Stylus-like UHID mouse pointer for presentation

[anotheruserofgithub]

• [x] I have checked that a similar feature request does not already exist.

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

This feature request is about using the mouse (or an actual stylus) as a pointer for presentation, that is, pointing things on the Android device screen as if using a (virtual) laser pointer.

Describe the solution you'd like

In addition to https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/issues/4697, it would be nice to be able to change or even customize the pointer icon, see the links below. Ideally, it should be possible to configure a different icon for each interaction source (hover, click, etc.). And changing the pointer visibility would provide an explicit solution to https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/issues/171 as well.

Describe alternatives you've considered

None that I am aware of.

Additional context

System types:

• https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/PointerIcon#constants_1

Pointer icon:

• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/core/java/android/hardware/input/IInputManager.aidl;l=173-176
• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/services/core/java/com/android/server/input/InputManagerService.java;l=1380-1383
• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/services/core/java/com/android/server/input/InputManagerService.java;l=3395-3407
• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/services/core/jni/com_android_server_input_InputManagerService.cpp;l=1340-1373
• https://cs.android.com/android/_/android/platform/frameworks/base/+/0ba7aa932128d84ffb189654a5a4cb980a14bc4b

Stylus:

• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/services/core/java/com/android/server/input/NativeInputManagerService.java;l=243
• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/b246ef31bbabcbbe16c069e153b1105650646e1e:frameworks/base/services/core/jni/com_android_server_input_InputManagerService.cpp;l=702-704
• https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/1976760edd6ea36f7902c90d97f3acf033bfc876:frameworks/native/services/inputflinger/include/InputReaderBase.h;l=255-256

[rom1v]

I like the idea. :+1: Thank you for the links!

Do you want to work on it and submit a PR?

[anotheruserofgithub]

Do you want to work on it and submit a PR?

Not really… ^^ I'm working on other projects right now, and surely won't provide as good a solution as you would.

But I've put a primitive POC in the zip of https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/issues/4697#issuecomment-2057835534, if you enable CHANGE_POINTER_ICON_TYPE in Controller.java it will change the pointer icon after every motion event, but when you hover a button for instance, normally you should see the pointer switch momentarily to the hand-like icon, which is not desired. I'm not sure how to go further.