MOUSED(8) | System Manager's Manual | MOUSED(8)

# NAME

`moused` —
pass mouse data to mouse mux

# SYNOPSIS

`moused` | [`-DPRacdfs`] [`-I` file] [`-F` rate] [`-r` resolution] [`-S` baudrate] [`-W` devicename] [`-a` X[,Y]] [`-m` N=M] [`-w` N] [`-z` target] [`-t` mousetype] [`-3` [`-E` timeout]] `-p` port

`moused` | [`-Pd`] `-p` port `-i` info

# DESCRIPTION

The mouse daemon `moused` and the console driver work together to support access to serial mice from user programs. They virtualize the mouse and provide user programs with mouse data in the standard format (see wsmouse(4)).

`moused` listens to the specified port for mouse data, interprets and then passes it via ioctls to the console driver. It reports translation movement, button press/release events and movement of the roller or the wheel if available. The roller/wheel movement is reported as “Z” axis movement.

If `moused` receives the signal `SIGHUP`, it will reopen the mouse port and reinitializes itself. Useful if the mouse is attached/detached while the system is suspended.

The following options are available:

`-3`
  Emulate the third (middle) button for 2-button mice. It is emulated by pressing the left and right physical buttons simultaneously.
`-D`
  Lower DTR on the serial port. This option is valid only if mousesystems is selected as the protocol type. The DTR line may need to be dropped for a 3-button mouse to operate in the mousesystems mode.
`-E` timeout
  When the third button emulation is enabled (see above), `moused` waits timeout milliseconds at most before deciding whether two buttons are being pressed simultaneously. The default timeout is 100 milliseconds.
`-F` rate
  Set the report rate (reports per second) of the device if supported.
`-I` file
  Write the process id of `moused` in the specified file. Without this option, the process id will be stored in /var/run/moused.pid.
`-P`
  Do not start the Plug and Play COM device enumeration procedure when identifying the serial mouse. If this option is given together with the `-i` option, `moused` will not be able to print useful information for the serial mouse.
`-R`
  Lower RTS on the serial port. This option is valid only if mousesystems is selected as the protocol type by the `-t` option below. It is often used with the `-D` option above. Both RTS and DTR lines may need to be dropped for a 3-button mouse to operate in the mousesystems mode.
`-S` baudrate
  Select the baudrate for the serial port (1200 to 9600). Not all serial mice support this option.
`-W` devicename
  Select the wsmux(4) control device. The default is /dev/wsmuxctl0.
`-a` X[,Y]
  Accelerate or decelerate the mouse input. This is a linear acceleration only. Values less than 1.0 slow down movement, values greater than 1.0 speed it up. Specifying only one value sets the acceleration for both axes.
`-c`
  Some mice report middle button down events as if the left and right buttons are being pressed. This option handles this.
`-d`
  Enable debugging messages.
`-f`
  Do not become a daemon and instead run as a foreground process. Useful for testing and debugging.
`-i` info
  Print specified information and quit. Available pieces of information are:

  port
    Port (device file) name, e.g. /dev/tty00.
  if
    Interface type: serial, bus, inport or ps/2.
  type
    Protocol type. It is one of the types listed under the `-t` option below.
  model
    Mouse model. `moused` may not always be able to identify the model.
  all
    All of the above items. Print port, interface, type and model in this order in one line.

  If `moused` cannot determine the requested information, it prints ``unknown'' or ``generic''.

`-m` N=M
  Assign the physical button M to the logical button N. You may specify as many instances of this option as you like. More than one physical button may be assigned to a logical button at the same time. In this case the logical button will be down, if either of the assigned physical buttons is held down. Do not put space around `='.
`-p` port
  Use port to communicate with the mouse.
`-r` resolution
  Set the resolution of the device; in Dots Per Inch, or low, medium-low, medium-high or high. This option may not be supported by all the device.
`-s`
  Select a baudrate of 9600 for the serial line. Not all serial mice support this option.
`-t` type
  Specify the protocol type of the mouse attached to the port. You may explicitly specify a type listed below, or use auto to let `moused` automatically select an appropriate protocol for the given mouse. If you entirely omit this option on the command line, `-t` auto is assumed. Under normal circumstances, you need to use this option only if `moused` is not able to detect the protocol automatically.

  Note that if a protocol type is specified with this option, the `-P` option above is implied and Plug and Play COM device enumeration procedure will be disabled.

  Valid types for this option are listed below.

  For the serial mouse:

  microsoft
    Microsoft serial mouse protocol. Most 2-button serial mice use this protocol.
  intellimouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse protocol. Genius NetMouse, ASCII Mie Mouse, Logitech MouseMan+ and FirstMouse+ use this protocol too. Other mice with a roller/wheel may be compatible with this protocol.
  mousesystems
    MouseSystems 5-byte protocol. 3-button mice may use this protocol.
  mmseries
    MM Series mouse protocol.
  logitech
    Logitech mouse protocol. Note that this is for old Logitech models. mouseman or intellimouse should be specified for newer models.
  mouseman
    Logitech MouseMan and TrackMan protocol. Some 3-button mice may be compatible with this protocol. Note that MouseMan+ and FirstMouse+ use intellimouse protocol rather than this one.
  glidepoint
    ALPS GlidePoint protocol.
  thinkingmouse
    Kensington ThinkingMouse protocol.
  mmhitab
    Hitachi tablet protocol.
  x10mouseremote
    X10 MouseRemote.
  kidspad
    Genius Kidspad and Easypad protocol.
  versapad
    Interlink VersaPad protocol.
`-w` N
  Make the physical button N act as the wheel mode button. While this button is pressed, X and Y axis movement is reported to be zero and the Y axis movement is mapped to Z axis. You may further map the Z axis movement to virtual buttons by the `-z` option below.
`-z` target
  Map Z axis (roller/wheel) movement to another axis or to virtual buttons. Valid target maybe:
  x
  y
    X or Y axis movement will be reported when the Z axis movement is detected.
  N
    Report down events for the virtual buttons N and N+1 respectively when negative and positive Z axis movement is detected. There do not need to be physical buttons N and N+1. Note that mapping to logical buttons is carried out after mapping from the Z axis movement to the virtual buttons is done.
  N1 N2
    Report down events for the virtual buttons N1 and N2 respectively when negative and positive Z axis movement is detected.
  N1 N2 N3 N4
    This is useful for the mouse with two wheels of which the second wheel is used to generate horizontal scroll action, and for the mouse which has a knob or a stick which can detect the horizontal force applied by the user.

    The motion of the second wheel will be mapped to the buttons N3, for the negative direction, and N4, for the positive direction. If the buttons N3 and N4 actually exist in this mouse, their actions will not be detected.

    Note that horizontal movement or second roller/wheel movement may not always be detected, because there appears to be no accepted standard as to how it is encoded.

    Note also that some mice think left is the negative horizontal direction, others may think otherwise. Moreover, there are some mice whose two wheels are both mounted vertically, and the direction of the second vertical wheel does not match the first one's.

## Multiple Mice

As many instances of `moused` as the number of mice attached to the system may be run simultaneously; one instance for each serial mouse.

# FILES

/dev/wsmuxctl0
  default device to control mouse mux
/var/run/moused.pid
  process id of the currently running `moused`

# EXAMPLES

`moused -p /dev/tty00 -i type`

Let `moused` determine the protocol type of the mouse at the serial port /dev/tty00. If successful, `moused` will print the type, otherwise it will say ``unknown''.

`moused -p /dev/tty00`

If `moused` is able to identify the protocol type of the mouse at the specified port automatically, you can start the daemon without the `-t` option and enable the mouse pointer in the text console as above.

`moused -p /dev/tty01 -t microsoft`

Start `moused` on the serial port /dev/tty01. The protocol type microsoft is explicitly specified by the `-t` option.

`moused -p /dev/tty01 -m 1=3 -m 3=1`

Assign the physical button 3 (right button) to the logical button 1 (logical left) and the physical button 1 (left) to the logical button 3 (logical right). This will effectively swap the left and right buttons.

`moused -p /dev/tty01 -t intellimouse -z 4`

Report negative Z axis (roller) movement as the button 4 pressed and positive Z axis movement as the button 5 pressed.

The mouse daemon is normally enabled by setting moused=YES in /etc/rc.conf.

# SEE ALSO

wsmouse(4), wsmux(4), rc.conf(5), wsmoused(8)

# STANDARDS

`moused` partially supports “Plug and Play External COM Device Specification” in order to support PnP serial mice. However, due to various degrees of conformance to the specification by existing serial mice, it does not strictly follow version 1.0 of the standard. Even with this less strict approach, it may not always determine an appropriate protocol type for the given serial mouse.

# HISTORY

The mouse daemon `moused` first appeared in FreeBSD 2.2 and NetBSD 1.6.

# AUTHORS

`moused` was written by ⟨msmith@FreeBSD.org⟩. This manual page was written by Mike Pritchard ⟨mpp@FreeBSD.org⟩. The daemon and manual page have since been updated by Kazutaka Yokota ⟨yokota@FreeBSD.org⟩. The NetBSD port was done by Lennart Augustsson ⟨augustss@NetBSD.org⟩.

# BUGS

Many pad devices behave as if the first (left) button were pressed if the user `taps' the surface of the pad. In contrast, some ALPS GlidePoint and Interlink VersaPad models treat the tapping action as fourth button events. Use the option ``-m 1=4'' for these models to obtain the same effect as the other pad devices.

October 29, 2001 | NetBSD 9.4