NODE HID STREAM

Stream data from HID device in Node.js

Wraps node-hid in a node.js Stream.

HID devices, specifically, keyboard-like devices.

Available Streams are:

• Hidstream: Stream data from node-hid.
• Keyboard: Stream for keyboard-like devices.
• KeyboardCharacters: for keyboard-like devices that streams characters.
• KeyboardLines: for keyboard-like devices stream lines split on ENTER. Can be used to read from barcode scanners.

keyboard-like = (keyboards or barcode scanners)

Installation

You have to make sure you can install node-hid before you install this module.

npm install node-hid-stream

Usage

Hidstream

var Hidstream = require('node-hid-stream').Hidstream;
var hidstream = new Hidstream({ vendorId: 3233, productId: 3233 });

hidstream.on("data", function(data) {
  console.log(data); // Raw buffer from HDI device.
});

KeyboardLines

var KeyboardLines = require('node-hid-stream').KeyboardLines;
var lines = new KeyboardLines({ vendorId: 3233, productId: 3233 });

lines.on("data", function(data) {
  // The user has pressed w, a, s & d, ENTER (simultaneously (why? I don't know))
  console.log(data); //  "wasd"
});

KeyboardCharacters

var KeyboardCharacters = require('node-hid-stream').KeyboardCharacters;
var characters = new KeyboardCharacters({ vendorId: 3233, productId: 3233 });

characters.on("data", function(data) {
  // The user has pressed w, a, s & d (simultaneously (why? I don't know))
  console.log(data); //  "wasd"
});

Keyboard

var Keyboard = require('node-hid-stream').Keyboard;
var keyboard = new Keyboard({ vendorId: 3233, productId: 3233 });

keyboard.on("data", function(data) {
  console.log(data); // easily consumed data format!
});

Sample Data Event from Keyboard stream:

The user has pressed Ctrl + Alt + Del

{  // HidKeyboardPacket
  modifiers: {
    leftShift: false,
    leftControl: true,
    leftAlt: true,
    leftMeta: false,
    rightCtrl: false,
    rightShift: false,
    rightAlt: false,
    rightMeta: false
  },
  keyCodes: [ 76 ],
  keyChars: [],
  errorStatus: false
}

The user has pressed w, a, s & d (simultaneously (why? I don't know))

{  // HidKeyboardPacket
  modifiers: {
    leftShift: false,
    leftControl: false,
    leftAlt: false,
    leftMeta: false,
    rightCtrl: false,
    rightShift: false,
    rightAlt: false,
    rightMeta: false
  },
  keyCodes: [ 26, 4, 22, 7 ],
  charCodes: [ 'w', 'a', 's', 'd' ],
  errorStatus: false
}

HidKeyboardPacket

HidKeyboardPacket has additional convenience methods

• shift() returns true if left or right shift key is pressed.
• control() returns true if left or right control key is pressed.
• alt() returns true if left or right alt key is pressed.
• meta() returns true if left or right meta key is pressed.
• mod() returns true returns true if any of the modifier keys is pressed.
• empty() returns true if no key or modifier is pressed.

Contributions

This is based on hidstream from Emily Rose

Significant refactor contributed by @kubat