelibusb_ref_device (libusb_device *dev)
 Increment the reference count of a device.
void libusb_unref_device (libusb_device *dev)
 Decrement the reference count of a device.
int libusb_open (libusb_device *dev, libusb_device_handle **handle)
 Open a device and obtain a device handle.
libusb_device_handlelibusb_open_device_with_vid_pid (libusb_context *ctx, uint16_t vendor_id, uint16_t product_id)
 Convenience function for finding a device with a particular idVendor/idProduct combination.
void libusb_close (libusb_device_handle *dev_handle)
 Close a device handle.
libusb_devicelibusb_get_device (libusb_device_handle *dev_handle)
 Get the underlying device for a handle.
int libusb_get_configuration (libusb_device_handle *dev, int *config)
 Determine the bConfigurationValue of the currently active configuration.
int libusb_set_configuration (libusb_device_handle *dev, int configuration)
 Set the active configuration for a device.
int libusb_claim_interface (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number)
 Claim an interface on a given device handle.
int libusb_release_interface (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number)
 Release an interface previously claimed with libusb_claim_interface().
int libusb_set_interface_alt_setting (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number, int alternate_setting)
 Activate an alternate setting for an interface.
int libusb_clear_halt (libusb_device_handle *dev, unsigned char endpoint)
 Clear the halt/stall condition for an endpoint.
int libusb_reset_device (libusb_device_handle *dev)
 Perform a USB port reset to reinitialize a device.
int libusb_kernel_driver_active (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number)
 Determine if a kernel driver is active on an interface.
int libusb_detach_kernel_driver (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number)
 Detach a kernel driver from an interface.
int libusb_attach_kernel_driver (libusb_device_handle *dev, int interface_number)
 Re-attach an interface's kernel driver, which was previously detached using libusb_detach_kernel_driver().

Detailed Description

The functionality documented below is designed to help with the following operations:

In a nutshell...

The description below really makes things sound more complicated than they actually are. The following sequence of function calls will be suitable for almost all scenarios and does not require you to have such a deep understanding of the resource management issues:

// discover devices
libusb_device *found = NULL;
ssize_t cnt = libusb_get_device_list(NULL, &list);
ssize_t i = 0;
int err = 0;
if (cnt < 0)
error();
for (i = 0; i < cnt; i++) {
libusb_device *device = list[i];
if (is_interesting(device)) {
found = device;
break;
}
}
if (found) {
err = libusb_open(found, &handle);
if (err)
error();
// etc
}

The two important points:

If you ended up with a handle, you can now proceed to perform I/O on the device.

Devices and device handles

libusb has a concept of a USB device, represented by the libusb_device opaque type. A device represents a USB device that is currently or was previously connected to the system. Using a reference to a device, you can determine certain information about the device (e.g. you can read the descriptor data).

The libusb_get_device_list() function can be used to obtain a list of devices currently connected to the system. This is known as device discovery.

Just because you have a reference to a device does not mean it is necessarily usable. The device may have been unplugged, you may not have permission to operate such device, or another program or driver may be using the device.

When you've found a device that you'd like to operate, you must ask libusb to open the device using the libusb_open() function. Assuming success, libusb then returns you a device handle (a libusb_device_handle pointer). All "real" I/O operations then operate on the handle rather than the original device pointer.

Device discovery and reference counting

Device discovery (i.e. calling libusb_get_device_list()) returns a freshly-allocated list of devices. The list itself must be freed when you are done with it. libusb also needs to know when it is OK to free the contents of the list - the devices themselves.

To handle these issues, libusb provides you with two separate items:

New devices presented by the libusb_get_device_list() function all have a reference count of 1. You can increase and decrease reference count using libusb_ref_device() and libusb_unref_device(). A device is destroyed when its reference count reaches 0.

With the above information in mind, the process of opening a device can be viewed as follows:

  1. Discover devices using libusb_get_device_list().
  2. Choose the device that you want to operate, and call libusb_open().
  3. Unref all devices in the discovered device list.
  4. Free the discovered device list.

The order is important - you must not unreference the device before attempting to open it, because unreferencing it may destroy the device.

For convenience, the libusb_free_device_list() function includes a parameter to optionally unreference all the devices in the list before freeing the list itself. This combines steps 3 and 4 above.

As an implementation detail, libusb_open() actually adds a reference to the device in question. This is because the device remains available through the handle via libusb_get_device(). The reference is deleted during libusb_close().


Typedef Documentation

typedef struct libusb_device libusb_device

Structure representing a USB device detected on the system.

This is an opaque type for which you are only ever provided with a pointer, usually originating from libusb_get_device_list().

Certain operations can be performed on a device, but in order to do any I/O you will have to first obtain a device handle using libusb_open().

Devices are reference counted with libusb_ref_device() and libusb_unref_device(), and are freed when the reference count reaches 0. New devices presented by libusb_get_device_list() have a reference count of 1, and libusb_free_device_list() can optionally decrease the reference count on all devices in the list. libusb_open() adds another reference which is later destroyed by libusb_close().

Structure representing a handle on a USB device.

This is an opaque type for which you are only ever provided with a pointer, usually originating from libusb_open().

A device handle is used to perform I/O and other operations. When finished with a device handle, you should call libusb_close().


Enumeration Type Documentation

Speed codes.

Indicates the speed at which the device is operating.

Enumerator:
LIBUSB_SPEED_UNKNOWN 

The OS doesn't report or know the device speed.

LIBUSB_SPEED_LOW 

The device is operating at low speed (1.5MBit/s).

LIBUSB_SPEED_FULL 

The device is operating at full speed (12MBit/s).

LIBUSB_SPEED_HIGH 

The device is operating at high speed (480MBit/s).

LIBUSB_SPEED_SUPER 

The device is operating at super speed (5000MBit/s).


Function Documentation

ssize_t libusb_get_device_list ( libusb_context ctx,
libusb_device ***  list 
)

Returns a list of USB devices currently attached to the system.

This is your entry point into finding a USB device to operate.

You are expected to unreference all the devices when you are done with them, and then free the list with libusb_free_device_list(). Note that libusb_free_device_list() can unref all the devices for you. Be careful not to unreference a device you are about to open until after you have opened it.

This return value of this function indicates the number of devices in the resultant list. The list is actually one element larger, as it is NULL-terminated.

Parameters:
ctxthe context to operate on, or NULL for the default context
listoutput location for a list of devices. Must be later freed with libusb_free_device_list().
Returns:
The number of devices in the outputted list, or any libusb_error according to errors encountered by the backend.
void libusb_free_device_list ( libusb_device **  list,
int  unref_devices 
)

Frees a list of devices previously discovered using libusb_get_device_list().

If the unref_devices parameter is set, the reference count of each device in the list is decremented by 1.

Parameters:
listthe list to free
unref_deviceswhether to unref the devices in the list
uint8_t libusb_get_bus_number ( libusb_device dev)

Get the number of the bus that a device is connected to.

Parameters:
deva device
Returns:
the bus number
uint8_t libusb_get_device_address ( libusb_device dev)

Get the address of the device on the bus it is connected to.

Parameters:
deva device
Returns:
the device address
int libusb_get_device_speed ( libusb_device dev)

Get the negotiated connection speed for a device.

Parameters:
deva device
Returns:
a libusb_speed code, where LIBUSB_SPEED_UNKNOWN means that the OS doesn't know or doesn't support returning the negotiated speed.
int libusb_get_max_packet_size ( libusb_device dev,
unsigned char  endpoint 
)

Convenience function to retrieve the wMaxPacketSize value for a particular endpoint in the active device configuration.

This function was originally intended to be of assistance when setting up isochronous transfers, but a design mistake resulted in this function instead. It simply returns the wMaxPacketSize value without considering its contents. If you're dealing with isochronous transfers, you probably want libusb_get_max_iso_packet_size() instead.

Parameters:
deva device
endpointaddress of the endpoint in question
Returns:
the wMaxPacketSize value
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the endpoint does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_OTHER on other failure
int libusb_get_max_iso_packet_size ( libusb_device dev,
unsigned char  endpoint 
)

Calculate the maximum packet size which a specific endpoint is capable is sending or receiving in the duration of 1 microframe.

Only the active configution is examined. The calculation is based on the wMaxPacketSize field in the endpoint descriptor as described in section 9.6.6 in the USB 2.0 specifications.

If acting on an isochronous or interrupt endpoint, this function will multiply the value found in bits 0:10 by the number of transactions per microframe (determined by bits 11:12). Otherwise, this function just returns the numeric value found in bits 0:10.

This function is useful for setting up isochronous transfers, for example you might pass the return value from this function to libusb_set_iso_packet_lengths() in order to set the length field of every isochronous packet in a transfer.

Since v1.0.3.

Parameters:
deva device
endpointaddress of the endpoint in question
Returns:
the maximum packet size which can be sent/received on this endpoint
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the endpoint does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_OTHER on other failure
libusb_device* libusb_ref_device ( libusb_device dev)

Increment the reference count of a device.

Parameters:
devthe device to reference
Returns:
the same device
void libusb_unref_device ( libusb_device dev)

Decrement the reference count of a device.

If the decrement operation causes the reference count to reach zero, the device shall be destroyed.

Parameters:
devthe device to unreference
int libusb_open ( libusb_device dev,
libusb_device_handle **  handle 
)

Open a device and obtain a device handle.

A handle allows you to perform I/O on the device in question.

Internally, this function adds a reference to the device and makes it available to you through libusb_get_device(). This reference is removed during libusb_close().

This is a non-blocking function; no requests are sent over the bus.

Parameters:
devthe device to open
handleoutput location for the returned device handle pointer. Only populated when the return code is 0.
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_MEM on memory allocation failure
LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS if the user has insufficient permissions
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
libusb_device_handle* libusb_open_device_with_vid_pid ( libusb_context ctx,
uint16_t  vendor_id,
uint16_t  product_id 
)

Convenience function for finding a device with a particular idVendor/idProduct combination.

This function is intended for those scenarios where you are using libusb to knock up a quick test application - it allows you to avoid calling libusb_get_device_list() and worrying about traversing/freeing the list.

This function has limitations and is hence not intended for use in real applications: if multiple devices have the same IDs it will only give you the first one, etc.

Parameters:
ctxthe context to operate on, or NULL for the default context
vendor_idthe idVendor value to search for
product_idthe idProduct value to search for
Returns:
a handle for the first found device, or NULL on error or if the device could not be found.
void libusb_close ( libusb_device_handle dev_handle)

Close a device handle.

Should be called on all open handles before your application exits.

Internally, this function destroys the reference that was added by libusb_open() on the given device.

This is a non-blocking function; no requests are sent over the bus.

Parameters:
dev_handlethe handle to close
libusb_device* libusb_get_device ( libusb_device_handle dev_handle)

Get the underlying device for a handle.

This function does not modify the reference count of the returned device, so do not feel compelled to unreference it when you are done.

Parameters:
dev_handlea device handle
Returns:
the underlying device
int libusb_get_configuration ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int *  config 
)

Determine the bConfigurationValue of the currently active configuration.

You could formulate your own control request to obtain this information, but this function has the advantage that it may be able to retrieve the information from operating system caches (no I/O involved).

If the OS does not cache this information, then this function will block while a control transfer is submitted to retrieve the information.

This function will return a value of 0 in the config output parameter if the device is in unconfigured state.

Parameters:
deva device handle
configoutput location for the bConfigurationValue of the active configuration (only valid for return code 0)
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_set_configuration ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  configuration 
)

Set the active configuration for a device.

The operating system may or may not have already set an active configuration on the device. It is up to your application to ensure the correct configuration is selected before you attempt to claim interfaces and perform other operations.

If you call this function on a device already configured with the selected configuration, then this function will act as a lightweight device reset: it will issue a SET_CONFIGURATION request using the current configuration, causing most USB-related device state to be reset (altsetting reset to zero, endpoint halts cleared, toggles reset).

You cannot change/reset configuration if your application has claimed interfaces - you should free them with libusb_release_interface() first. You cannot change/reset configuration if other applications or drivers have claimed interfaces.

A configuration value of -1 will put the device in unconfigured state. The USB specifications state that a configuration value of 0 does this, however buggy devices exist which actually have a configuration 0.

You should always use this function rather than formulating your own SET_CONFIGURATION control request. This is because the underlying operating system needs to know when such changes happen.

This is a blocking function.

Parameters:
deva device handle
configurationthe bConfigurationValue of the configuration you wish to activate, or -1 if you wish to put the device in unconfigured state
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the requested configuration does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_BUSY if interfaces are currently claimed
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_claim_interface ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number 
)

Claim an interface on a given device handle.

You must claim the interface you wish to use before you can perform I/O on any of its endpoints.

It is legal to attempt to claim an already-claimed interface, in which case libusb just returns 0 without doing anything.

Claiming of interfaces is a purely logical operation; it does not cause any requests to be sent over the bus. Interface claiming is used to instruct the underlying operating system that your application wishes to take ownership of the interface.

This is a non-blocking function.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe bInterfaceNumber of the interface you wish to claim
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the requested interface does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_BUSY if another program or driver has claimed the interface
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
a LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_release_interface ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number 
)

Release an interface previously claimed with libusb_claim_interface().

You should release all claimed interfaces before closing a device handle.

This is a blocking function. A SET_INTERFACE control request will be sent to the device, resetting interface state to the first alternate setting.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe bInterfaceNumber of the previously-claimed interface
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the interface was not claimed
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_set_interface_alt_setting ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number,
int  alternate_setting 
)

Activate an alternate setting for an interface.

The interface must have been previously claimed with libusb_claim_interface().

You should always use this function rather than formulating your own SET_INTERFACE control request. This is because the underlying operating system needs to know when such changes happen.

This is a blocking function.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe bInterfaceNumber of the previously-claimed interface
alternate_settingthe bAlternateSetting of the alternate setting to activate
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the interface was not claimed, or the requested alternate setting does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_clear_halt ( libusb_device_handle dev,
unsigned char  endpoint 
)

Clear the halt/stall condition for an endpoint.

Endpoints with halt status are unable to receive or transmit data until the halt condition is stalled.

You should cancel all pending transfers before attempting to clear the halt condition.

This is a blocking function.

Parameters:
deva device handle
endpointthe endpoint to clear halt status
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the endpoint does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_reset_device ( libusb_device_handle dev)

Perform a USB port reset to reinitialize a device.

The system will attempt to restore the previous configuration and alternate settings after the reset has completed.

If the reset fails, the descriptors change, or the previous state cannot be restored, the device will appear to be disconnected and reconnected. This means that the device handle is no longer valid (you should close it) and rediscover the device. A return code of LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND indicates when this is the case.

This is a blocking function which usually incurs a noticeable delay.

Parameters:
deva handle of the device to reset
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if re-enumeration is required, or if the device has been disconnected
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
int libusb_kernel_driver_active ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number 
)

Determine if a kernel driver is active on an interface.

If a kernel driver is active, you cannot claim the interface, and libusb will be unable to perform I/O.

This functionality is not available on Windows.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe interface to check
Returns:
0 if no kernel driver is active
1 if a kernel driver is active
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED on platforms where the functionality is not available
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
See also:
libusb_detach_kernel_driver()
int libusb_detach_kernel_driver ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number 
)

Detach a kernel driver from an interface.

If successful, you will then be able to claim the interface and perform I/O.

This functionality is not available on Darwin or Windows.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe interface to detach the driver from
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if no kernel driver was active
LIBUSB_ERROR_INVALID_PARAM if the interface does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED on platforms where the functionality is not available
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
See also:
libusb_kernel_driver_active()
int libusb_attach_kernel_driver ( libusb_device_handle dev,
int  interface_number 
)

Re-attach an interface's kernel driver, which was previously detached using libusb_detach_kernel_driver().

This call is only effective on Linux and returns LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED on all other platforms.

This functionality is not available on Darwin or Windows.

Parameters:
deva device handle
interface_numberthe interface to attach the driver from
Returns:
0 on success
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_FOUND if no kernel driver was active
LIBUSB_ERROR_INVALID_PARAM if the interface does not exist
LIBUSB_ERROR_NO_DEVICE if the device has been disconnected
LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED on platforms where the functionality is not available
LIBUSB_ERROR_BUSY if the driver cannot be attached because the interface is claimed by a program or driver
another LIBUSB_ERROR code on other failure
See also:
libusb_kernel_driver_active()