lircmd(8)

1LIRCMD(8)               System Administration Utilities              LIRCMD(8)
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NAME

6       lircmd - Translate infrared signals into mouse events.
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SYNOPSIS

9       lircmd [options] [config-file]
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DESCRIPTION

12       lircmd  reads  decoded buttonpress events from a lircd(8) output socket
13       and converts them to mouse events.  These  events  are  made  available
14       either  on  the lircmd output socket (by default /var/run/lirc/lircmd )
15       or,  using  the  --uinput  option,  on   a   /dev/input   device   like
16       /dev/input/event12 .
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18       This  daemon  can  simulate a MouseSystems, IntelliMouse or IMPS/2 type
19       mouse.  The function  depends  on  a  configuration  file,  by  default
20       /etc/lirc/lircmd.conf  .   This file determines which button from which
21       remote causes a mouse move or a mouse  button  click.   Special  button
22       which activates or deactivates the mouse mode can also be defined.
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24       The normal usage is to configure X11 to use the events produced by lir‐
25       cmd as an input source.  See  SEE ALSO.
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27       Using the --uinput option the user device created by the kernel  has  a
28       dynamic  name which typically changes after a reboot.  The lirc distri‐
29       bution contains a udev rule which, if installed, creates a  fixed  link
30       named /dev/lircmd which always can be used.
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32       By  default,  using  the --uinput option requires lircmd to run as root
33       since the /dev/uinput device can be accessed only by  root.   The  lirc
34       distribution  contains example udev rules and lircd-setup(8) configura‐
35       tions which can be used to make the device accessible by  other  users.
36       In this way, lircmd can be run as a regular user.
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OPTIONS

41       -h --help
42              Display help  message.
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44       -v --version
45              Display version.
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47       -n --nodaemon
48              Don't fork to background.
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50       -s --socket <socket path>
51              Use  alternate  lircd  socket  path  (the  lircmd input source).
52              Defaults to the  output  key  in  the  [lircd]  section  of  the
53              lirc_options.conf     config     file,     falling    back    to
54              /var/run/lirc/lircd.
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56       -O --options-file=file
57              Alternative  default   options   file,   usually   defaults   to
58              /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf.
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60       -u --uinput
61              On  Linux systems the --uinput option will enable automatic gen‐
62              eration of Linux input events. lircmd will open  /dev/input/uin‐
63              put  and inject the simulated mouse events into the Linux kernel
64              rather than creating the /dev/lircm device.   The  kernel  makes
65              these   events  available  to other applications on a /dev/input
66              device, just like any other kernel input device.
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68       -D --loglevel=[level]
69              Determine the amount of logging information. [level]  can  be  a
70              symbolic  syslog  level:  'error','warning,  'info', 'notice' or
71              'debug'. lircd also defines  three  additional  levels  'trace',
72              'trace1'  and  'trace2' which gives even more messages ('trace2'
73              bringing the most). However,  in  the  log  these  messages  are
74              marked as 'debug'.
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SOCKET PROTOCOL

78       The socket protocol contains undocumented parts. The data on the output
79       socket is
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81       MouseSystems
82           5 byte packets:
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84           ·   Byte 1: Button information.
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86           ·   Byte 2: X-axis change.
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88           ·   Byte 3: Y-axis change.
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90           ·   Byte 4 and 5: 0.
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92       IMPS/2
93           4 byte packets. Please refer to the lircmd source code for details.
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95       IntelliMouse
96           4 byte packets. Please refer to the lircmd source code for details.
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FILES

100       lircmd will use syslogd to output error messages. It  depends  on  your
101       system configuration where they will show up.
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103       The options file is by default /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf; lircmd han‐
104       dles the values under the [lircmd] section in this file.  The  location
105       can be changed using the -O/--options-file command-line option or using
106       the environment variable LIRC_OPTIONS_PATH.  The values here  are  used
107       as defaults for any option not present on command line.
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DAEMONS

110       lircmd  is  a   daemon.   It should be started in some system-dependent
111       init script.  Besides the systemd setup which is installed  by  default
112       there  are  also  example scripts for other distros and init systems in
113       the contrib directory.  lircmd has to be started after lircd as it con‐
114       nects to the socket lircd provides.
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BUGS

118       Since  the  device  name  used when registrating the --uinput device is
119       fixed, only one instance of lircmd using this option can run on a given
120       system.
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122       The socket protocol is a documentation-wise mess.
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