keyEvent Property
Event ObjectExamples
Get the keyboard key when a key is pressed:
var x = event.key;
xThe result is:
Enter
Try it Yourself »
More examples are included at the bottom of this article.
Definition and Usage
The key event returns the identifier of the key when a key is pressed.
The key identifier is a string representing the keyboard key. The return value of this property can be:
- A single letter (e.g. "a", "W", "4", "+" or "$")
- Multiple letters (e.g. "F1", "Enter", "HOME" or "CAPS LOCK")
Tip:If you want to check whether the "ALT", "CTRL", "META" or "SHIFT" key is pressed, you can use thealtKey, ctrlKey, metaKeyorshiftKeyproperty.
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.
| Property | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| key | Not supported | 9.0 | 23.0 | Not supported | Not supported |
Syntax
event.key
Technical Details
| Return Value: | A string representing the keyboard key. Possible values:
|
|---|---|
| DOM Version: | DOM Level 3 Events |
More Examples
Example
Pop up an alert message when the user presses the "A" key:
var x = event.key;
// If the "a" or "A" key is pressed (using caps lock or shift), pop up an alert message
if (x == "a" || x == "A") {
alert ("You pressed the 'A' key!");
}
// If the "a" or "A" key is pressed (using caps lock or shift), pop up an alert message
if (x == "a" || x == "A") {
alert ("You pressed the 'A' key!");
}
Try it Yourself »
Related Pages
HTML DOM Reference:key Event Property
HTML DOM Reference:charCode Event Property
HTML DOM Reference:which Event Property
Other Extensions