VK_EXT_layer_settings(3)

# VK_EXT_layer_settings(3) Manual Page

## Name

VK_EXT_layer_settings - instance extension

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## Registered Extension Number

497

## Revision

2

## Ratification Status

Ratified

## Extension and Version Dependencies

None

## Contact

- Christophe Riccio [GitHub]christophe

## Extension Proposal

VK_EXT_layer_settings

## Other Extension Metadata

Last Modified Date

  2023-09-23

IP Status

  No known IP claims.

Contributors

  - Christophe Riccio, LunarG

  - Mark Lobodzinski, LunarG

  - Charles Giessen, LunarG

  - Spencer Fricke, LunarG

  - Juan Ramos, LunarG

  - Daniel Rakos, RasterGrid

  - Shahbaz Youssefi, Google

  - Lina Versace, Google

  - Bill Hollings, The Brenwill Workshop

  - Jon Leech, Khronos

  - Tom Olson, Arm

## Description

This extension provides a mechanism for configuring programmatically through the Vulkan API the behavior of layers.

This extension provides the VkLayerSettingsCreateInfoEXT structure that can be included in the `pNext` chain of the VkInstanceCreateInfo structure passed as the `pCreateInfo` parameter of vkCreateInstance.

The structure contains an array of VkLayerSettingEXT structure values that configure specific features of layers.

Note | The `VK_EXT_layer_settings` extension subsumes all the functionality provided in the `VK_EXT_validation_flags` extension and the `VK_EXT_validation_features` extension.

## New Structures

- VkLayerSettingEXT

- Extending VkInstanceCreateInfo:

  - VkLayerSettingsCreateInfoEXT

## New Enums

- VkLayerSettingTypeEXT

## New Enum Constants

- `VK_EXT_LAYER_SETTINGS_EXTENSION_NAME`

- `VK_EXT_LAYER_SETTINGS_SPEC_VERSION`

- Extending VkStructureType:

  - `VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_LAYER_SETTINGS_CREATE_INFO_EXT`

## Example

One example usage of `VK_EXT_layer_settings` is as implemented by the Vulkan Profiles layer.

It allows the profiles layer tests used by the profiles layer C.I. to programmatically configure the layer for each test without affecting the C.I. environment, allowing to run multiple tests concurrently.

    const char* profile_file_data = JSON_TEST_FILES_PATH "VP_KHR_roadmap_2022.json";
    const char* profile_name_data = "VP_KHR_roadmap_2022";
    VkBool32 emulate_portability_data = VK_TRUE;
    const char* simulate_capabilities[] = {
        "SIMULATE_API_VERSION_BIT",
        "SIMULATE_FEATURES_BIT",
        "SIMULATE_PROPERTIES_BIT",
        "SIMULATE_EXTENSIONS_BIT",
        "SIMULATE_FORMATS_BIT",
        "SIMULATE_QUEUE_FAMILY_PROPERTIES_BIT"
    };
    const char* debug_reports[] = {
        "DEBUG_REPORT_ERROR_BIT",
        "DEBUG_REPORT_WARNING_BIT",
        "DEBUG_REPORT_NOTIFICATION_BIT",
        "DEBUG_REPORT_DEBUG_BIT"
    };

    const VkLayerSettingEXT settings[] = {
         {kLayerName, kLayerSettingsProfileFile, VK_LAYER_SETTING_TYPE_STRING_EXT, 1, &profile_file_data},
         {kLayerName, kLayerSettingsProfileName, VK_LAYER_SETTING_TYPE_STRING_EXT, 1, &profile_name_data},
         {kLayerName, kLayerSettingsEmulatePortability, VK_LAYER_SETTING_TYPE_BOOL32_EXT, 1, &emulate_portability_data},
         {kLayerName, kLayerSettingsSimulateCapabilities, VK_LAYER_SETTING_TYPE_STRING_EXT,
            static_cast<uint32_t>(std::size(simulate_capabilities)), simulate_capabilities},
         {kLayerName, kLayerSettingsDebugReports, VK_LAYER_SETTING_TYPE_STRING_EXT,
            static_cast<uint32_t>(std::size(debug_reports)), debug_reports}
    };

    const VkLayerSettingsCreateInfoEXT layer_settings_create_info{
        VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_LAYER_SETTINGS_CREATE_INFO_EXT, nullptr,
        static_cast<uint32_t>(std::size(settings)), settings};

    VkInstanceCreateInfo inst_create_info = {};
    ...
    inst_create_info.pNext = &layer_settings_create_info;
    vkCreateInstance(&inst_create_info, nullptr, &_instances);

## Issues

- How should application developers figure out the list of available settings?

This extension does not provide a reflection API for layer settings. Layer settings are described in each layer JSON manifest and the documentation of each layer which implements this extension.

## Version History

- Revision 1, 2020-06-17 (Mark Lobodzinski)

  - Initial revision for Validation layer internal usages

- Revision 2, 2023-09-26 (Christophe Riccio)

  - Refactor APIs for any layer usages and public release

## See Also

No cross-references are available

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification

This page is a generated document. Fixes and changes should be made to the generator scripts, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2025 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0