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qmk_firmware/reference_info_json.md

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info.json

This file is used by the QMK API. It contains the information QMK Configurator needs to display a representation of your keyboard. You can also set metadata here.

You can create info.json files at every level under qmk_firmware/keyboards/<name> to specify this metadata. These files are combined, with more specific files overriding keys in less specific files. This means you do not need to duplicate your metadata information. For example, qmk_firmware/keyboards/clueboard/info.json specifies manufacturer and maintainer, while qmk_firmware/keyboards/clueboard/66/info.json specifies more specific information about Clueboard 66%.

info.json Format

The info.json file is a JSON formatted dictionary with the following keys available to be set. You do not have to set all of them, merely the keys that apply to your keyboard.

  • keyboard_name
    • A free-form text string describing the keyboard.
    • Example: Clueboard 66%
  • manufacturer
    • A free-form text string describing the keyboard's manufacturer.
    • Example: Clueboard
  • url
    • A URL to the keyboard's product page, QMK.fm/keyboards page, or other page describing information about the keyboard.
    • Example: https://clueboard.co
  • maintainer
    • GitHub username of the maintainer, or qmk for community maintained boards.
    • Example: skullydazed
  • debounce
    • The amount of time in milliseconds to wait for debounce to happen.
    • Default: 5
  • diode_direction
  • layout_aliases
    • A dictionary containing layout aliases. The key is the alias and the value is a layout in layouts it maps to.
  • layouts
    • Physical Layout representations. See the Layout Format section for more detail.
  • matrix_pins
    • Configure the pins corresponding to columns and rows, or direct pins. See the Matrix Pins section for more detail.
  • rgblight
  • usb
    • Configure USB VID, PID, and other parameters. See the USB section for more detail.

Layout Format

Within our info.json file the layouts portion of the dictionary contains several nested dictionaries. The outer layer consists of QMK layout macros, for example LAYOUT_ansi or LAYOUT_iso.

  • layout
    • A list of Key Dictionaries describing the physical layout. See the next section for more details.

Key Dictionary Format

Each Key Dictionary in a layout describes the physical properties of a key. If you are familiar with the Raw Code for https://keyboard-layout-editor.com you will find many of the concepts the same. We re-use the same key names and layout choices wherever possible, but unlike keyboard-layout-editor each key is stateless, inheriting no properties from the keys that came before it.

All key positions and rotations are specified in relation to the top-left corner of the keyboard, and the top-left corner of each key.

  • x
    • Required. The absolute position of the key in the horizontal axis, in Key Units.
  • y
    • Required. The absolute position of the key in the vertical axis, in Key Units.
  • w
    • The width of the key, in Key Units.
    • Default: 1
  • h
    • The height of the key, in Key Units.
    • Default: 1
  • label
    • What to name this position in the matrix. This should usually correspond to the keycode for the first layer of the default keymap.
  • matrix
    • A two item list describing the row and column location for this key.
    • Example: [0, 4]

Matrix Pins

Currently QMK supports connecting switches either directly to GPIO pins or via a switch matrix. At this time you can not combine these, they are mutually exclusive.

Switch Matrix

Most keyboards use a switch matrix to connect keyswitches to the MCU. You can define your pin columns and rows to configure your switch matrix. When defining switch matrices you should also define your diode_direction.

Example:

{
    "diode_direction": "COL2ROW",
    "matrix_pins": {
        "cols": ["F4", "E6", "B1", "D2"],
        "rows": ["B0", "D3", "D5", "D4", "D6"]
    }
}

Direct Pins

Direct pins are when you connect one side of the switch to GND and the other side to a GPIO pin on your MCU. No diode is required, but there is a 1:1 mapping between switches and pins.

When specifying direct pins you need to arrange them in nested arrays. The outer array consists of rows, while the inner array uses text strings to identify the pins used in each row. You can use null to indicate an empty spot in the matrix.

Example:

{
    "matrix_pins": {
        "direct": [
            ["A10", "A9"],
            ["A0", "B8"],
            [null, "B11"],
            ["B9", "A8"],
            ["A7", "B1"],
            [null, "B2"]
        ]
    }
}

Non-RGB LED Lighting

This section controls basic 2-pin LEDs, which typically pass through keyswitches and are soldered into the PCB, or are placed in PCB sockets.

Backlight

  • breathing
    • Enable backlight breathing, if supported
  • breathing_period
    • The length of one backlight “breath” in seconds
  • levels
    • The number of brightness levels (maximum 31, excluding off)
  • pin
    • The pin that controls the backlight LED(s)

Example:

{
    "backlight": {
        "breathing": true,
        "breathing_period": 5,
        "levels": 15,
        "pin": "B7"
    }
}

LED Indicators

Used for indicating Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock. May be soldered in-switch or in a dedicated area.

  • num_lock
    • The pin that controls the Num Lock LED
  • caps_lock
    • The pin that controls the Caps Lock LED
  • scroll_lock
    • The pin that controls the Scroll Lock LED

Example:

{
    "indicators": {
        "num_lock": "B6",
        "caps_lock": "D2",
        "scroll_lock": "A3"
    }
}

RGB Lighting

This section controls the legacy WS2812 support in QMK. This should not be confused with the RGB Matrix feature, which can be used to control both WS2812 and ISSI RGB LEDs.

The following items can be set. Not every value is required.

  • led_count
    • The number of LEDs in your strip
  • pin
    • The GPIO pin that your LED strip is connected to
  • animations
  • sleep
    • Set to true to enable lighting during host sleep
  • split
    • Set to true to enable synchronization functionality between split halves
  • split_count
    • For split keyboards, the number of LEDs on each side
  • max_brightness
    • (0-255) What the maxmimum brightness (value) level is
  • hue_steps
    • How many steps of adjustment to have for hue
  • saturation_steps
    • How many steps of adjustment to have for saturation
  • brightness_steps
    • How many steps of adjustment to have for brightness (value)

Example:

{
    "rgblight": {
        "led_count": 4,
        "pin": "F6",
        "hue_steps": 10,
        "saturation_steps": 17,
        "brightness_steps": 17,
        "animations": {
            "all": true
        }
    }
}

RGBLight Animations

The following animations can be enabled:

Key Description
all Enable all additional animation modes.
alternating Enable alternating animation mode.
breathing Enable breathing animation mode.
christmas Enable christmas animation mode.
knight Enable knight animation mode.
rainbow_mood Enable rainbow mood animation mode.
rainbow_swirl Enable rainbow swirl animation mode.
rgb_test Enable RGB test animation mode.
snake Enable snake animation mode.
static_gradient Enable static gradient mode.
twinkle Enable twinkle animation mode.

USB

Every USB keyboard needs to have its USB parameters defined. At a minimum you need to set the Vendor ID, Product ID, and device version.

Example:

{
    "usb": {
        "vid": "0xC1ED",
        "pid": "0x23B0",
        "device_version": "1.0.0"
    }
}

The device version is a BCD (binary coded decimal) value, in the format MMmr, so the below value would look like 0x0100 in the generated code. This also means the maximum valid values for each part are 99.9.9, despite it being a hexadecimal value under the hood.