As the firmware evolves, there are - and will be - APIs that we deprecate, and
eventually remove. We are constantly adding new features and plugins too.
This document lists noteworthy new features for the *current* release, with examples of use. Another section provides a short guide for upgrading from deprecated APIs. For deprecations, their planned removal date is also listed.
If any of this does not make sense to you, or you have trouble updating your .ino sketch or custom plugins, do not hesitate to write us at help@keyboard.io, we can help you fix it.
As a matter of policy, we try hard to give you at least 60 days notice before we permanently remove or break
any API we've included in a release. Typically, this means that any code that uses the old API will emit a warning when compiled with a newer version of Kaleidoscope. In all cases, this document should explain how to update your code to use the new API.
The keymap cache (`Layer_::live_composite_keymap_[]`) has been replaced by an "active keys" cache (`Runtime_::active_keys_[]`). The top-level function that handles keyswitch events has been updated to make the new cache a representation of the current state of the keyboard, with corresponding `Key` values for any keys that are active (physically held or activated by a plugin).
#### For end-users
There should be no user-visible changes for anyone who simply uses core plugins. A few functions have been deprecated (`Layer.eventHandler()` &`Layer.updateLiveCompositeKeymap()`), but there are straightforward replacements for both.
#### For developers
The major changes are to the `handleKeyswitchEvent()` function, which has been reorganized in order to update the new active keys cache with correct values at the appropriate times. In addition to that, two new facilities are available:
##### `EventHandlerResult::ABORT`
This is a new return value available to plugin event handlers, which is similar to `EVENT_CONSUMED` in that it causes the calling hook function to return early (stopping any subsequent handlers from seeing the event), but is treated differently by `handleKeyswitchEvent()`. If a handler returns `EVENT_CONSUMED`, the active keys cache will still be updated by `handleKeyswitchEvent()`, but if it returns `ABORT`, it will not. In both cases, no further event processing will be done by the built-in event handler.
##### `Runtime.activeKey(key_addr)`
This is a new function that can be used to check the value of an entry in the active keys cache. For example, it could be used in a range-based `for` loop to check for values of interest:
```c++
for (KeyAddr key_addr : KeyAddr::all()) {
Key key = Runtime.activeKey(key_addr);
if (key == Key_LeftShift || key == Key_RightShift) {
In this release, we replace kaleidoscope-builder with a new Makefile based build system that uses `arduino-cli` instead of of the full Arduino IDE. This means that you can now check out development copies of Kaliedoscope into any directory, using the `KALEIDOSCOPE_DIR` environment variable to point to your installation.
We are introducing - or rather, replacing - the older hardware plugins, with a system that's much more composable, more extensible, and will allow us to better support new devices, different MCUs, and so on.
For end users, this doesn't come with any breaking changes. A few things have been deprecated (`ROWS`, `COLS`, `LED_COUNT`, `KeyboardHardware`), but they still function for the time being.
For those wishing to port Kaleidoscope to devices it doesn't support yet, the new API should make most things considerably easier. Please see the (work in progress) documentation in [doc/device-apis.md](doc/device-apis.md).
With the next version of `Kaleidoscope`, we are introducing a new plugin API. It's more efficient, smaller, and uses less resources than the previous one, while being more extensible, and a lot easier to use as well. But all of this matters little when one's not all that interested in writing plugins. However, the new plugin API comes with breaking changes, and one will need to update their own sketch too.
To achieve all of the above, we had to change how plugins are initialized. Instead of using `Kaleidoscope.use()` in the `setup()` method of one's sketch, the plugins must now be initialized with `KALEIDOSCOPE_INIT_PLUGINS()`, outside of the `setup()` method. While `use()` was expecting pointers (`&Plugin`), `_INIT_PLUGINS()` expects references (`Plugin`).
The conversion should be simple, and all of the official plugins have been updated already to use the new API, so they're safe to use this way. Some third-party plugins may still use the older API, they will need to be updated.
To make things clear, here's an example of how to migrate from the old way to the new:
```c++
// Old way
void setup() {
Kaleidoscope.use(&LEDControl,
&Macros,
&OneShot,
&MouseKeys,
&LEDOff,
&LEDRainbowEffect);
Kaleidoscope.setup();
```
```c++
// New way
KALEIDOSCOPE_INIT_PLUGINS(LEDControl,
Macros,
OneShot,
MouseKeys,
LEDOff,
LEDRainbowEffect);
void setup() {
Kaleidoscope.setup();
}
```
One thing to keep in mind is that with the old interface, plugins were able to automatically pull in their dependencies. This is not possible with the new interface, and one is required to initialize dependencies manually. Please consult the documentation of the plugins you use, to discover their dependencies - if any - and add them to the list if need be. You only need to add each dependency once.
Developing plugins should be considerably simpler now, there is no need to register hooks, just implement the parts of the `kaleidoscope::Plugin` interface that make sense for a particular plugin.
In practice, this boils down to implementing one or more of the following hook points:
-`onSetup()`: Called once during device bootup, at the end of the `setup()` method. It takes no arguments, and must return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::OK`.
-`beforeEachCycle()`: Called once, at the beginning of each cycle of the main loop. This is similar to the old "loop hook" with its `post_clear` argument set to false. Takes no arguments, must return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::OK`.
-`onKeyswitchEvent`: Called for every non-idle key event. This replaces the old "event handler hook". It takes a key reference, a key address, and a key state. The key reference can be updated to change the key being processed, so that any plugin that processes it further, will see the updated key. Can return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::OK` to let other plugins process the event further, or `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::EVENT_CONSUMED` to stop processing.
-`onFocusEvent`: Used to implement [bi-directional communication](#bidirectional-communication-for-plugins). This is called whenever the firmware receives a command from the host. The only argument is the command name. Can return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::OK` to let other plugins process the event further, or `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::EVENT_CONSUMED` to stop processing.
-`beforeReportingState`: Called without arguments, just before sending the keyboard and mouse reports to the host. Must return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult::OK`.
-`afterEachCycle`: Called without arguments at the very end of each cycle. This is the replacement for the "loop hook" with its `post_clear` argument set.
Whereas one would have used `Focus.addHook()` to register a new focus command, with the new architecture, one needs to add the object implementing the command to their list of plugins in `KALEIDOSCOPE_INIT_PLUGINS()`. A number of plugins that used to provide optional Focus commands now provide them by default. Some still provide optional ones, and we must transition to the new way.
For example, where one would have written the following before:
```c++
Focus.addHook(FOCUS_HOOK_LEDCONTROL);
```
...we need to add the appropriate object to the plugin list:
```c++
KALEIDOSCOPE_INIT_PLUGINS(LEDControl,
FocusLEDCommand)
```
#### For developers
Upgrading from `Focus` to `onFocusEvent` and `FocusSerial` is a reasonably simple process, the interface is quite similar. Nevertheless, we present a step-by-step guide here, covering two use cases: one where we wish to always provide a Focus command when both our plugin and `FocusSerial` are enabled; and another where we only wish to provide the command when explicitly asked to do so.
The biggest difference between `Focus` and `onFocusEvent` is that the former required explicit registering of hooks, while the latter does it automatically: every plugin that implements the `onFocusEvent` method will be part of the system. As a consequence, only plugins are able to supply new commands: there is no explicit registration, thus, no way to inject a command that isn't part of a plugin. This also means that these functions now return `kaleidoscope::EventHandlerResult` instead of `bool`. Furthermore, with `FocusSerial`, all communication is expected to go through it, instead of using `Serial` directly. Lets see a trivial example!
The new version is slightly more verbose for the trivial use case, because we have to wrap it up in an object. But other than that, the changes are minimal, and we don't need to explicitly register it!
Observe that the return values changed: with `Focus`, if we wanted other hooks to have a chance at processing the same command, the hook returned `false`; if we wanted to stop processing, and consider it consumed, it returned `true`. With the new system, this is more descriptive with the `EventHandlerResult::OK` and `EventHandlerResult::EVENT_CONSUMED` return values.
##### A stateful example
Perhaps a better example that shows the quality of life improvements the new system brings is the case where the command needs access to either plugin state, or plugin methods. With the former system, the focus hooks needed to be static methods, and needed to be public. This is not necessarily the case now, because `onFocusEvent` is a non-static object method. It has full access to plugin internals!
###### Focus
```c++
namespace kaleidoscope {
class ExamplePlugin : public Plugin {
public:
ExamplePlugin();
static bool exampleToggle() {
example_toggle_ = !example_toggle_;
return example_toggle_;
}
static bool focusHook(const char *command) {
if (strcmp_P(command, PSTR("example.toggle")) != 0)
It's just another plugin, with just another event handler method implemented, nothing more. No need to explicitly register the focus hook, no need to provide access to private variables - we can just keep them private.
##### Optional commands
Optional commands are something that were perhaps easier with the `Focus` method: one just didn't register them. With `onFocusEvent`, we need to do a bit more than that, and move the command to a separate plugin, if we do not wish to enable it in every case. This adds a bit of overhead, but still less than `Focus` did.
###### Focus
```c++
bool exampleOptionalHook(const char *command) {
if (strcmp_P(command, PSTR("optional")) != 0)
return false;
Serial.println(Layer.getLayerState(), BIN);
return true;
}
KALEIDOSCOPE_INIT_PLUGINS(Focus)
void setup() {
Kaleidoscope.setup();
}
```
Do note that we do not register the `exampleOptionalHook` here! As such, because it is unused code, it will get optimized out during compilation. While this is a simplistic example, the optional hook might have been part of a class, that provides other hooks.
The trick here is to move optional commands out into a separate plugin. It's a bit more boilerplate, but not by much.
### Consistent timing
As an end-user, there's nothing one needs to do. Consistent timing helpers are primarily for plugin use.
As a developer, one can continue using `millis()`, but migrating to `Kaleidoscope.millisAtCycleStart()` is recommended. The new method will return the same value for the duration of the main loop cycle, making time-based synchronization between plugins a lot easier.
To make `MagicCombo` more portable, and easier to use, we had to break the API previously provided, there was no way to maintain backwards compatibility. This document is an attempt at guiding you through the process of migrating from the earlier API to the current one.
Migration should be a straightforward process, but if you get stuck, please feel free to [open an issue][gh:issues], or start a thread on the [forums][forums], and we'll help you with it.
Older versions of the plugin used to provide EEPROM storage for the settings only optionally, when it was explicitly enabled via the `TypingBreaks.enableEEPROM()` method. Similarly, the Focus hooks were optional too.
Storing the settable settings in EEPROM makes it depend on `Kaleidoscope-EEPROM-Settings`, which should be initialized before this plugin is.
Older versions of the plugin required one to set up `Key_Redial` manually, and let the plugin know about it via `Redial.key`. This is no longer required, as the plugin sets up the redial key itself. As such, `Redial.key` was removed, and `Key_Redial` is defined by the plugin itself. To upgrade, simply remove your definition of `Key_Redial` and the `Redial.key` assignment from your sketch.
Key masking was a band-aid introduced to avoid accidentally sending unintended keys when key mapping changes between a key being pressed and released. Since the introduction of keymap caching, this is no longer necessary, as long as we can keep the mapping consistent. Users of key masking are encouraged to find ways to use the caching mechanism instead.
As an example, if you had a key event handler that in some cases masked a key, it should now map it to `Key_NoKey` instead, until released.
The masking API has been deprecated, and is scheduled to be removed after **2020-11-25**.
With the move towards a monorepo-based source, some headers have moved to a new location, and plenty of plugins moved to a new namespace (`kaleidoscope::plugin`). This means that the old headers, and some old names are deprecated. The old names no longer work.
-`layers.h`, `key_defs_keymaps.h` and `macro_helpers.h` are obsolete, and should not be included in the first place, as `Kaleidoscope.h` will pull them in. In the rare case that one needs them, prefixing them with `kaleidoscope/` is the way to go. Of the various headers provided under the `kaleidoscope/` space, only `kaleidoscope/macro_helpers.h` should be included directly, and only by hardware plugins that can't pull `Kaleidoscope.h` in due to circular dependencies.
-`LED-Off.h`, provided by [LEDControl](plugins/LEDControl.md) is obsolete, the `LEDOff` LED mode is automatically provided by `Kaleidoscope-LEDControl.h`. The `LED-Off.h` includes can be safely removed.
- [GhostInTheFirmware](plugins/GhostInTheFirmware.md) had the `kaleidoscope::GhostInTheFirmware::GhostKey` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::GhostInTheFirmware::GhostKey`.
- [HostOS](plugins/HostOS.md) no longer provides the `Kaleidoscope/HostOS-select.h` header, and there is no backwards compatibility header either.
- [Leader](plugins/Leader.md) had the `kaleidoscope::Leader::dictionary_t` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::Leader::dictionary_t`.
- [LED-AlphaSquare](plugins/LED-AlphaSquare.md) used to provide extra symbol graphics in the `kaleidoscope::alpha_square::symbols` namespace. This is now replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::alpha_square::symbols`.
- [LEDEffect-SolidColor](plugins/LEDEffect-SolidColor.md) replaced the base class - `kaleidoscope::LEDSolidColor` - with `kaleidoscope::plugin::LEDSolidColor`.
- [Qukeys](plugins/Qukeys.md) had the `kaleidoscope::Qukey` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::Qukey`.
- [ShapeShifter](plugins/ShateShifter.md) had the `kaleidoscope::ShapeShifter::dictionary_t` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::ShapeShifter::dictionary_t`.
- [SpaceCadet](plugins/SpaceCadet.md) had the `kaleidoscope::SpaceCadet::KeyBinding` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::SpaceCadet::KeyBinding`.
- [Syster](plugins/Syster.md) had the `kaleidoscope::Syster::action_t` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::Syster::action_t`.
- [TapDance](plugins/TapDance.md) had the `kaleidoscope::TapDance::ActionType` type replaced by `kaleidoscope::plugin::TapDance::ActionType`.
The live composite keymap, which contained a lazily-updated version of the current keymap, has been replaced. The `Layer.updateLiveCompositeKeymap()` functions have been deprecated, and depending on the purpose of the caller, it might be appropriate to use `Runtime.updateActiveKey()` instead.
When `handleKeyswitchEvent()` is looking up a `Key` value for an event, it first checks the value in the active keys cache before calling `Layer.lookup()` to get the value from the keymap. In the vast majority of cases, it won't be necessary to call `Runtime.updateActiveKey()` manually, however, because simply changing the value of the `Key` parameter of an `onKeyswitchEvent()` handler will have the same effect.
Second, the `Layer.eventHandler()` function has been deprecated. There wasn't much need for this to be available to plugins, and it's possible to call `Layer.handleKeymapKeyswitchEvent()` directly instead.
With the new Device APIs it became possible to replace the HID facade (the `kaleidoscope::hid` family of functions) with a driver. As such, the old APIs are deprecated, and was removed on 2020-10-10. Please use `Kaleidoscope.hid()` instead.
After the introduction of the new device API, the old APIs (`ROWS`, `COLS`, `LED_COUNT`, `KeyboardHardware`, the old `Hardware` base class, etc) were removed on **2020-06-16**.
Since March of 2019, this method has been deprecated, and turned into a no-op. While no removal date was posted at the time, after more than a year of deprecation, it has been removed on **2020-06-16**.
Row/col based indexing was replaced by linear indexing throughout the whole firmware. A compatibility layer of functions was introduced that allows the firmware to remain backwards compatible, however, these functions are deprecated and will be removed in future versions of the firmware.
Also a new version of the onKeyswitchEvent-handler has been introduced.
The deprecated row/col based indexing APIs have been removed on **2020-06-16**.
The [EEPROM-Keymap](plugins/EEPROM-Keymap.md) plugin had its `setup()` method changed, the formerly optional `method` argument is now obsolete and unused. It can be safely removed.
The `keymaps` array has been replaced with a `keymaps_linear` array. This new array treats each layer as a simple one dimensional array of keys, rather than a two dimensional array of arrays of rows. At the same time, the `KEYMAPS` and `KEYMAPS_STACKED` macros that were previously defined in each hardware implmentation class have been replaced with `PER_KEY_DATA` and `PER_KEY_DATA_STACKED` macros in each hardware class. This change should be invisible to users, but will require changes by any plugin that accessed the 'keymaps' variable directly.
Code like `key.raw = pgm_read_word(&(keymaps[layer][row][col])); return key;` should be changed to look like this: `return keyFromKeymap(layer, row, col);`
The `Layer.defaultLayer()` method has been deprecated, because it wasn't widely used, nor tested well, and needlessly complicated the layering logic. If one wants to set a default layer, which the keyboard switches to when booting up, `EEPROMSettings.default_layer()` may be of use.
#### Compat headers following the source code and namespace rearrangement
With the move towards a monorepo-based source, some headers have moved to a new location, and plenty of plugins moved to a new namespace (`kaleidoscope::plugin`). This means that the old headers, and some old names are deprecated. The old names no longer work.
#### HostOS.autoDetect()
The `autoDetect()` method has been formerly deprecated, and is now removed.
#### The old MagicCombo API
We've changed the API of the MagicCombo plugin, and while it provided a helpful error message for a while when trying to use the old API, it no longer does so, the error message has been removed.
#### TypingBreaks.enableEEPROM()
`TypingBreaks.enableEEPROM()` has been previously deprecated, and turned into a no-op, and is now removed.
#### `OneShot.double_tap_sticky` and `OneShot.double_tap_layer_sticky`
These were deprecated in favour of a better, finer grained API, and are now removed.