The information contained in info.json
is combined with the config.h
and rules.mk
files, dynamically generating the necessary configuration for your keyboard at compile time. It is also used by the QMK API, and contains the information QMK Configurator needs to display a representation of your keyboard. Its key/value pairs are ruled by the data/schemas/keyboard.jsonschema
file. To learn more about the why and how of the schema file see the Data Driven Configuration page.
You can create info.json
files at every level under qmk_firmware/keyboards/<name>
. 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%.
The info.json
file is a JSON formatted dictionary. The first six keys noted here must be defined in info.json
, or your keyboard will not be accepted into the QMK repository.
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
- GitHub username of the maintainer, or
usb
- Configure USB VID, PID, and device version. See the USB section for more detail.
debounce
- The amount of time in milliseconds to wait for debounce to happen.
- Default:
5
diode_direction
- The direction diodes face. See
DIRECT_PINS
in the hardware configuration for more details.
- The direction diodes face. See
layout_aliases
- A dictionary containing layout aliases. The key is the alias and the value is a layout in
layouts
it maps to.
- A dictionary containing layout aliases. The key is the alias and the value is a layout in
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
- Configure the RGB Lighting feature. See the RGB Lighting section for more detail.
?> For all the available keys and their allowed values refer back to the data/schemas/keyboard.jsonschema
file.
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.
Each Key Dictionary in a layout describes the physical properties of a key. If you are familiar with the Raw Data 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]
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.
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 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.
Notice that when using direct pins, diode_direction
is left undefined.
Example:
{
"matrix_pins": {
"direct": [
["A10", "A9"],
["A0", "B8"],
[null, "B11"],
["B9", "A8"],
["A7", "B1"],
[null, "B2"]
]
}
}
input_pressed_state
- This configures state of the GPIO pins when the key is pressed -
1
for high,0
for low - Default:
0
- This configures state of the GPIO pins when the key is pressed -
Example:
"matrix_pins": {
"input_pressed_state": 1,
},
This section controls basic 2-pin LEDs, which typically pass through keyswitches and are soldered into the PCB, or are placed in PCB sockets.
Enable by setting
"features": {
"backlight": true
}
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)
max_brightness
- The maximum duty cycle of the backlight LED(s) (0-255)
pin
- The pin that controls the backlight LED(s)
pins
- Array of pins that controls the backlight LED(s) (See Multiple Backlight Pins)
on_state
- The state of the indicator pins when the LED is "on" -
1
for high,0
for low - Default:
1
- The state of the indicator pins when the LED is "on" -
Example:
{
"backlight": {
"breathing": true,
"breathing_period": 5,
"levels": 15,
"pin": "B7"
}
}
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
- The pin that controls the
caps_lock
- The pin that controls the
Caps Lock
LED
- The pin that controls the
scroll_lock
- The pin that controls the
Scroll Lock
LED
- The pin that controls the
compose
- The pin that controls the
Compose
LED
- The pin that controls the
kana
- The pin that controls the
Kana
LED
- The pin that controls the
on_state
- The state of the indicator pins when the LED is "on" -
1
for high,0
for low - Default:
1
- The state of the indicator pins when the LED is "on" -
Example:
{
"indicators": {
"num_lock": "B6",
"caps_lock": "D2",
"scroll_lock": "A3"
}
}
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
- A dictionary that lists enabled and disabled animations. See RGB Light Animations below.
sleep
- Set to
true
to enable lighting during host sleep
- Set to
split
- Set to
true
to enable synchronization functionality between split halves
- Set to
split_count
- For split keyboards, the number of LEDs on each side
- Example
[ 10 , 10 ]
max_brightness
- What the maximum brightness (value) level is (0-255)
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": {
"knight": true,
"rainbow_swirl": true
}
}
}
The following animations can be enabled:
Key | Description |
---|---|
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. |
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.
This section controls the basic rotary encoder support.
Enable by setting
"features": {
"encoder": true
}
The following items can be set. Not every value is required.
pin_a
- Required. A pad definition
pin_b
- Required. B pad definition
resolution
- How many pulses the encoder registers between each detent
Examples:
{
"encoder": {
"rotary": [
{ "pin_a": "B5", "pin_b": "A2" }
]
}
}
{
"encoder": {
"rotary": [
{ "pin_a": "B5", "pin_b": "A2", "resolution": 4 }
{ "pin_a": "B6", "pin_b": "A3", "resolution": 2 }
]
}
}
The following options can be configured:
Key | Description |
---|---|
unlock_sequence |
Timeout for the user to perform the configured unlock sequence - 0 to disable |
unlock_timeout |
Timeout while unlocked before returning to locked - 0 to disable |
idle_timeout |
Array of matrix locations describing a sequential sequence of keypresses |
Example:
{
"secure": {
"unlock_sequence": [ [0,0], [0,1] ],
"unlock_timeout": 5000,
"idle_timeout": 60000
}
}
This section configures Bootmagic Lite support.
The following options can be configured:
Key | Description |
---|---|
matrix |
A two item list describing the row and column location for the trigger key. |
Example:
{
"bootmagic": {
"enabled": true,
"matrix": [0, 0]
},
}