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DeviceInformation class

Represents a device. This class allows access to well-known device properties as well as additional properties specified during device enumeration.

Syntax

JavaScript

C++


var deviceInformation = Windows.Devices.Enumeration.DeviceInformation;

Attributes

[DualApiPartition()]

[MarshalingBehavior(Agile)]

[Threading(Both)]

[Version(0x06020000)]

Members

The DeviceInformation class has these types of members:

Methods
Properties

Methods

The DeviceInformation class has these methods. With C#, Visual Basic, and C++, it also inherits methods from the Object class.

Method	Description
CreateFromIdAsync(String)	Creates a DeviceInformation object from a DeviceInformation ID.
CreateFromIdAsync(String, IIterable(String))	Creates a DeviceInformation object from a DeviceInformation ID and a list of additional properties.
CreateWatcher()	Creates a DeviceWatcher for all devices.
CreateWatcher(DeviceClass)	Creates a DeviceWatcher for devices matching the specified DeviceClass.
CreateWatcher(String)	Creates a DeviceWatcher for devices matching the specified Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) string.
CreateWatcher(String, IIterable(String))	Creates a DeviceWatcher for devices matching the specified Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) string and the specified collection of properties.
FindAllAsync()	Enumerates all DeviceInformation objects.
FindAllAsync(DeviceClass)	Enumerates DeviceInformation objects of the specified class.
FindAllAsync(String)	Enumerates DeviceInformation objects matching the specified Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) string.
FindAllAsync(String, IIterable(String))	Enumerates DeviceInformation objects matching the specified Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) string and including the specified collection of properties.
GetGlyphThumbnailAsync	Gets a glyph for the device.
GetThumbnailAsync	Returns a thumbnail image for the device.
Update	Updates the properties of an existing DeviceInformation object.

Properties

The DeviceInformation class has these properties.

Property	Access type	Description
EnclosureLocation	Read-only	The physical location of the device in its enclosure.
Id	Read-only	A string representing the identity of the device.
IsDefault	Read-only	Indicates whether this device is the default device for the class.
IsEnabled	Read-only	Indicates whether this device is enabled.
Name	Read-only	The name of the device.
Properties	Read-only	Property store containing well-known values as well as additional properties that can be specified during device enumeration.

Remarks

Successful completion of FindAllAsync results in a DeviceInformationCollection containing DeviceInformation objects.

If a call to CreateWatcher succeeds, a DeviceInformation object is passed to the added event for each device that is found.

The Name property should only be used for display purposes only and not for finding a device because the Name can change due to localization or a user assigning a name.

CreateFromIdAsync creates a DeviceInformation object if successful.

The DeviceInformation class provides device information, but more specifically, it provides properties of the device interface, the interface that represents functionality that the device exposes. Multi-function devices may have more than one device interface. The physical object that a user sees as a device, is known as the device container, and has properties such as Manufacturer and ModelID. For a list of properties associated with device interfaces, device containers, and other PnP objects, see the list of canonical properties in How to retrieve additional properties for a device or PnP object. For tutorials on how to use the DeviceInformation class to get device information, see How to retrieve additional properties for a device or PnP object, How to retrieve related PnP objects, and Quickstart: Enumerating device containers.

Examples

This example incrementally enumerates devices, adding them to a list each time a device is found, and also handling removals and updates.

JavaScript


    var watcher;
    var isEnumerationComplete = false;
    var deviceArray = new Array(); // Saves the enumeration results

    function WatchDevices() {
        try {
            output.innerHTML = ""; // clear output field

            watcher = 
                Windows.Devices.Enumeration.DeviceInformation.createWatcher();
            // Add event handlers
            watcher.addEventListener("added", onAdded);
            watcher.addEventListener("removed", onRemoved);
            watcher.addEventListener("updated", onUpdated);
            watcher.addEventListener("enumerationcompleted", 
                onEnumerationCompleted);
            watcher.addEventListener("stopped", onStopped);
            // Start enumerating and listening for events
            watcher.start();
        } catch (e) {
            document.getElementById("statusMessage").innerHTML = 
                "Failed to create watcher, error: " + e.message;
        }
    }

    function stopWatcher() {
        try {
            watcher.stop();
        }
        catch (e) {
            document.getElementById("statusMessage").innerHTML = 
                "Failed to stop watcher: " + e.message;
        }
    }

    function onAdded(devinfo) {
        document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += "<p>Device added: " + 
            devinfo.name + "</p>";
        deviceArray.push(devinfo);
        if (isEnumerationComplete) {
            output.innerHTML = ""; // clear output field
            printDeviceArray(document.getElementById("output"));
        }
        
    }

    function onUpdated(devUpdate) {
        document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += "<p>Device updated.</p>";
        for (var i = 0; i < deviceArray.length; i++) {
            if (deviceArray[i].id == devUpdate.id) {
                deviceArray[i].update(devUpdate);
            }
        }
        output.innerHTML = ""; // clear output field
        printDeviceArray(document.getElementById("output"));
    }

    function onRemoved(devupdate) {
        document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += "<p>Device removed.</p>";
        for (var i = 0; i < deviceArray.length; i++) {
            if (deviceArray[i].id == devupdate.id) {
                deviceArray[i].slice(devupdate);
            }
        }
        output.innerHTML = ""; // clear output field
        printDeviceArray(document.getElementById("output"));
    }

    function onEnumerationCompleted(obj) {
        isEnumerationComplete = true;
        document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += 
            "<p>Enumeration Completed.</p>";
        printDeviceArray(document.getElementById("output"));
    }

    function onStopped(obj) {
        document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += "<p>Stopped.</p>";
        if (watcher.status == Windows.Devices.Enumeration.DeviceWatcherStatus.aborted) {
           document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += 
            "<p>Enumeration stopped unexpectedly. </p>";
           document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += 
            "<p>Click the Watch button to restart enumeration.</p>";
        } else if (watcher.status == Windows.Devices.Enumeration.DeviceWatcherStatus.stopped) {
           document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += 
            "<p>You requested to stop enumeration. </p>";
           document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += 
            "<p>Click the Watch button to restart enumeration.</p>";
        }

    }


    // Prints the friendly name of the device interface, 
    // its ID (device interface path), and whether it is enabled.
    function printDevice(deviceInterface, outputDestination) {
        outputDestination.innerHTML += "<p>Name: " + 
            deviceInterface.name + "<p/>"; 
        outputDestination.innerHTML += "<p>Interface ID: " + 
            deviceInterface.id + "<p/>";    
        outputDestination.innerHTML += "<p>Enabled: " + 
            deviceInterface.isEnabled + "<p/>";
        outputDestination.innerHTML += "<br />";
    }

    function printDeviceArray(outputDestination) {
        for (var i = 0; i < deviceArray.length; i++) {
            printDevice(deviceArray[i], outputDestination);
        }
    }

Requirements

Minimum supported client	Windows 8 [Windows Store apps, desktop apps]
Minimum supported server	Windows Server 2012 [Windows Store apps, desktop apps]
Namespace	Windows.Devices.Enumeration Windows::Devices::Enumeration [C++]
Metadata	Windows.winmd