| Package | flash.events |
| Class | public class KeyboardEvent |
| Inheritance | KeyboardEvent  Event Object |
| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN and
KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP
Because mappings between keys and specific characters vary by device and operating system, use the TextEvent event type for processing character input.
To listen globally for key events, listen on the Stage for the capture and target or bubble phase.
See also
| Property | Defined By | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| altKey : Boolean
Indicates whether the Alt key is active (true) or inactive (false) on Windows;
indicates whether the Option key is active on Mac OS. | KeyboardEvent | ||
 | bubbles : Boolean [read-only]
Indicates whether an event is a bubbling event. | Event | |
| cancelable : Boolean [read-only]
Indicates whether the behavior associated with the event can be prevented. | Event | |
| charCode : uint
Contains the character code value of the key pressed or released. | KeyboardEvent | ||
 commandKey : Boolean
Indicates whether the Command key is active (true) or inactive (false). | KeyboardEvent | ||
| constructor : Object
A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance. | Object | |
| controlKey : Boolean
Indicates whether the Control key is active (true) or inactive (false). | KeyboardEvent | ||
| ctrlKey : Boolean
On Windows and Linux, indicates whether the Ctrl key is active (true) or inactive (false);
On Mac OS, indicates whether either the Ctrl key or the Command key is active. | KeyboardEvent | ||
| currentTarget : Object [read-only]
The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener. | Event | |
| eventPhase : uint [read-only]
The current phase in the event flow. | Event | |
| keyCode : uint
The key code value of the key pressed or released. | KeyboardEvent | ||
| keyLocation : uint
Indicates the location of the key on the keyboard. | KeyboardEvent | ||
| prototype : Object [static]
A reference to the prototype object of a class or function object. | Object | |
| shiftKey : Boolean
Indicates whether the Shift key modifier is active (true) or inactive
(false). | KeyboardEvent | ||
| target : Object [read-only]
The event target. | Event | |
| type : String [read-only]
The type of event. | Event | |
| Method | Defined By | ||
|---|---|---|---|
KeyboardEvent(type:String, bubbles:Boolean = true, cancelable:Boolean = false, charCodeValue:uint = 0, keyCodeValue:uint = 0, keyLocationValue:uint = 0, ctrlKeyValue:Boolean = false, altKeyValue:Boolean = false, shiftKeyValue:Boolean = false, controlKeyValue:Boolean = false, commandKeyValue:Boolean = false)
Creates an Event object that contains specific information about keyboard events. | KeyboardEvent | ||
[override]
Creates a copy of the KeyboardEvent object and sets the value of each property to match that of the original. | KeyboardEvent | ||
|
A utility function for implementing the toString() method in custom
ActionScript 3.0 Event classes. | Event | |
|
Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined. | Object | |
|
Checks whether the preventDefault() method has been called on the event. | Event | |
|
Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified
as the parameter. | Object | |
|
Cancels an event's default behavior if that behavior can be canceled. | Event | |
|
Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable. | Object | |
|
Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations. | Object | |
|
Prevents processing of any event listeners in the current node and any subsequent nodes in
the event flow. | Event | |
|
Prevents processing of any event listeners in nodes subsequent to the current node in the
event flow. | Event | |
|
Returns the string representation of this object, formatted according to locale-specific conventions. | Object | |
[override]
Returns a string that contains all the properties of the KeyboardEvent object. | KeyboardEvent | ||
Indicates that the display should be rendered after processing of this event completes, if the display
list has been modified
| KeyboardEvent | ||
|
Returns the primitive value of the specified object. | Object | |
| Constant | Defined By | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTIVATE : String = "activate" [static]
The ACTIVATE constant defines the value of the type property of an activate event object. | Event | |
| ADDED : String = "added" [static]
The Event.ADDED constant defines the value of the type property of
an added event object. | Event | |
| ADDED_TO_STAGE : String = "addedToStage" [static]
The Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE constant defines the value of the type
property of an addedToStage event object. | Event | |
| CANCEL : String = "cancel" [static]
The Event.CANCEL constant defines the value of the type property of a cancel event object. | Event | |
| CHANGE : String = "change" [static]
The Event.CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of a change event object. | Event | |
| CLEAR : String = "clear" [static]
The Event.CLEAR constant efines the value of the type property
of a clear event object. | Event | |
| CLOSE : String = "close" [static]
The Event.CLOSE constant defines the value of the type property of a close event object. | Event | |
| CLOSING : String = "closing" [static]
The Event.CLOSING constant defines the value of the
type property of a closing event object. | Event | |
| COMPLETE : String = "complete" [static]
The Event.COMPLETE constant defines the value of the type property of a complete event object. | Event | |
| CONNECT : String = "connect" [static]
The Event.CONNECT constant defines the value of the type property of a connect event object. | Event | |
| COPY : String = "copy" [static]
Defines the value of the type property of a copy event object. | Event | |
| CUT : String = "cut" [static]
Defines the value of the type property of a cut event object. | Event | |
| DEACTIVATE : String = "deactivate" [static]
The Event.DEACTIVATE constant defines the value of the type property of a deactivate event object. | Event | |
| DISPLAYING : String = "displaying" [static]
The Event.DISPLAYING constant defines the value of the type property of a displaying event object. | Event | |
| ENTER_FRAME : String = "enterFrame" [static]
The Event.ENTER_FRAME constant defines the value of the type property of an enterFrame event object. | Event | |
| EXIT_FRAME : String = "exitFrame" [static]
The Event.EXIT_FRAME constant defines the value of the type property of an exitFrame event object. | Event | |
| EXITING : String = "exiting" [static]
The Event.EXITING constant defines the value of the type property of an exiting event object. | Event | |
| FRAME_CONSTRUCTED : String = "frameConstructed" [static]
The Event.FRAME_CONSTRUCTED constant defines the value of the type property of an frameConstructed event object. | Event | |
| FULLSCREEN : String = "fullScreen" [static]
The Event.FULL_SCREEN constant defines the value of the type property of a fullScreen event object. | Event | |
| HTML_BOUNDS_CHANGE : String = "htmlBoundsChange" [static]
The Event.HTML_BOUNDS_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of an htmlBoundsChange event object. | Event | |
| HTML_DOM_INITIALIZE : String = "htmlDOMInitialize" [static]
The Event.HTML_DOM_INITIALIZE constant defines the value of the type property
of an htmlDOMInitialize event object. | Event | |
| HTML_RENDER : String = "htmlRender" [static]
The Event.HTML_RENDER constant defines the value of the type property of an htmlRender event object. | Event | |
| ID3 : String = "id3" [static]
The Event.ID3 constant defines the value of the type property of an id3 event object. | Event | |
| INIT : String = "init" [static]
The Event.INIT constant defines the value of the type property of an init event object. | Event | |
| KEY_DOWN : String = "keyDown" [static]
The KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN constant defines the value of the type property of a keyDown event object. | KeyboardEvent | ||
| KEY_UP : String = "keyUp" [static]
The KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP constant defines the value of the type property of a keyDown event object. | KeyboardEvent | ||
| LOCATION_CHANGE : String = "locationChange" [static]
The Event.LOCATION_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of a locationChange event object. | Event | |
| MOUSE_LEAVE : String = "mouseLeave" [static]
The Event.MOUSE_LEAVE constant defines the value of the type property of a mouseLeave event object. | Event | |
| NETWORK_CHANGE : String = "networkChange" [static]
The Event.NETWORK_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of a networkChange event object. | Event | |
| OPEN : String = "open" [static]
The Event.OPEN constant defines the value of the type property of an open event object. | Event | |
| PASTE : String = "paste" [static]
The Event.PASTE constant defines the value of the type property of a paste event object. | Event | |
| REMOVED : String = "removed" [static]
The Event.REMOVED constant defines the value of the type property of
a removed event object. | Event | |
| REMOVED_FROM_STAGE : String = "removedFromStage" [static]
The Event.REMOVED_FROM_STAGE constant defines the value of the type
property of a removedFromStage event object. | Event | |
| RENDER : String = "render" [static]
The Event.RENDER constant defines the value of the type property of a render event object. | Event | |
| RESIZE : String = "resize" [static]
The Event.RESIZE constant defines the value of the type property of a resize event object. | Event | |
| SCROLL : String = "scroll" [static]
The Event.SCROLL constant defines the value of the type property of a scroll event object. | Event | |
| SELECT : String = "select" [static]
The Event.SELECT constant defines the value of the type property of a select event object. | Event | |
| SELECT_ALL : String = "selectAll" [static]
The Event.SELECT_ALL constant defines the value of the type property of a selectAll event object. | Event | |
| SOUND_COMPLETE : String = "soundComplete" [static]
The Event.SOUND_COMPLETE constant defines the value of the type property of a soundComplete event object. | Event | |
| TAB_CHILDREN_CHANGE : String = "tabChildrenChange" [static]
The Event.TAB_CHILDREN_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of a tabChildrenChange event object. | Event | |
| TAB_ENABLED_CHANGE : String = "tabEnabledChange" [static]
The Event.TAB_ENABLED_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type
property of a tabEnabledChange event object. | Event | |
| TAB_INDEX_CHANGE : String = "tabIndexChange" [static]
The Event.TAB_INDEX_CHANGE constant defines the value of the
type property of a tabIndexChange event object. | Event | |
| UNLOAD : String = "unload" [static]
The Event.UNLOAD constant defines the value of the type property of an unload event object. | Event | |
| USER_IDLE : String = "userIdle" [static]
The Event.USER_IDLE constant defines the value of the type property of a userIdle event object. | Event | |
| USER_PRESENT : String = "userPresent" [static]
The Event.USER_PRESENT constant defines the value of the type property of a userPresent event object. | Event | |
| altKey | property |
Hide Inherited Public Properties
Show Inherited Public PropertiesaltKey:Boolean| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Indicates whether the Alt key is active (true) or inactive (false) on Windows;
indicates whether the Option key is active on Mac OS.
public function get altKey():Boolean public function set altKey(value:Boolean):void| charCode | property |
charCode:uint| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Contains the character code value of the key pressed or released.
The character code values are English keyboard values. For example,
if you press Shift+3, charCode is # on a Japanese keyboard,
just as it is on an English keyboard.
Note: When an input method editor (IME) is running,
charCode does not report accurate character codes.
public function get charCode():uint public function set charCode(value:uint):voidSee also
| commandKey | property |
commandKey:Boolean| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 |
Indicates whether the Command key is active (true) or inactive (false).
Supported for Mac OS only. On Mac OS, the commandKey property has the same
value as the ctrlKey property.
public function get commandKey():Boolean public function set commandKey(value:Boolean):void| controlKey | property |
controlKey:Boolean| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 |
Indicates whether the Control key is active (true) or inactive (false).
On Windows and Linux, this is also true when the Ctrl key is active.
public function get controlKey():Boolean public function set controlKey(value:Boolean):void| ctrlKey | property |
ctrlKey:Boolean| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
On Windows and Linux, indicates whether the Ctrl key is active (true) or inactive (false);
On Mac OS, indicates whether either the Ctrl key or the Command key is active.
public function get ctrlKey():Boolean public function set ctrlKey(value:Boolean):void| keyCode | property |
keyCode:uint| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
The key code value of the key pressed or released.
Note: When an input method editor (IME) is running,
keyCode does not report accurate key codes.
public function get keyCode():uint public function set keyCode(value:uint):voidSee also
| keyLocation | property |
keyLocation:uint| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Indicates the location of the key on the keyboard. This is useful for differentiating keys
that appear more than once on a keyboard. For example, you can differentiate between the
left and right Shift keys by the value of this property: KeyLocation.LEFT
for the left and KeyLocation.RIGHT for the right. Another example is
differentiating between number keys pressed on the standard keyboard
(KeyLocation.STANDARD) versus the numeric keypad (KeyLocation.NUM_PAD).
public function get keyLocation():uint public function set keyLocation(value:uint):void| shiftKey | property |
shiftKey:Boolean| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Indicates whether the Shift key modifier is active (true) or inactive
(false).
public function get shiftKey():Boolean public function set shiftKey(value:Boolean):void| KeyboardEvent | () | Constructor |
public function KeyboardEvent(type:String, bubbles:Boolean = true, cancelable:Boolean = false, charCodeValue:uint = 0, keyCodeValue:uint = 0, keyLocationValue:uint = 0, ctrlKeyValue:Boolean = false, altKeyValue:Boolean = false, shiftKeyValue:Boolean = false, controlKeyValue:Boolean = false, commandKeyValue:Boolean = false)| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Creates an Event object that contains specific information about keyboard events. Event objects are passed as parameters to event listeners.
Parameterstype:String — The type of the event. Possible values are:
KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN and KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP
| |
bubbles:Boolean (default = true) | |
cancelable:Boolean (default = false) | |
charCodeValue:uint (default = 0)Keyboard.charCode() property returns # on a Japanese keyboard, just as it does on an English keyboard.
| |
keyCodeValue:uint (default = 0) | |
keyLocationValue:uint (default = 0) | |
ctrlKeyValue:Boolean (default = false) | |
altKeyValue:Boolean (default = false) | |
shiftKeyValue:Boolean (default = false) | |
controlKeyValue:Boolean (default = false) | |
commandKeyValue:Boolean (default = false) |
See also
| clone | () | method |
override public function clone():Event| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Creates a copy of the KeyboardEvent object and sets the value of each property to match that of the original.
ReturnsEvent — A new KeyboardEvent object with property values that match those of the original.
|
| toString | () | method |
override public function toString():String| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Returns a string that contains all the properties of the KeyboardEvent object. The string is in the following format:
[KeyboardEvent type=value bubbles=value cancelable=value ... shiftKey=value]
String — A string that contains all the properties of the KeyboardEvent object.
|
| updateAfterEvent | () | method |
public function updateAfterEvent():void| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
Indicates that the display should be rendered after processing of this event completes, if the display list has been modified
| KEY_DOWN | Constant |
public static const KEY_DOWN:String = "keyDown"| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
The KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN constant defines the value of the type property of a keyDown event object.
This event has the following properties:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
bubbles | true |
cancelable | true in AIR, false in Flash Player;
in AIR, canceling this event prevents the character from being entered into a text field. |
charCode | The character code value of the key pressed or released. |
commandKey | true on Mac if the Command key is active. Otherwise, false |
controlKey | true on Windows and Linux if the Ctrl key is active. true on Mac if either the Control key is active. Otherwise, false |
ctrlKey | true on Windows and Linux if the Ctrl key is active. true on Mac if either the Ctrl key or the Command key is active. Otherwise, false. |
currentTarget | The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener. |
keyCode | The key code value of the key pressed or released. |
keyLocation | The location of the key on the keyboard. |
shiftKey | true if the Shift key is active; false if it is inactive. |
target | The InteractiveObject instance with focus.
The target is not always the object in the display list
that registered the event listener. Use the currentTarget
property to access the object in the display list that is currently processing the event. |
See also
| KEY_UP | Constant |
public static const KEY_UP:String = "keyUp"| Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Runtime Versions: | AIR 1.0 Flash Player 9 |
The KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP constant defines the value of the type property of a keyDown event object.
This event has the following properties:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
bubbles | true |
cancelable | false; there is no default behavior to cancel. |
charCode | Contains the character code value of the key pressed or released. |
commandKey | true on Mac if the Command key is active. Otherwise, false |
controlKey | true on Windows and Linux if the Ctrl key is active. true on Mac if either the Control key is active. Otherwise, false |
ctrlKey | true on Windows if the Ctrl key is active. true on Mac if either the Ctrl key or the Command key is active. Otherwise, false. |
currentTarget | The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener. |
keyCode | The key code value of the key pressed or released. |
keyLocation | The location of the key on the keyboard. |
shiftKey | true if the Shift key is active; false if it is inactive. |
target | The InteractiveObject instance with focus.
The target is not always the object in the display list
that registered the event listener. Use the currentTarget
property to access the object in the display list that is currently processing the event. |
See also
KeyboardEventExample class to show
keyboard events and their listener functions. The example carries out the following tasks:
child.addChild() method.click/clickHandler which is dispatched when you click on the square to set focus on the child sprite so it can listen for keyboard events.keyDown/keyDownHandler which is dispatched whenever any key is pressed. The subscriber method prints information about the event
using the trace() statement.keyUp/keyUpHandler which is dispatched when a key is
released.When you test this example, you need to click the square first for the keyboard events to work.
Also, if you are using the Test Movie command in Flash, the authoring interface may respond to certain keys instead of the event listeners attached to the child sprite.
package {
import flash.display.Sprite;
import flash.display.DisplayObject;
import flash.events.*;
public class KeyboardEventExample extends Sprite {
private var child:Sprite = new Sprite();
private var bgColor:uint = 0x00CCFF;
private var size:uint = 80;
public function KeyboardEventExample() {
child.graphics.beginFill(bgColor);
child.graphics.drawRect(0, 0, size, size);
child.graphics.endFill();
addChild(child);
child.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, clickHandler);
child.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, keyDownHandler);
child.addEventListener(KeyboardEvent.KEY_UP, keyUpHandler);
}
private function clickHandler(event:MouseEvent):void {
stage.focus = child;
}
private function keyDownHandler(event:KeyboardEvent):void {
trace("keyDownHandler: " + event.keyCode);
trace("ctrlKey: " + event.ctrlKey);
trace("keyLocation: " + event.keyLocation);
trace("shiftKey: " + event.shiftKey);
trace("altKey: " + event.altKey);
}
private function keyUpHandler(event:KeyboardEvent):void {
trace("keyUpHandler: " + event.keyCode);
}
}
}