Tool for testing HID input devices (keyboard, mice, joystick, gamepad, touch screen, digitizers...)
This is a command line program. Launch from a Windows command window:
I have seen some issues with Windows Terminal app (issues with scrolling through fast messages, occasional crashing), so if you have problems, try a traditional cmd window.
To start chatter test mode:
chatter.exe -c
chatter.exe --chatter
To show a list of raw input devices:
chatter.exe -l
chatter.exe --list
To monitor all HID input events:
chatter.exe -m
chatter.exe --monitor
It is possible to mix and match the modes described above.
- Specify -u (--cursor) to include cursor movement events. These are off by default to reduce noise.
- Specify -v (--verbose) to include verbose error message output. Try this if you are seeing any failures or unexpected behavior.
- Specify -e (--vendor) to include devices with vendor-specific usage pages. These are skipped by default, but this flag will cause them to be included.
- Specify -d (--duration) with an integer value to set the threshold in which "GLITCH" text is displayed. Default value is 15ms.
e.g.,
chatter.exe -c -d 20
GetRawInputDeviceList and GetRawInputDeviceInfo are used to obtain a list of raw input devices from Win32.
HID APIs in HID.dll are used to obtain HID device information (HidP_GetUsages, HidP_GetUsageValue, HidP_GetButtonCaps, HidP_GetValueCaps, and so on).
chatter.exe --chatter
Monitoring raw input from 17 device(s)
Press CTRL+C to exit any time.
[02:06:36.295] Duration (A ): 88 ms
[02:06:36.594] Duration (F ): 103 ms
[02:06:36.615] Duration (I ): 97 ms
[02:06:36.621] Duration (J ): 95 ms
[02:06:37.428] Duration (Mouse button 1 ): 77 ms
[02:06:38.751] Duration (Mouse button 1 ): 71 ms
[02:07:44.240] Duration (Button 4 ): 15 ms ***GLITCH!!***
[02:06:39.383] Duration (Button 1 ): 120 ms
[02:06:39.748] Duration (Button 2 ): 144 ms
[02:06:39.944] Duration (Button 2 ): 120 ms
[02:06:41.123] Duration (Mouse button 1 ): 69 ms
CTRL + C detected, exiting...
chatter.exe --list
[Device #0 - KEYBOARD (ID: 340aa1)]
\\?\Microsoft Keyboard RID\0
dwType : 0x0
dwSubType : 0
dwKeyboardMode : 0
dwNumberOfFunctionKeys : 0
dwNumberOfFunctionKeys : 0
dwNumberOfKeysTotal : 0
[Device #1 - HID (ID: 200cb)]
\\?\HID#VID_045E&PID_02FF&IG_00#8&3405f702&0&0000#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}
dwVendorId : 0x45e
dwProductId : 0x2ff
dwVersionNumber : 0x0
usUsagePage : 0x1
usUsage : 0x5
Usage Text : Game Pad
---
Manufacturer String :
Product String : Controller (Xbox One For Windows)
SerialNumber String :
---
HID Usage : 0x5
HID UsagePage : 0x1
HID InputReportByteLength : 0x10
HID OutputReportByteLength : 0x0
HID FeatureReportByteLength : 0x0
HID NumberLinkCollectionNodes : 4
HID NumberInputButtonCaps : 1
HID NumberInputValueCaps : 6
HID NumberInputDataIndices : 22
HID NumberOutputButtonCaps : 0
HID NumberOutputValueCaps : 0
HID NumberOutputDataIndices : 0
HID NumberFeatureButtonCaps : 0
HID NumberFeatureValueCaps : 0
HID NumberFeatureDataIndices : 0
---
ButtonCaps UsagePage : 0x9
ButtonCaps ReportID : 0
ButtonCaps BitField : 2
ButtonCaps LinkCollection : 0
ButtonCaps LinkUsage : 5
ButtonCaps LinkUsage : 5
ButtonCaps ... : IsRange IsAbsolute
ButtonCaps ReportCount : 1
ButtonCaps Usage : [1, 16]
ButtonCaps Usage Text : Button 1, Button 2, Button 3, Button 4, Button 5, Button 6, Button 7, Button 8, Button 9, Button 10, Button 11, Button 12, Button 13, Button 14, Button 15, Button 16
ButtonCaps String : [0, 0]
ButtonCaps Designator : [0, 0]
ButtonCaps DataIndex : [5, 20]
---
ValueCaps UsagePage : 0x1
ValueCaps ReportID : 0
ValueCaps BitField : 66
ValueCaps LinkCollection : 0
ValueCaps LinkUsage : 5
ValueCaps LinkUsagePage : 1
ValueCaps ReportID : 0
ValueCaps ... : IsAbsolute HasNull
ValueCaps BitSize : 4
ValueCaps ReportCount : 1
ValueCaps UnitsExp : 0x0
ValueCaps Units : 0xe
ValueCaps LogicalMin : 0x1
ValueCaps LogicalMax : 0x8
ValueCaps PhysicalMin : 0x0
ValueCaps PhysicalMax : 0x103b
ValueCaps Usage : 57
ValueCaps StringIndex : 0
ValueCaps DesignatorIndex : 0
ValueCaps DataIndex : 21
[Device #2 - KEYBOARD (ID: 1004c)]
\\?\HID#VID_1532&PID_0243&MI_00#9&fc640ce&0&0000#{884b96c3-56ef-11d1-bc8c-00a0c91405dd}
dwType : 0x51 HID_KEYBOARD_OR_UNKNOWN_TYPE
dwSubType : 0
dwKeyboardMode : 1
dwNumberOfFunctionKeys : 12
dwNumberOfFunctionKeys : 12
dwNumberOfKeysTotal : 264
chatter.exe --monitor
Monitoring raw input from 17 device(s)
Press CTRL+C to exit any time.
[02:10:39.444] [Device Type: KEYBOARD, Device ID: 0x10052]
MakeCode : 0x1c Enter
VKey : 0xd VK_RETURN
Message : 0x101 WM_KEYUP
[02:10:40.687] [Device Type: HID, Device ID: 0x200cb]
Value : [Y] 0x8217
Value : [X] 0x8c86
Value : [Ry] 0x84aa
Value : [Rx] 0x7db0
Value : [Z] 0x8000
Value : [Hat switch] 0x0
Button : 2 (Button 2)
[02:10:40.758] [Device Type: HID, Device ID: 0x200cb]
Value : [Y] 0x8217
Value : [X] 0x8c86
Value : [Ry] 0x84aa
Value : [Rx] 0x7db0
Value : [Z] 0x8000
Value : [Hat switch] 0x0
[02:10:41.530] [Device Type: KEYBOARD, Device ID: 0x10052]
MakeCode : 0x1d Ctrl
VKey : 0x11 VK_CONTROL
Message : 0x100 WM_KEYDOWN
[02:10:41.645] [Device Type: KEYBOARD, Device ID: 0x10052]
MakeCode : 0x1d Ctrl
VKey : 0x11 VK_CONTROL
Message : 0x101 WM_KEYUP
[02:10:42.378] [Device Type: MOUSE, Device ID: 0x1004a]
usButtonFlags : 0x1 RI_MOUSE_LEFT_BUTTON_DOWN
[02:10:42.476] [Device Type: MOUSE, Device ID: 0x1004a]
usButtonFlags : 0x2 RI_MOUSE_LEFT_BUTTON_UP
CTRL + C detected, exiting...
Use MSVC with Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition. Only x86 target has been tested, but in theory other architectures should work just fine when compiled.