Inputs

The Inputs API is built as a thin wrapper over the identically-named library (inputs). If you are having issues, check whether they are coming from RTCBot or from the underlying library.

There are three input devices exposed. A Keyboard, a Mouse and a Gamepad.

Note

To get access to Keyboard and Mouse, you might need to either run as adminsitrator, or on Linux, add your user to the input group.

Warning

Keyboard support is experimental - it only works in certain environments. You can try it, but don’t be surprised if no events show up.

Mouse

To get mouse events, you can run the following:

import asyncio
from rtcbot import Mouse

m = Mouse()

@m.subscribe
def onkey(key):
    print(key)

try:
    asyncio.get_event_loop().run_forever()
finally:
    m.close()

This code gives the following results:

{'timestamp': 1552629001.833567, 'code': 'REL_X', 'state': 1, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629001.833567, 'code': 'REL_Y', 'state': 1, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629001.841518, 'code': 'REL_X', 'state': 2, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629001.889522, 'code': 'REL_X', 'state': 2, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629001.905525, 'code': 'REL_X', 'state': 3, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629001.905525, 'code': 'REL_Y', 'state': -2, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629002.16957, 'code': 'REL_X', 'state': 2, 'event': 'Relative'}
{'timestamp': 1552629004.233588, 'code': 'MSC_SCAN', 'state': 589825, 'event': 'Misc'}
{'timestamp': 1552629004.233588, 'code': 'BTN_LEFT', 'state': 1, 'event': 'Key'}
{'timestamp': 1552629004.361593, 'code': 'MSC_SCAN', 'state': 589825, 'event': 'Misc'}
{'timestamp': 1552629004.361593, 'code': 'BTN_LEFT', 'state': 0, 'event': 'Key'}
{'timestamp': 1552629005.361596, 'code': 'MSC_SCAN', 'state': 589826, 'event': 'Misc'}
{'timestamp': 1552629005.361596, 'code': 'BTN_RIGHT', 'state': 1, 'event': 'Key'}

The REL_X and REL_Y codes refer to relative mouse motion. Here, the mouse started by moving 1 unit to the right (REL_X).

Gamepad

The Gamepad usually refers to a wired Xbox controller. Connect it to your computer through USB. To use the gamepad, you probably don’t need administrator access:

import asyncio
from rtcbot import Gamepad

g = Gamepad()

@g.subscribe
def onkey(key):
    print(key)

try:
    asyncio.get_event_loop().run_forever()
finally:
    g.close()

This code gives the following results:

{'timestamp': 1552629513.7494, 'code': 'BTN_SOUTH', 'state': 1, 'event': 'Key'}
{'timestamp': 1552629513.7494, 'code': 'ABS_Y', 'state': -1, 'event': 'Absolute'}
{'timestamp': 1552629513.969403, 'code': 'BTN_SOUTH', 'state': 0, 'event': 'Key'}
{'timestamp': 1552629517.089424, 'code': 'ABS_X', 'state': -253, 'event': 'Absolute'}
{'timestamp': 1552629517.097385, 'code': 'ABS_X', 'state': -64, 'event': 'Absolute'}
{'timestamp': 1552629517.109388, 'code': 'ABS_X', 'state': -211, 'event': 'Absolute'}
{'timestamp': 1552629517.117379, 'code': 'ABS_X', 'state': -242, 'event': 'Absolute'}

The resulting events are all button presses and joystick control. For example, ABS_X here refers to the horizontal position of the right joystick on a wired Xbox controller.

API

class rtcbot.inputs.Gamepad(eventFilter=<function <lambda>>, loop=None)[source]

Bases: rtcbot.inputs.InputDevice

close()

Shuts down data gathering, and closes all subscriptions. Note that it is not recommended to call this in an async function, since it waits until the background thread joins.

The object is meant to be used as a singleton, which is initialized at the start of your code, and is closed when shutting down.

property closed

Returns whether the object was closed. This includes both thrown exceptions, and clean exits.

property error

If there is an error that causes the underlying process to crash, this property will hold the actual Exception that was thrown:

if myobject.error is not None:
    print("Oh no! There was an error:",myobject.error)

This property is offered for convenience, but usually, you will want to subscribe to the error by using onError(), which will notify your app when the issue happens.

Note

If the error is not None, the object is considered crashed, and no longer processing data.

async get()

Behaves similarly to subscribe().get(). On the first call, creates a default subscription, and all subsequent calls to get() use that subscription.

If unsubscribe() is called, the subscription is deleted, so a subsequent call to get() will create a new one:

data = await myobj.get() # Creates subscription on first call
data = await myobj.get() # Same subscription
myobj.unsubscribe()
data2 = await myobj.get() # A new subscription

The above code is equivalent to the following:

defaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
myobj.unsubscribe(defaultSubscription)
newDefaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await newDefaultSubscription.get()
onClose(subscription=None)

This is mainly useful for connections - they can be closed remotely. This allows handling the close event.

@myobj.onClose
def closeCallback():
    print("Closed!)

Be aware that this is equivalent to explicitly awaiting the object:

await myobj
onError(subscription=None)

Since most data processing happens in the background, the object might encounter an error, and the data processing might crash. If there is a crash, the object is considered dead, and no longer gathering data.

To catch these errors, when an unhandled exception happens, the error event is fired, with the associated Exception. This function allows you to subscribe to these events:

@myobj.onError
def error_happened(err):
    print("Crap, stuff just crashed: ",err)

The onError() function behaves in the same way as a subscribe(), which means that you can pass it a coroutine, or even directly await it:

err = await myobj.onError()
onReady(subscription=None)

Creating the class does not mean that the object is ready to process data. When created, the object starts an initialization procedure in the background, and once this procedure is complete, and any spawned background workers are ready to process data, it fires a ready event.

This function allows you to listen for this event:

@myobj.onReady
def readyCallback():
    print("Ready!)

The function works in exactly the same way as a subscribe(), meaning that you can pass it a coroutine, or even await it directly:

await myobj.onReady()

Note

The object will automatically handle any subscriptions or inserts that happen while it is initializing, so you generally don’t need to worry about the ready event, unless you need exact control.

property ready

This is True when the class has been fully initialized, and is ready to process data:

if not myobject.ready:
    print("Not ready to process data")

This property is offered for convenience, but if you want to be notifed when ready to process data, you will want to use the onReady() function, which will allow you to set up a callback/coroutine to wait until initialized.

Note

You usually don’t need to check the ready state, since all functions for getting/putting data will work even if the class is still starting up in the background.

subscribe(subscription=None)

Allows subscribing to new data as it comes in, returning a subscription (see Subscriptions):

s = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    data = await s.get()
    print(data)

There can be multiple subscriptions active at the same time, each of which get identical data. Each call to subscribe() returns a new, independent subscription:

s1 = myobj.subscribe()
s2 = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    assert await s1.get()== await s2.get()

This function can also be used as a callback:

@myobj.subscribe
def newData(data):
    print("Got data:",data)

If passed an argument, it attempts to use the given callback/coroutine/subscription to notify of incoming data.

Parameters

subscription (optional) –

An optional existing subscription to subscribe to. This can be one of 3 things:

  1. An object which has the method put_nowait (see Subscriptions):

    q = asyncio.Queue()
myobj.subscribe(q)
while True:
    data = await q.get()
    print(data)

  2. A callback function - this will be called the moment new data is inserted:

    @myobj.subscribe
def myfunction(data):
    print(data)

  3. An coroutine callback - A future of this coroutine is created on each insert:

    @myobj.subscribe
async def myfunction(data):
    await asyncio.sleep(5)
    print(data)

Returns

A subscription. If one was passed in, returns the passed in subscription:

q = asyncio.Queue()
ret = thing.subscribe(q)
assert ret==q

unsubscribe(subscription=None)

Removes the given subscription, so that it no longer gets updated:

subs = myobj.subscribe()
myobj.unsubscribe(subs)

If no argument is given, removes the default subscription created by get(). If none exists, then does nothing.

Parameters

subscription (optional) – Anything that was passed into/returned from subscribe().

unsubscribeAll()

Removes all currently active subscriptions, including the default one if it was intialized.

class rtcbot.inputs.InputDevice(device, eventFilter=<function <lambda>>, loop=None)[source]

Bases: rtcbot.base.multiprocess.ProcessSubscriptionProducer

A thin wrapper over inputs, which permits getting events in an asynchronous manner.

close()

Shuts down data gathering, and closes all subscriptions. Note that it is not recommended to call this in an async function, since it waits until the background thread joins.

The object is meant to be used as a singleton, which is initialized at the start of your code, and is closed when shutting down.

property closed

Returns whether the object was closed. This includes both thrown exceptions, and clean exits.

property error

If there is an error that causes the underlying process to crash, this property will hold the actual Exception that was thrown:

if myobject.error is not None:
    print("Oh no! There was an error:",myobject.error)

This property is offered for convenience, but usually, you will want to subscribe to the error by using onError(), which will notify your app when the issue happens.

Note

If the error is not None, the object is considered crashed, and no longer processing data.

async get()

Behaves similarly to subscribe().get(). On the first call, creates a default subscription, and all subsequent calls to get() use that subscription.

If unsubscribe() is called, the subscription is deleted, so a subsequent call to get() will create a new one:

data = await myobj.get() # Creates subscription on first call
data = await myobj.get() # Same subscription
myobj.unsubscribe()
data2 = await myobj.get() # A new subscription

The above code is equivalent to the following:

defaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
myobj.unsubscribe(defaultSubscription)
newDefaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await newDefaultSubscription.get()
onClose(subscription=None)

This is mainly useful for connections - they can be closed remotely. This allows handling the close event.

@myobj.onClose
def closeCallback():
    print("Closed!)

Be aware that this is equivalent to explicitly awaiting the object:

await myobj
onError(subscription=None)

Since most data processing happens in the background, the object might encounter an error, and the data processing might crash. If there is a crash, the object is considered dead, and no longer gathering data.

To catch these errors, when an unhandled exception happens, the error event is fired, with the associated Exception. This function allows you to subscribe to these events:

@myobj.onError
def error_happened(err):
    print("Crap, stuff just crashed: ",err)

The onError() function behaves in the same way as a subscribe(), which means that you can pass it a coroutine, or even directly await it:

err = await myobj.onError()
onReady(subscription=None)

Creating the class does not mean that the object is ready to process data. When created, the object starts an initialization procedure in the background, and once this procedure is complete, and any spawned background workers are ready to process data, it fires a ready event.

This function allows you to listen for this event:

@myobj.onReady
def readyCallback():
    print("Ready!)

The function works in exactly the same way as a subscribe(), meaning that you can pass it a coroutine, or even await it directly:

await myobj.onReady()

Note

The object will automatically handle any subscriptions or inserts that happen while it is initializing, so you generally don’t need to worry about the ready event, unless you need exact control.

property ready

This is True when the class has been fully initialized, and is ready to process data:

if not myobject.ready:
    print("Not ready to process data")

This property is offered for convenience, but if you want to be notifed when ready to process data, you will want to use the onReady() function, which will allow you to set up a callback/coroutine to wait until initialized.

Note

You usually don’t need to check the ready state, since all functions for getting/putting data will work even if the class is still starting up in the background.

subscribe(subscription=None)

Allows subscribing to new data as it comes in, returning a subscription (see Subscriptions):

s = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    data = await s.get()
    print(data)

There can be multiple subscriptions active at the same time, each of which get identical data. Each call to subscribe() returns a new, independent subscription:

s1 = myobj.subscribe()
s2 = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    assert await s1.get()== await s2.get()

This function can also be used as a callback:

@myobj.subscribe
def newData(data):
    print("Got data:",data)

If passed an argument, it attempts to use the given callback/coroutine/subscription to notify of incoming data.

Parameters

subscription (optional) –

An optional existing subscription to subscribe to. This can be one of 3 things:

  1. An object which has the method put_nowait (see Subscriptions):

    q = asyncio.Queue()
myobj.subscribe(q)
while True:
    data = await q.get()
    print(data)

  2. A callback function - this will be called the moment new data is inserted:

    @myobj.subscribe
def myfunction(data):
    print(data)

  3. An coroutine callback - A future of this coroutine is created on each insert:

    @myobj.subscribe
async def myfunction(data):
    await asyncio.sleep(5)
    print(data)

Returns

A subscription. If one was passed in, returns the passed in subscription:

q = asyncio.Queue()
ret = thing.subscribe(q)
assert ret==q

unsubscribe(subscription=None)

Removes the given subscription, so that it no longer gets updated:

subs = myobj.subscribe()
myobj.unsubscribe(subs)

If no argument is given, removes the default subscription created by get(). If none exists, then does nothing.

Parameters

subscription (optional) – Anything that was passed into/returned from subscribe().

unsubscribeAll()

Removes all currently active subscriptions, including the default one if it was intialized.

class rtcbot.inputs.Keyboard(eventFilter=<function <lambda>>, loop=None)[source]

Bases: rtcbot.inputs.InputDevice

close()

Shuts down data gathering, and closes all subscriptions. Note that it is not recommended to call this in an async function, since it waits until the background thread joins.

The object is meant to be used as a singleton, which is initialized at the start of your code, and is closed when shutting down.

property closed

Returns whether the object was closed. This includes both thrown exceptions, and clean exits.

property error

If there is an error that causes the underlying process to crash, this property will hold the actual Exception that was thrown:

if myobject.error is not None:
    print("Oh no! There was an error:",myobject.error)

This property is offered for convenience, but usually, you will want to subscribe to the error by using onError(), which will notify your app when the issue happens.

Note

If the error is not None, the object is considered crashed, and no longer processing data.

async get()

Behaves similarly to subscribe().get(). On the first call, creates a default subscription, and all subsequent calls to get() use that subscription.

If unsubscribe() is called, the subscription is deleted, so a subsequent call to get() will create a new one:

data = await myobj.get() # Creates subscription on first call
data = await myobj.get() # Same subscription
myobj.unsubscribe()
data2 = await myobj.get() # A new subscription

The above code is equivalent to the following:

defaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
myobj.unsubscribe(defaultSubscription)
newDefaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await newDefaultSubscription.get()
onClose(subscription=None)

This is mainly useful for connections - they can be closed remotely. This allows handling the close event.

@myobj.onClose
def closeCallback():
    print("Closed!)

Be aware that this is equivalent to explicitly awaiting the object:

await myobj
onError(subscription=None)

Since most data processing happens in the background, the object might encounter an error, and the data processing might crash. If there is a crash, the object is considered dead, and no longer gathering data.

To catch these errors, when an unhandled exception happens, the error event is fired, with the associated Exception. This function allows you to subscribe to these events:

@myobj.onError
def error_happened(err):
    print("Crap, stuff just crashed: ",err)

The onError() function behaves in the same way as a subscribe(), which means that you can pass it a coroutine, or even directly await it:

err = await myobj.onError()
onReady(subscription=None)

Creating the class does not mean that the object is ready to process data. When created, the object starts an initialization procedure in the background, and once this procedure is complete, and any spawned background workers are ready to process data, it fires a ready event.

This function allows you to listen for this event:

@myobj.onReady
def readyCallback():
    print("Ready!)

The function works in exactly the same way as a subscribe(), meaning that you can pass it a coroutine, or even await it directly:

await myobj.onReady()

Note

The object will automatically handle any subscriptions or inserts that happen while it is initializing, so you generally don’t need to worry about the ready event, unless you need exact control.

property ready

This is True when the class has been fully initialized, and is ready to process data:

if not myobject.ready:
    print("Not ready to process data")

This property is offered for convenience, but if you want to be notifed when ready to process data, you will want to use the onReady() function, which will allow you to set up a callback/coroutine to wait until initialized.

Note

You usually don’t need to check the ready state, since all functions for getting/putting data will work even if the class is still starting up in the background.

subscribe(subscription=None)

Allows subscribing to new data as it comes in, returning a subscription (see Subscriptions):

s = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    data = await s.get()
    print(data)

There can be multiple subscriptions active at the same time, each of which get identical data. Each call to subscribe() returns a new, independent subscription:

s1 = myobj.subscribe()
s2 = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    assert await s1.get()== await s2.get()

This function can also be used as a callback:

@myobj.subscribe
def newData(data):
    print("Got data:",data)

If passed an argument, it attempts to use the given callback/coroutine/subscription to notify of incoming data.

Parameters

subscription (optional) –

An optional existing subscription to subscribe to. This can be one of 3 things:

  1. An object which has the method put_nowait (see Subscriptions):

    q = asyncio.Queue()
myobj.subscribe(q)
while True:
    data = await q.get()
    print(data)

  2. A callback function - this will be called the moment new data is inserted:

    @myobj.subscribe
def myfunction(data):
    print(data)

  3. An coroutine callback - A future of this coroutine is created on each insert:

    @myobj.subscribe
async def myfunction(data):
    await asyncio.sleep(5)
    print(data)

Returns

A subscription. If one was passed in, returns the passed in subscription:

q = asyncio.Queue()
ret = thing.subscribe(q)
assert ret==q

unsubscribe(subscription=None)

Removes the given subscription, so that it no longer gets updated:

subs = myobj.subscribe()
myobj.unsubscribe(subs)

If no argument is given, removes the default subscription created by get(). If none exists, then does nothing.

Parameters

subscription (optional) – Anything that was passed into/returned from subscribe().

unsubscribeAll()

Removes all currently active subscriptions, including the default one if it was intialized.

class rtcbot.inputs.Mouse(eventFilter=<function <lambda>>, loop=None)[source]

Bases: rtcbot.inputs.InputDevice

close()

Shuts down data gathering, and closes all subscriptions. Note that it is not recommended to call this in an async function, since it waits until the background thread joins.

The object is meant to be used as a singleton, which is initialized at the start of your code, and is closed when shutting down.

property closed

Returns whether the object was closed. This includes both thrown exceptions, and clean exits.

property error

If there is an error that causes the underlying process to crash, this property will hold the actual Exception that was thrown:

if myobject.error is not None:
    print("Oh no! There was an error:",myobject.error)

This property is offered for convenience, but usually, you will want to subscribe to the error by using onError(), which will notify your app when the issue happens.

Note

If the error is not None, the object is considered crashed, and no longer processing data.

async get()

Behaves similarly to subscribe().get(). On the first call, creates a default subscription, and all subsequent calls to get() use that subscription.

If unsubscribe() is called, the subscription is deleted, so a subsequent call to get() will create a new one:

data = await myobj.get() # Creates subscription on first call
data = await myobj.get() # Same subscription
myobj.unsubscribe()
data2 = await myobj.get() # A new subscription

The above code is equivalent to the following:

defaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
data = await defaultSubscription.get()
myobj.unsubscribe(defaultSubscription)
newDefaultSubscription = myobj.subscribe()
data = await newDefaultSubscription.get()
onClose(subscription=None)

This is mainly useful for connections - they can be closed remotely. This allows handling the close event.

@myobj.onClose
def closeCallback():
    print("Closed!)

Be aware that this is equivalent to explicitly awaiting the object:

await myobj
onError(subscription=None)

Since most data processing happens in the background, the object might encounter an error, and the data processing might crash. If there is a crash, the object is considered dead, and no longer gathering data.

To catch these errors, when an unhandled exception happens, the error event is fired, with the associated Exception. This function allows you to subscribe to these events:

@myobj.onError
def error_happened(err):
    print("Crap, stuff just crashed: ",err)

The onError() function behaves in the same way as a subscribe(), which means that you can pass it a coroutine, or even directly await it:

err = await myobj.onError()
onReady(subscription=None)

Creating the class does not mean that the object is ready to process data. When created, the object starts an initialization procedure in the background, and once this procedure is complete, and any spawned background workers are ready to process data, it fires a ready event.

This function allows you to listen for this event:

@myobj.onReady
def readyCallback():
    print("Ready!)

The function works in exactly the same way as a subscribe(), meaning that you can pass it a coroutine, or even await it directly:

await myobj.onReady()

Note

The object will automatically handle any subscriptions or inserts that happen while it is initializing, so you generally don’t need to worry about the ready event, unless you need exact control.

property ready

This is True when the class has been fully initialized, and is ready to process data:

if not myobject.ready:
    print("Not ready to process data")

This property is offered for convenience, but if you want to be notifed when ready to process data, you will want to use the onReady() function, which will allow you to set up a callback/coroutine to wait until initialized.

Note

You usually don’t need to check the ready state, since all functions for getting/putting data will work even if the class is still starting up in the background.

subscribe(subscription=None)

Allows subscribing to new data as it comes in, returning a subscription (see Subscriptions):

s = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    data = await s.get()
    print(data)

There can be multiple subscriptions active at the same time, each of which get identical data. Each call to subscribe() returns a new, independent subscription:

s1 = myobj.subscribe()
s2 = myobj.subscribe()
while True:
    assert await s1.get()== await s2.get()

This function can also be used as a callback:

@myobj.subscribe
def newData(data):
    print("Got data:",data)

If passed an argument, it attempts to use the given callback/coroutine/subscription to notify of incoming data.

Parameters

subscription (optional) –

An optional existing subscription to subscribe to. This can be one of 3 things:

  1. An object which has the method put_nowait (see Subscriptions):

    q = asyncio.Queue()
myobj.subscribe(q)
while True:
    data = await q.get()
    print(data)

  2. A callback function - this will be called the moment new data is inserted:

    @myobj.subscribe
def myfunction(data):
    print(data)

  3. An coroutine callback - A future of this coroutine is created on each insert:

    @myobj.subscribe
async def myfunction(data):
    await asyncio.sleep(5)
    print(data)

Returns

A subscription. If one was passed in, returns the passed in subscription:

q = asyncio.Queue()
ret = thing.subscribe(q)
assert ret==q

unsubscribe(subscription=None)

Removes the given subscription, so that it no longer gets updated:

subs = myobj.subscribe()
myobj.unsubscribe(subs)

If no argument is given, removes the default subscription created by get(). If none exists, then does nothing.

Parameters

subscription (optional) – Anything that was passed into/returned from subscribe().

unsubscribeAll()

Removes all currently active subscriptions, including the default one if it was intialized.

rtcbot.inputs.defaultFilter(x)