1 GPIO Descriptor Consumer Interface
2 ==================================
4 This document describes the consumer interface of the GPIO framework. Note that
5 it describes the new descriptor-based interface. For a description of the
6 deprecated integer-based GPIO interface please refer to gpio-legacy.txt.
9 Guidelines for GPIOs consumers
10 ==============================
12 Drivers that can't work without standard GPIO calls should have Kconfig entries
13 that depend on GPIOLIB or select GPIOLIB. The functions that allow a driver to
14 obtain and use GPIOs are available by including the following file:
16 #include <linux/gpio/consumer.h>
18 There are static inline stubs for all functions in the header file in the case
19 where GPIOLIB is disabled. When these stubs are called they will emit
20 warnings. These stubs are used for two use cases:
22 - Simple compile coverage with e.g. COMPILE_TEST - it does not matter that
23 the current platform does not enable or select GPIOLIB because we are not
24 going to execute the system anyway.
26 - Truly optional GPIOLIB support - where the driver does not really make use
27 of the GPIOs on certain compile-time configurations for certain systems, but
28 will use it under other compile-time configurations. In this case the
29 consumer must make sure not to call into these functions, or the user will
30 be met with console warnings that may be perceived as intimidating.
32 All the functions that work with the descriptor-based GPIO interface are
33 prefixed with gpiod_. The gpio_ prefix is used for the legacy interface. No
34 other function in the kernel should use these prefixes. The use of the legacy
35 functions is strongly discouraged, new code should use <linux/gpio/consumer.h>
36 and descriptors exclusively.
39 Obtaining and Disposing GPIOs
40 =============================
42 With the descriptor-based interface, GPIOs are identified with an opaque,
43 non-forgeable handler that must be obtained through a call to one of the
44 gpiod_get() functions. Like many other kernel subsystems, gpiod_get() takes the
45 device that will use the GPIO and the function the requested GPIO is supposed to
48 struct gpio_desc *gpiod_get(struct device *dev, const char *con_id,
49 enum gpiod_flags flags)
51 If a function is implemented by using several GPIOs together (e.g. a simple LED
52 device that displays digits), an additional index argument can be specified:
54 struct gpio_desc *gpiod_get_index(struct device *dev,
55 const char *con_id, unsigned int idx,
56 enum gpiod_flags flags)
58 For a more detailed description of the con_id parameter in the DeviceTree case
59 see Documentation/gpio/board.txt
61 The flags parameter is used to optionally specify a direction and initial value
62 for the GPIO. Values can be:
64 * GPIOD_ASIS or 0 to not initialize the GPIO at all. The direction must be set
65 later with one of the dedicated functions.
66 * GPIOD_IN to initialize the GPIO as input.
67 * GPIOD_OUT_LOW to initialize the GPIO as output with a value of 0.
68 * GPIOD_OUT_HIGH to initialize the GPIO as output with a value of 1.
69 * GPIOD_OUT_LOW_OPEN_DRAIN same as GPIOD_OUT_LOW but also enforce the line
70 to be electrically used with open drain.
71 * GPIOD_OUT_HIGH_OPEN_DRAIN same as GPIOD_OUT_HIGH but also enforce the line
72 to be electrically used with open drain.
74 The two last flags are used for use cases where open drain is mandatory, such
75 as I2C: if the line is not already configured as open drain in the mappings
76 (see board.txt), then open drain will be enforced anyway and a warning will be
77 printed that the board configuration needs to be updated to match the use case.
79 Both functions return either a valid GPIO descriptor, or an error code checkable
80 with IS_ERR() (they will never return a NULL pointer). -ENOENT will be returned
81 if and only if no GPIO has been assigned to the device/function/index triplet,
82 other error codes are used for cases where a GPIO has been assigned but an error
83 occurred while trying to acquire it. This is useful to discriminate between mere
84 errors and an absence of GPIO for optional GPIO parameters. For the common
85 pattern where a GPIO is optional, the gpiod_get_optional() and
86 gpiod_get_index_optional() functions can be used. These functions return NULL
87 instead of -ENOENT if no GPIO has been assigned to the requested function:
89 struct gpio_desc *gpiod_get_optional(struct device *dev,
91 enum gpiod_flags flags)
93 struct gpio_desc *gpiod_get_index_optional(struct device *dev,
96 enum gpiod_flags flags)
98 Note that gpio_get*_optional() functions (and their managed variants), unlike
99 the rest of gpiolib API, also return NULL when gpiolib support is disabled.
100 This is helpful to driver authors, since they do not need to special case
101 -ENOSYS return codes. System integrators should however be careful to enable
102 gpiolib on systems that need it.
104 For a function using multiple GPIOs all of those can be obtained with one call:
106 struct gpio_descs *gpiod_get_array(struct device *dev,
108 enum gpiod_flags flags)
110 This function returns a struct gpio_descs which contains an array of
115 struct gpio_desc *desc[];
118 The following function returns NULL instead of -ENOENT if no GPIOs have been
119 assigned to the requested function:
121 struct gpio_descs *gpiod_get_array_optional(struct device *dev,
123 enum gpiod_flags flags)
125 Device-managed variants of these functions are also defined:
127 struct gpio_desc *devm_gpiod_get(struct device *dev, const char *con_id,
128 enum gpiod_flags flags)
130 struct gpio_desc *devm_gpiod_get_index(struct device *dev,
133 enum gpiod_flags flags)
135 struct gpio_desc *devm_gpiod_get_optional(struct device *dev,
137 enum gpiod_flags flags)
139 struct gpio_desc *devm_gpiod_get_index_optional(struct device *dev,
142 enum gpiod_flags flags)
144 struct gpio_descs *devm_gpiod_get_array(struct device *dev,
146 enum gpiod_flags flags)
148 struct gpio_descs *devm_gpiod_get_array_optional(struct device *dev,
150 enum gpiod_flags flags)
152 A GPIO descriptor can be disposed of using the gpiod_put() function:
154 void gpiod_put(struct gpio_desc *desc)
156 For an array of GPIOs this function can be used:
158 void gpiod_put_array(struct gpio_descs *descs)
160 It is strictly forbidden to use a descriptor after calling these functions.
161 It is also not allowed to individually release descriptors (using gpiod_put())
162 from an array acquired with gpiod_get_array().
164 The device-managed variants are, unsurprisingly:
166 void devm_gpiod_put(struct device *dev, struct gpio_desc *desc)
168 void devm_gpiod_put_array(struct device *dev, struct gpio_descs *descs)
176 The first thing a driver must do with a GPIO is setting its direction. If no
177 direction-setting flags have been given to gpiod_get*(), this is done by
178 invoking one of the gpiod_direction_*() functions:
180 int gpiod_direction_input(struct gpio_desc *desc)
181 int gpiod_direction_output(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value)
183 The return value is zero for success, else a negative errno. It should be
184 checked, since the get/set calls don't return errors and since misconfiguration
185 is possible. You should normally issue these calls from a task context. However,
186 for spinlock-safe GPIOs it is OK to use them before tasking is enabled, as part
187 of early board setup.
189 For output GPIOs, the value provided becomes the initial output value. This
190 helps avoid signal glitching during system startup.
192 A driver can also query the current direction of a GPIO:
194 int gpiod_get_direction(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
196 This function returns 0 for output, 1 for input, or an error code in case of error.
198 Be aware that there is no default direction for GPIOs. Therefore, **using a GPIO
199 without setting its direction first is illegal and will result in undefined
203 Spinlock-Safe GPIO Access
204 -------------------------
205 Most GPIO controllers can be accessed with memory read/write instructions. Those
206 don't need to sleep, and can safely be done from inside hard (non-threaded) IRQ
207 handlers and similar contexts.
209 Use the following calls to access GPIOs from an atomic context:
211 int gpiod_get_value(const struct gpio_desc *desc);
212 void gpiod_set_value(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value);
214 The values are boolean, zero for low, nonzero for high. When reading the value
215 of an output pin, the value returned should be what's seen on the pin. That
216 won't always match the specified output value, because of issues including
217 open-drain signaling and output latencies.
219 The get/set calls do not return errors because "invalid GPIO" should have been
220 reported earlier from gpiod_direction_*(). However, note that not all platforms
221 can read the value of output pins; those that can't should always return zero.
222 Also, using these calls for GPIOs that can't safely be accessed without sleeping
223 (see below) is an error.
226 GPIO Access That May Sleep
227 --------------------------
228 Some GPIO controllers must be accessed using message based buses like I2C or
229 SPI. Commands to read or write those GPIO values require waiting to get to the
230 head of a queue to transmit a command and get its response. This requires
231 sleeping, which can't be done from inside IRQ handlers.
233 Platforms that support this type of GPIO distinguish them from other GPIOs by
234 returning nonzero from this call:
236 int gpiod_cansleep(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
238 To access such GPIOs, a different set of accessors is defined:
240 int gpiod_get_value_cansleep(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
241 void gpiod_set_value_cansleep(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value)
243 Accessing such GPIOs requires a context which may sleep, for example a threaded
244 IRQ handler, and those accessors must be used instead of spinlock-safe
245 accessors without the cansleep() name suffix.
247 Other than the fact that these accessors might sleep, and will work on GPIOs
248 that can't be accessed from hardIRQ handlers, these calls act the same as the
252 The active low and open drain semantics
253 ---------------------------------------
254 As a consumer should not have to care about the physical line level, all of the
255 gpiod_set_value_xxx() or gpiod_set_array_value_xxx() functions operate with
256 the *logical* value. With this they take the active low property into account.
257 This means that they check whether the GPIO is configured to be active low,
258 and if so, they manipulate the passed value before the physical line level is
261 The same is applicable for open drain or open source output lines: those do not
262 actively drive their output high (open drain) or low (open source), they just
263 switch their output to a high impedance value. The consumer should not need to
264 care. (For details read about open drain in driver.txt.)
266 With this, all the gpiod_set_(array)_value_xxx() functions interpret the
267 parameter "value" as "asserted" ("1") or "de-asserted" ("0"). The physical line
268 level will be driven accordingly.
270 As an example, if the active low property for a dedicated GPIO is set, and the
271 gpiod_set_(array)_value_xxx() passes "asserted" ("1"), the physical line level
276 Function (example) line property physical line
277 gpiod_set_raw_value(desc, 0); don't care low
278 gpiod_set_raw_value(desc, 1); don't care high
279 gpiod_set_value(desc, 0); default (active high) low
280 gpiod_set_value(desc, 1); default (active high) high
281 gpiod_set_value(desc, 0); active low high
282 gpiod_set_value(desc, 1); active low low
283 gpiod_set_value(desc, 0); default (active high) low
284 gpiod_set_value(desc, 1); default (active high) high
285 gpiod_set_value(desc, 0); open drain low
286 gpiod_set_value(desc, 1); open drain high impedance
287 gpiod_set_value(desc, 0); open source high impedance
288 gpiod_set_value(desc, 1); open source high
290 It is possible to override these semantics using the *set_raw/'get_raw functions
291 but it should be avoided as much as possible, especially by system-agnostic drivers
292 which should not need to care about the actual physical line level and worry about
293 the logical value instead.
296 Accessing raw GPIO values
297 -------------------------
298 Consumers exist that need to manage the logical state of a GPIO line, i.e. the value
299 their device will actually receive, no matter what lies between it and the GPIO
302 The following set of calls ignore the active-low or open drain property of a GPIO and
303 work on the raw line value:
305 int gpiod_get_raw_value(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
306 void gpiod_set_raw_value(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value)
307 int gpiod_get_raw_value_cansleep(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
308 void gpiod_set_raw_value_cansleep(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value)
309 int gpiod_direction_output_raw(struct gpio_desc *desc, int value)
311 The active low state of a GPIO can also be queried using the following call:
313 int gpiod_is_active_low(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
315 Note that these functions should only be used with great moderation; a driver
316 should not have to care about the physical line level or open drain semantics.
319 Access multiple GPIOs with a single function call
320 -------------------------------------------------
321 The following functions get or set the values of an array of GPIOs:
323 int gpiod_get_array_value(unsigned int array_size,
324 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
326 int gpiod_get_raw_array_value(unsigned int array_size,
327 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
329 int gpiod_get_array_value_cansleep(unsigned int array_size,
330 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
332 int gpiod_get_raw_array_value_cansleep(unsigned int array_size,
333 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
336 void gpiod_set_array_value(unsigned int array_size,
337 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
339 void gpiod_set_raw_array_value(unsigned int array_size,
340 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
342 void gpiod_set_array_value_cansleep(unsigned int array_size,
343 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
345 void gpiod_set_raw_array_value_cansleep(unsigned int array_size,
346 struct gpio_desc **desc_array,
349 The array can be an arbitrary set of GPIOs. The functions will try to access
350 GPIOs belonging to the same bank or chip simultaneously if supported by the
351 corresponding chip driver. In that case a significantly improved performance
352 can be expected. If simultaneous access is not possible the GPIOs will be
353 accessed sequentially.
355 The functions take three arguments:
356 * array_size - the number of array elements
357 * desc_array - an array of GPIO descriptors
358 * value_array - an array to store the GPIOs' values (get) or
359 an array of values to assign to the GPIOs (set)
361 The descriptor array can be obtained using the gpiod_get_array() function
362 or one of its variants. If the group of descriptors returned by that function
363 matches the desired group of GPIOs, those GPIOs can be accessed by simply using
364 the struct gpio_descs returned by gpiod_get_array():
366 struct gpio_descs *my_gpio_descs = gpiod_get_array(...);
367 gpiod_set_array_value(my_gpio_descs->ndescs, my_gpio_descs->desc,
370 It is also possible to access a completely arbitrary array of descriptors. The
371 descriptors may be obtained using any combination of gpiod_get() and
372 gpiod_get_array(). Afterwards the array of descriptors has to be setup
373 manually before it can be passed to one of the above functions.
375 Note that for optimal performance GPIOs belonging to the same chip should be
376 contiguous within the array of descriptors.
378 The return value of gpiod_get_array_value() and its variants is 0 on success
379 or negative on error. Note the difference to gpiod_get_value(), which returns
380 0 or 1 on success to convey the GPIO value. With the array functions, the GPIO
381 values are stored in value_array rather than passed back as return value.
386 GPIO lines can quite often be used as IRQs. You can get the IRQ number
387 corresponding to a given GPIO using the following call:
389 int gpiod_to_irq(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
391 It will return an IRQ number, or a negative errno code if the mapping can't be
392 done (most likely because that particular GPIO cannot be used as IRQ). It is an
393 unchecked error to use a GPIO that wasn't set up as an input using
394 gpiod_direction_input(), or to use an IRQ number that didn't originally come
395 from gpiod_to_irq(). gpiod_to_irq() is not allowed to sleep.
397 Non-error values returned from gpiod_to_irq() can be passed to request_irq() or
398 free_irq(). They will often be stored into IRQ resources for platform devices,
399 by the board-specific initialization code. Note that IRQ trigger options are
400 part of the IRQ interface, e.g. IRQF_TRIGGER_FALLING, as are system wakeup
407 On ACPI systems, GPIOs are described by GpioIo()/GpioInt() resources listed by
408 the _CRS configuration objects of devices. Those resources do not provide
409 connection IDs (names) for GPIOs, so it is necessary to use an additional
410 mechanism for this purpose.
412 Systems compliant with ACPI 5.1 or newer may provide a _DSD configuration object
413 which, among other things, may be used to provide connection IDs for specific
414 GPIOs described by the GpioIo()/GpioInt() resources in _CRS. If that is the
415 case, it will be handled by the GPIO subsystem automatically. However, if the
416 _DSD is not present, the mappings between GpioIo()/GpioInt() resources and GPIO
417 connection IDs need to be provided by device drivers.
419 For details refer to Documentation/acpi/gpio-properties.txt
422 Interacting With the Legacy GPIO Subsystem
423 ==========================================
424 Many kernel subsystems still handle GPIOs using the legacy integer-based
425 interface. Although it is strongly encouraged to upgrade them to the safer
426 descriptor-based API, the following two functions allow you to convert a GPIO
427 descriptor into the GPIO integer namespace and vice-versa:
429 int desc_to_gpio(const struct gpio_desc *desc)
430 struct gpio_desc *gpio_to_desc(unsigned gpio)
432 The GPIO number returned by desc_to_gpio() can be safely used as long as the
433 GPIO descriptor has not been freed. All the same, a GPIO number passed to
434 gpio_to_desc() must have been properly acquired, and usage of the returned GPIO
435 descriptor is only possible after the GPIO number has been released.
437 Freeing a GPIO obtained by one API with the other API is forbidden and an