KeyEventArgs.KeyCode Property

Definition

Namespace:

System.Windows.Forms

Assembly:

System.Windows.Forms.dll

Source:

KeyEventArgs.cs

Gets the keyboard code for a KeyDown or KeyUp event.

C#

public System.Windows.Forms.Keys KeyCode { get; }

Property Value

Keys

A Keys value that is the key code for the event.

Examples

The following code examples show how to use the KeyCode property to determine which key was pressed.

Example 1

The following code example demonstrates how to use the KeyDown event with the Help class to display pop-up style Help to the user of the application. The example uses the KeyEventArgs properties passed to the event handler method to filter for all variations of pressing the F1 key with a modifier key. When the user presses any variation of F1 that includes any keyboard modifier, the Help class displays a pop-up window, similar to a ToolTip, near the control. If the user presses ALT+F2, a different Help pop-up is displayed with additional information.

C#

private void textBox1_KeyDown(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs e)
{
    // Determine whether the key entered is the F1 key. If it is, display Help.
    if(e.KeyCode == Keys.F1 && (e.Alt || e.Control || e.Shift))
    {
        // Display a pop-up Help topic to assist the user.
        Help.ShowPopup(textBox1, "Enter your name.", new Point(textBox1.Bottom, textBox1.Right));
    }
    else if(e.KeyCode == Keys.F2 && e.Modifiers == Keys.Alt)
    {
        // Display a pop-up Help topic to provide additional assistance to the user.
        Help.ShowPopup(textBox1, "Enter your first name followed by your last name. Middle name is optional.",
            new Point(textBox1.Top, this.textBox1.Left));
    }
}

Example 2

The following example determines whether the user pressed ALT+E, and if the mouse pointer is over a TreeNode, allows the user to edit that TreeNode.

C#

private void treeView1_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
   /* If the 'Alt' and 'E' keys are pressed,
      * allow the user to edit the TreeNode label. */
   if(e.Alt && e.KeyCode == Keys.E)
         
   {
      treeView1.LabelEdit = true;
      // If there is a TreeNode under the mouse cursor, begin editing. 
      TreeNode editNode = treeView1.GetNodeAt(
         treeView1.PointToClient(System.Windows.Forms.Control.MousePosition));
      if(editNode != null)
      { 
         editNode.BeginEdit();
      }
   }
}

private void treeView1_AfterLabelEdit(object sender, NodeLabelEditEventArgs e)
{
   // Disable the ability to edit the TreeNode labels.
   treeView1.LabelEdit = false;
}

Example 3

The following example determines whether the user pressed a non-numeric key, and if so, cancels the KeyPress event by using the Handled property.

C#

// Boolean flag used to determine when a character other than a number is entered.
private bool nonNumberEntered = false;

// Handle the KeyDown event to determine the type of character entered into the control.
private void textBox1_KeyDown(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs e)
{
    // Initialize the flag to false.
    nonNumberEntered = false;

    // Determine whether the keystroke is a number from the top of the keyboard.
    if (e.KeyCode < Keys.D0 || e.KeyCode > Keys.D9)
    {
        // Determine whether the keystroke is a number from the keypad.
        if (e.KeyCode < Keys.NumPad0 || e.KeyCode > Keys.NumPad9)
        {
            // Determine whether the keystroke is a backspace.
            if(e.KeyCode != Keys.Back)
            {
                // A non-numerical keystroke was pressed.
                // Set the flag to true and evaluate in KeyPress event.
                nonNumberEntered = true;
            }
        }
    }
    //If shift key was pressed, it's not a number.
    if (Control.ModifierKeys == Keys.Shift) {
        nonNumberEntered = true;
    }
}

// This event occurs after the KeyDown event and can be used to prevent
// characters from entering the control.
private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
    // Check for the flag being set in the KeyDown event.
    if (nonNumberEntered)
    {
        // Stop the character from being entered into the control since it is non-numerical.
        e.Handled = true;
    }
}

Applies to

See also

• KeyData
• KeyValue