Copyright © 2016 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio, Beihang). W3C liability, trademark and permissive document license rules apply.
This specification defines an API that provides scripted access to raw mouse movement data while locking the target of mouse events to a single element and removing the cursor from view. This is an essential input mode for certain classes of applications, especially first person perspective 3D applications and 3D modeling software.
This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at https://www.w3.org/TR/.
This specification is the 30 August 2016 Proposed Recommendation of Pointer Lock. The W3C Web Platform Working Group is the W3C working group responsible for this specification's progress along the W3C Recommendation track. This document is intended to become a W3C Recommendation. A Candidate Recommendation (CR) of the specification was published on 05 July 2016.
A history of changes to this document can be found at https://github.com/w3c/pointerlock/commits/gh-pages/index.html.
Summary of changes:
This document was published by the Web Platform Working Group as a Proposed Recommendation. This document is intended to become a W3C Recommendation. The W3C Membership and other interested parties are invited to review the document and send comments for this publication to public-webapps@w3.org (subscribe, archives) through 27 September 2016. Advisory Committee Representatives should consult their WBS questionnaires.
If you wish to make comments regarding this document, please send them to public-webapps@w3.org (subscribe, archives) or raise a GitHub issue.
Please see the Working Group's test suite and implementation report.
Publication as a Proposed Recommendation does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.
By publishing this Proposed Recommendation, W3C expects the functionality specified in this Proposed Recommendation will not be affected by changes to Web IDL and UI Events as this specification proceeds to Recommendation. The Working Group will continue to track these specifications.
This document was produced by a group operating under the 5 February 2004 W3C Patent Policy. W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy.
This document is governed by the 1 September 2015 W3C Process Document.
This section is non-normative.
The Pointer Lock API provides applications the ability to directly interpret mouse movements as an input method, rather than being limited to only read the position of the mouse cursor. A popular example is that of first person movement controls in three dimensional graphics applications such as games: movement of the mouse is interpreted to control the rotation/direction of the player's camera; no mouse cursor is displayed, and the movement is not limited to the traditional boundaries (such as the user agent's window, or the overall screen) that the mouse cursor is usually subject to, meaning that any mouse movements can be tracked indefinitely in any direction.
Pointer Lock is related to Mouse Capture [MSDN-SETCAPTURE] [MDN-SETCAPTURE] (Mouse Capture is unspecified: bug 14600). Capture provides continued event delivery to a target element while a mouse is being dragged, but ceases when the mouse button is released. Pointer Lock differs by being persistent, not limited by screen boundaries, sending events regardless of mouse button state, hiding the cursor, and not releasing until an API call or specific default unlock gesture by the user.
Pointer Lock deals with capturing a single resource and relating it to a single element. This is similar to the Fullscreen API [FULLSCREEN], which promotes a single element to be full screen. The Pointer Lock API chooses to pattern the resource capture, state change, and release API as closely as possible after the Fullscreen API.
The Pointer Lock interaction mode was previously referred to as mouse lock. The name was changed as many different controller types besides mice can manipulate the on screen pointing cursor, and they are all impacted.
As well as sections marked as non-normative, all authoring guidelines, diagrams, examples, and notes in this specification are non-normative. Everything else in this specification is normative.
The key word MUST is to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].
This specification defines conformance criteria that apply to a single product: the user agent that implements the interfaces that it contains.
Implementations that use ECMAScript to implement the APIs defined in this specification MUST implement them in a manner consistent with the ECMAScript Bindings defined in the Web IDL specification [WEBIDL] as this specification uses that specification and terminology.
A conforming implementation is required to implement all fields defined in this specification.
click
, but not
mousemove
. Engagement gestures are any events included in the definition of being
allowed to show a popup with the addition of keypress
and keyup
. Note that operating system level accessibility and internationalization features may intercept gestures before the user agent processes them for interaction with a page. E.g. multiple key press codes used to enter an extended international character.
pointerlockchange
and pointerlockerror
EventsTwo events are used to communicate pointer lock state change or an error in changing state. They are named pointerlockchange and pointerlockerror. If pointer lock is entered or exited for any reason a pointerlockchange event must be sent.
User agents must deliver these events by
queuing a task to
fire an event of the appropriate name with its
bubbles
attribute [DOM4] set to false to the pointer lock
target element's
node document.
Magnification software increases the size of content on the screen. It uses the mouse to move the magnified point of focus around. When a pointer lock is initiated, the magnification software needs to switch to using the keyboard to move the magnified point of focus around instead. When a pointerlockchange event is fired, web browsers therefore need to make sure the event is communicated to assistive technologies like screen magnifiers.
Element
Interface
The Element
interface is extended to provide the ability to request the the pointer be locked.
partial interface Element {
void requestPointerLock ();
};
requestPointerLock
Requests that the pointer be locked to a DOM element target. The user agent determines if pointer lock state will be entered and upon lock state change or error must send either a pointerlockchange or pointerlockerror event respectively.
Pointer lock must succeed only if the document object's active sandboxing flag set does not have the sandboxed pointer lock browsing context flag set.
Pointer lock must succeed only if the target is in the active document of a browsing context which is (or has an ancestor browsing context which is) in focus by a window which is in focus by the operating system's window manager. The target element and its browsing context need not be in focus.
If a user has exited pointer lock via the default unlock user gesture, or pointer lock has not previously been entered for this document, an event generated as a result of an engagement gesture must be received by the document before requestPointerLock will succeed.
This ensures a user can leave a document that constantly attempts to lock the pointer. The document will be blocked from locking upon initial navigation or re-acquiring lock unless the user re-engages directly with the document.
Conversely, if pointer lock is exited via exitPointerLock no engagement gesture is required to reenter pointer lock. This enables applications that frequently move between interaction modes, and ones that may do so based on a timer or remote network activity.
Pointer lock is commonly combined with fullscreen [FULLSCREEN], and if an engagement gesture is used to enter fullscreen it is sufficient for a subsequent requestPointerLock.
If any element (including this one) in the same document is already locked (or pending lock) the pointer lock target must be updated to this element and a pointerlockchange event sent.
If any element in another document is already locked the request must fail and a pointerlockerror event be sent.
Once in the locked state the user agent must fire all relevant user generated MouseEvent
events (for example:
mousemove
, mousedown
, mouseup
,
click
, and wheel
)[UIEVENTS] to the target of pointer lock, and not fire mouse events to other elements. Events that require the concept of a mouse cursor must not be dispatched (for example: mouseover
,
mouseout
, drag
, and drop
).
In the locked state the system mouse cursor must be hidden. Movement and button presses of the mouse must not cause the window to lose focus.
Synthetic mouse events created by application script act the same regardless of lock state.
void
Document
Interfacepartial interface Document {
attribute EventHandler onpointerlockchange;
attribute EventHandler onpointerlockerror;
readonly attribute Element
? pointerLockElement;
void exitPointerLock ();
};
onpointerlockchange
of type EventHandlerAn event handler for pointerlockchange events.
onpointerlockerror
of type EventHandlerAn event handler for pointerlockerror events.
pointerLockElement
of type Element
, readonly , nullableReturns the element set as the target for mouse events while the pointer is locked. Null if lock is pending, pointer is unlocked, or if the target is in another document.
exitPointerLock
Initiates an exit from pointer lock state if currently locked to a target in this document, and sends a pointerlockchange event when the lock state has been exited.
The system mouse cursor must be displayed again and positioned at the same location that it was when pointer lock was entered (the same location that is reported in screenX
, screenY
, when the pointer is locked).
void
MouseEvent
InterfaceUser agents must extend the MouseEvent interface [ UIEVENTS] with two members:
partial interface MouseEvent {
readonly attribute long movementX;
readonly attribute long movementY;
};
movementX
of type long, readonly movementY
of type long, readonly The members movementX
and movementY
must provide the change in position of the pointer, as if the values of
screenX
, screenY
, were stored between two subsequent
mousemove
events eNow
and
ePrevious
and the difference taken
movementX = eNow.screenX-ePrevious.screenX
.
movementX
/Y
must be zero for all mouse events except mousemove
. All motion data must be delivered via
mousemove
events such that between any two mouse events
earlierEvent
and currentEvent
the value of
currentEvent.screenX-earlierEvent.screenX
is equivalent to the sum of all movementX
values received on
mousemove
events after earlierEvent
, with the exception of when screenX can not be updated because the pointer is clipped by the user agent screen boundaries.
movementX
/Y
must be updated regardless of pointer lock state.
When unlocked, the system cursor can exit and re-enter the user
agent window. If it does so and the user agent was not the target of operating system mouse move events then the most recent pointer position will be unknown to the user agent and
movementX
/Y
can not be computed and must be set to zero.
When pointer lock is enabled clientX
, clientY
,
screenX
, and screenY
must hold constant values as if the pointer did not move at all once pointer lock was entered. But
movementX
/Y
must continue to provide the change in position of the pointer as when the pointer is unlocked. There will be no limit to movementX
/Y
values if the mouse is continuously moved in a single direction. The concept of the mouse cursor will have been removed, and it will not move off the window or be clamped by a screen edge.
The un-initialized value of movementX
/Y
must be 0
.
Large movement values must not appear in situations when mouse input
is interupted, such as the mouse cursor leaving the window and then
re-entering at another location.
If a User agent experiences a gap in receiving mouse input data from
the operating system then the next generated mousemove
event must have movementX
/Y
set to
0
.
These gaps may appear for example when the User agent
receives a mouse leaving event at the window system API. As an exception
mouse capture may allow the User agent to continue receiving mouse
events when the cursor moves outside the window.
MouseEventInit
DictionaryUser agents must extend the MouseEventInit dictionary [
UIEVENTS] with two members movementX
and
movementY
used to initialize respective members of MouseEvent
.
partial dictionary MouseEventInit {
long movementX = 0;
long movementY = 0;
};
MouseEventInit
MembersmovementX
of type long, defaulting to 0
movementY
of type long, defaulting to 0
A default unlock gesture must always be available that will exit pointer lock.
The ESC key is the recommended default unlock gesture for user agents with keyboard input. It is recommended that the unlock gesture also match any used to exit fullscreen [ FULLSCREEN].
Pointer lock must be exited if the target is disconnected, or the user agent, window, or tab loses focus. Moving focus between elements of active documents, including between browsing contexts, does not exit pointer lock. E.g. using the keyboard to move focus between contents of frames or iframes will not exit.
Pointer lock must not be exited when fullscreen [FULLSCREEN] is entered or exited unless the pointer is required to enable interaction with the user agent graphical user interface, the default unlock gesture was used to exit both fullscreen and pointer lock, or window or tab focus was lost.
This section is non-normative.
A player on a first/third person game will need to control the view-port orientation. A widely used method is the use of mouse movements to control the viewing angle. This kind of application can use the Pointer Lock API to allow a complete freedom of control over the viewport's yaw and pitch even when the user is not pressing mouse buttons. Those buttons can be used for other actions while constantly providing navigation via mouse movement.
Users of a three dimensional modeling application will need to rotate models. A application can use the Pointer Lock API to enable the author to rotate the model freely in a drag operation without limiting motion. Without pointer lock a drag would stop providing motion data when the mouse cursor is limited by the edge of the screen.
Similarly, absolute motion panning of a large two dimensional image could be permitted in a single drag operation without cursor / screen limits.
A player on a fast reflexes game controls a paddle to bounce back a ball to the opponent, while allowing the same paddle to execute actions based on different mouse buttons being pressed. The application can use the Pointer Lock API to allow the player to react quickly without being concerned about the mouse cursor leaving the game play area and clicking another system application, thus breaking the game flow.
When modifying numerically magnitudes in applications sometimes the user will prefer to "drag" a numeric control by its button handles to increment or decrement the numeric value. E.g. a spinner with a number entry text box and arrows pointing up and down that can be clicked or dragged on to change the value. An application could use the Pointer Lock API to allow modifying the numeric values beyond what the logical screen bounds allow. The same could apply for a control that fast forwards or rewinds a video or audio stream like a "jog".
Some games use a classical cursor, however they want it to be limited or controlled in some manner. E.g. limited to the bounds of the game, or movable by the game. Locking the pointer enables this if the application creates their own cursor. However HTML and DOM should still be available to use for user interface. Synthetic mouse events should be permitted to allow an application defined cursor to interact with DOM. E.g. the following code should permit a custom cursor to send click events while the pointer is locked:
document.addEventListener("click", function (e) {
if (e._isSynthetic)
return;
// send a synthetic click
var ee = document.createEvent("MouseEvents");
ee._isSynthetic = true;
x = myCursor.x;
y = myCursor.y;
ee.initMouseEvent("click", true, true, null, 1,
x + e.screenX - e.clientX,
y + e.screenY - e.clientY,
x,
y);
var target = document.elementFromPoint(x, y);
if (target)
target.dispatchEvent(ee);
});
Note that synthetic clicks may not be permitted by a user agent to produce the same default action as a non-synthetic click. However, application handlers can still take action and provide user interface with existing HTML & DOM mechanisms.
Real Time Strategy games often use this technique. When the player moves the pointer to the view-port borders, if they "push" the border with a mouse movement, the view-port is panned over the game area according to how much they move the mouse. When moving the mouse cursor within the bounds of the view port it acts at is typically would on a system. Applications may choose to implement this using pointer lock and the previous use case of "Synthetic cursor interaction with HTML DOM UI" to bring cursor behavior completely under their control.
Games that use pointer lock may desire a traditional UI and system cursor while players prepare in a game lobby. Games usually start after a short timer when all players are ready. Ideally the game could then switch to pointer lock mode without requiring an engagement gesture. Players should be able to seamlessly move from the game lobby into game navigation.
Game portals, and other sites such as Facebook and Google Plus, host games for users to play. These games may be hosted and served from a different origin from that of the portal site. Embedded games should be able to lock the pointer, even in non-full screen mode.
This section is non-normative.
Security Concerns:
Responses:
Recommendations:
Pointer lock is a required user interaction mode for certain application types, but carries a usability concern if maliciously used. An attacker could remove the ability for a user to control their mouse cursor on their system. User agents will prevent this by always providing a mechanism to exit pointer lock, by informing the user of how, and by limiting how pointer lock can be entered.
User agents will determine their own appropriate policies, which may be specialized per device or differ based on user options.
This section is non-normative.
Mouse Capture [MDN-SETCAPTURE] handles low security risk mouse event target lock for the duration of a mouse drag gesture. Pointer lock removes the concept of the cursor and directs all events to a given target. They are related, but different.
If a browser implemented both, it would be reasonable to support a combination of traits: The security simplicity of "automatically release lock when mouse up" and the increased functionality of total control over mouse input and removal of the system cursor. The security trait would allow more permissive use of the feature for applications that only required a short burst of pointer lock during a drag event.
This functionality is omitted from the initial version of this spec because it helps the minor use cases in windowed mode but we still do not have an implementation solving the major ones. And, to implement this a browser must implement both, which none does yet. It is not clear if this feature should live on .lock or on .setCapture. If both were implemented, either API could be augmented fairly easily to offer the hybrid functionality.
Even in non locked state, the delta values of mouse movement are useful. Changing the meaning of .client or .screen based on lock state would also cause easy errors in code not carefully monitoring the lock state.
When the pointer is locked 'wheel' events should be sent to the pointer lock target element just as 'mousemove' events are. There is a naming conflict with .deltaX/Y/Z as defined in DOM 3 'wheel' event.
There are good motivations to provide a more fine grained approach. E.g. the use case "View-port panning by moving a mouse cursor against the bounds of a view-port" doesn't require hiding the mouse cursor, only bounding it and always having delta values available. Also, this specification defines the movement deltas to be taken from how the system mouse cursor moves, which incorporates operating system filtering and acceleration of the mouse movement data. Applications may desire access to a more raw form of movement data prior to adjustments appropriate for a mouse cursor. Also, raw data may provide better than pixel level accuracy for movement, as well as higher frequency updates. Providing the raw delta movement would also not require special permission or mode from a user, and for some set of applications that do not require bounding the cursor may reduce the security barriers and prompts needed.
There are two justifications for postponing this finer grained approach. The first is a concern of specifying what units mouse movement data are provided in. This specification defines .movementX/Y precisely as the same values that could be recorded when the mouse is not under lock by changes in .screenX/Y. Implementations across multiple user agents and operating systems will easily be able to meet that requirement and provide application developers and users with a consistent experience. Further, users are expected to have already configured the full system of hardware input and operating system options resulting in a comfortable control the system mouse cursor. By specifying .movementX/Y in the same units mouse lock API applications will be instantly usable to all users because they have already settled their preferences.
Secondly, the implementation of providing movement data and bounding the mouse cursor is more difficult in the fine grained approach. Bundling the features together gives implementations freedom to use a variety of techniques as appropriate on each operating system and is more practical to implement. Direct APIs do not exist on major desktop platforms (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) to bound the cursor to a specific rectangle, and prototypes have not yet been developed to demonstrate building that behavior by e.g. invisible windows with Xlib or manual cursor movement on Mac. Unaccelerated Delta values have been proposed to be accessed by reading raw Human Interface Device (HID) data. E.g. WM_INPUT messages on Windows, and USB device APIs on Mac OS X / Linux. The challenge here is interpreting and normalizing the units to some consistent and specifiable scale. Also, most APIs considered to date are limited to USB devices.
It would be reasonable to consider adding these capabilities in the future, as the currently specified pointer lock API would be easy to continue to support if the finer grained delta and confinement features were implemented.
The bundled API is selected for implementation practicality, because the desired use cases are supported, and because it will not conflict with future improvements as discussed here.
Not yet, for the same reasons in the previous question: "Why bundle all functionality (hiding cursor, providing mouse deltas) instead of using CSS to hide the cursor, always providing delta values, and offering an API to restrict the cursor movement to a portion of the web page?".
When under pointer lock many mouse events remain relevant, e.g. click, mousedown, etc. These all share the same event data structure MouseEvent. If movement data were reported via a new data structure then a new event would be needed for reporting delta movement. The new data structure would have many parallels to MouseEvent to offer the same conveniences, e.g. button and modifier key states. When handling click, down, and up events would the existing mousedown, mouseup be used? If so, they would provide .clientX/Y and .screenX/Y with no useful data, but would lack the convenience of containing the current movement data. Or, new events would also be required for when the mouse is locked.
Also, movementX/Y are convenient even when the mouse is not locked. This spec requires movement members to always be valid, even when the mouse cursor exists. This reduces code required to track the last cursor state and mouseover/mouseout transitions if applications wish to make use of delta motion of the mouse.
The only negative of adding movementX/Y to MouseEvent appears to be the unused values in clientX/Y and screenX/Y when under pointer lock. This does not seem to be a significant problem.
Therefore the minimal change to add movementX/Y to MouseEvent is selected to reduce API and implementation complexity.
Consider a game with a 3D view controlled by moving the mouse cursor, while the user may still chat with other users via a text console. It is reasonable for the application to accept text input to an element that is different than where mouse events are being dispatched. This is similar to pre-existing behavior of receiving mousemove events over any element while typing into a form on a page.
This section is non-normative.
Many have made contributions to the discussions of this specification: