---
name: "XUngrabDeviceButton"
section: "3x"
platform: "linux"
package: "libxi-dev"
version: "4.3.0.dfsg.1-14sarge7"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/XGrabDeviceButton/3x"
---

# XUngrabDeviceButton(3x)

grab/ungrab extension input device buttons

Part of [XGrabDeviceButton(3x)](/XGrabDeviceButton/3x.md).

## NAME

XGrabDeviceButton, XUngrabDeviceButton - grab/ungrab extension input device buttons

## SYNTAX

```
int XGrabDeviceButton(Display *display, XDevice *device,
unsigned int button, unsigned int modifiers, XDevice
*modifier_device, Window grab_window, Bool
owner_events, unsigned int event_count, XEventClass
*event_list, int this_device_mode, int
other_devices_mode);
int XUngrabDeviceButton(Display *display, XDevice *device,
unsigned int button, unsigned int modifiers, XDevice
*modifier_device, Window grab_window);
```

## ARGUMENTS

- *display*

  *Specifies the connection to the X server.*

- *device*

  *Specifies the device that is to be grabbed or released*

- *button*

  *Specifies the device button that is to be grabbed or released or* *AnyButton.*

- *modifiers*

  *Specifies the set of keymasks or* *AnyModifier.* *The mask is the bitwise inclusive OR of the valid keymask bits.* *Valid bits are: Shiftmask, LockMask, ControlMask, Mod1Mask, Mod2Mask,* *Mod3Mask, Mod4Mask, Mod5Mask.*

- *modifier\_device*

  *specifies the device whose modifiers are to be used.  If the modifier\_device* *specified is NULL, the X keyboard will be used as the modifier\_device.*

- *grab\_window*

  *Specifies the grab window.*

- *owner\_events*

  *Specifies a Boolean value that indicates whether the device*  *events are to be reported as usual or reported with respect to the grab window*  *if selected by the event list.*

- *event\_count*

  *Specifies the number of event classes in the event list.*

- *event\_list*

  *Specifies which events are reported to the client.*

- *this\_device\_mode*

  *Specifies further processing of events from this device.* *You can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync.*

- *other\_devices\_mode*

  *Specifies further processing of events from all other devices.* *You can pass GrabModeSync or GrabModeAsync.*

## DESCRIPTION

*The XGrabDeviceButton request establishes a passive grab.* *In the future,* *the device is actively grabbed (as for XGrabDevice,* *the last-grab time is set to the time at which the button was pressed* *(as transmitted in the* *DeviceButtonPress* *event), and the* *DeviceButtonPress* *event is reported if all of the following conditions are true:*

- •

  *The device is not grabbed, and the specified button is logically pressed* *when the specified modifier keys are logically down on the specified* *modifier device* *and no other buttons or modifier keys are logically down.*

- •

  *Either the grab window is an ancestor of (or is) the focus window, OR* *the grab window is a descendent of the focus window and contains the* *device.*

- •

  *A passive grab on the same button/modifier combination does not exist* *on any ancestor of grab\_window.*

*The interpretation of the remaining arguments is as for* *XGrabDevice.* *The active grab is terminated automatically when the logical state of the* *device has all buttons released* *(independent of the logical state of the modifier keys).*

*Note that the logical state of a device (as seen by client applications)* *may lag the physical state if device event processing is frozen.*

*This request overrides all previous grabs by the same client on the same* *button/modifier combinations on the same window.* *A modifiers of*  *AnyModifier*  *is equivalent to issuing the grab request for all* *possible modifier combinations (including the combination of no modifiers).*   *It is not required that all modifiers specified have currently assigned*  *KeyCodes.* *A button of*  *AnyButton*  *is equivalent to* *issuing the request for all possible buttons.* *Otherwise, it is not required that the specified button currently be assigned* *to a physical button.*

*A modifier\_device of NULL indicates that the X keyboard is to be used as the* *modifier\_device.*

*If some other client has already issued a*  *XGrabDeviceButton* *with the same button/modifier combination on the same window, a* *BadAccess*  *error results.* *When using*  *AnyModifier*  *or*  *AnyButton ,*  *the request fails completely,* *and a* *BadAccess* *error results (no grabs are* *established) if there is a conflicting grab for any combination.* *XGrabDeviceButton* *has no effect on an active grab.*

*XGrabDeviceButton* *can generate* *BadClass,* *BadDevice,* *BadMatch,* *BadValue,* *and* *BadWindow*  *errors.*

*The XUngrabDeviceButton* *request releases the passive grab for a*  *button/modifier combination on the specified window if* *it was grabbed by this client.* *A modifier of AnyModifier is* *equivalent to issuing*  *the ungrab request for all possible modifier combinations, including*  *the combination of no modifiers.* *A button of*  *AnyButton*  *is equivalent to issuing the* *request for all possible buttons.* *XUngrabDeviceButton* *has no effect on an active grab.*

*A modifier\_device of NULL indicates that the X keyboard should be used as* *the modifier\_device.*

*XUngrabDeviceButton* *can generate* *BadDevice,* *BadMatch,* *BadValue* *and* *BadWindow*  *errors.*

## DIAGNOSTICS

- *BadDevice*

  *An invalid device was specified.  The specified device does not exist or has*  *not been opened by this client via XOpenInputDevice.  This error may* *also occur if the specified device is the X keyboard or X pointer device.*

- *BadMatch*

  *This error may occur if an XGrabDeviceButton request was made* *specifying* *a device that has no buttons, or specifying a modifier device* *that has no keys.*

- *BadValue*

  *Some numeric value falls outside the range of values accepted by the request.* *Unless a specific range is specified for an argument, the full range defined* *by the argument's type is accepted.  Any argument defined as a set of* *alternatives can generate this error.*

- *BadWindow*

  *A value for a Window argument does not name a defined Window.*

## SEE ALSO

*XAllowDeviceEvents(3X),*\
 *XGrabDevice(3X),*\
 *XGrabDeviceKey(3X),*\
 *Programming With Xlib*