Control.PreviewKeyDown Event

Definition

Namespace:

System.Windows.Forms

Assembly:

System.Windows.Forms.dll

Occurs before the KeyDown event when a key is pressed while focus is on this control.

public:
 event System::Windows::Forms::PreviewKeyDownEventHandler ^ PreviewKeyDown;

public event System.Windows.Forms.PreviewKeyDownEventHandler? PreviewKeyDown;

member this.PreviewKeyDown : System.Windows.Forms.PreviewKeyDownEventHandler 

Public Custom Event PreviewKeyDown As PreviewKeyDownEventHandler 

Event Type

PreviewKeyDownEventHandler

Examples

The following code example demonstrates a Button that includes a ContextMenuStrip. When the Button has the focus and you press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW keys, the ContextMenuStrip appears. The PreviewKeyDown event handler detects when the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW keys are pressed and sets the IsInputKey property to true. This raises the KeyDown event so that you can display the ContextMenuStrip. You should not put any logic in the PreviewKeyDown event handler, other than to set the IsInputKey property. Instead, you should put your logic in the KeyDown event handler.

public Form1()
{
    InitializeComponent();

    // Form that has a button on it
    button1.PreviewKeyDown +=new PreviewKeyDownEventHandler(button1_PreviewKeyDown);
    button1.KeyDown += new KeyEventHandler(button1_KeyDown);
    button1.ContextMenuStrip = new ContextMenuStrip();
    // Add items to ContextMenuStrip
    button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("One");
    button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("Two");
    button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("Three");
}

// By default, KeyDown does not fire for the ARROW keys
void button1_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
    switch (e.KeyCode)
    {
        case Keys.Down:
        case Keys.Up:
            if (button1.ContextMenuStrip != null)
            {
                button1.ContextMenuStrip.Show(button1,
                    new Point(0, button1.Height), ToolStripDropDownDirection.BelowRight);
            }
            break;
    }
}

// PreviewKeyDown is where you preview the key.
// Do not put any logic here, instead use the
// KeyDown event after setting IsInputKey to true.
private void button1_PreviewKeyDown(object sender, PreviewKeyDownEventArgs e)
{
    switch (e.KeyCode)
    {
        case Keys.Down:
        case Keys.Up:
            e.IsInputKey = true;
            break;
    }
}

Public Class Form1

    Public Sub New()
        InitializeComponent()
        ' Form that has a button on it
        AddHandler Button1.PreviewKeyDown, AddressOf Me.button1_PreviewKeyDown
        AddHandler Button1.KeyDown, AddressOf Me.button1_KeyDown
        Button1.ContextMenuStrip = New ContextMenuStrip
        ' Add items to ContextMenuStrip
        Button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("One")
        Button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("Two")
        Button1.ContextMenuStrip.Items.Add("Three")
    End Sub

    ' By default, KeyDown does not fire for the ARROW keys
    Private Sub button1_KeyDown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyEventArgs)
        Select Case (e.KeyCode)
            Case Keys.Down, Keys.Up
                If (Not (Button1.ContextMenuStrip) Is Nothing) Then
                    Button1.ContextMenuStrip.Show(Button1, _
                        New Point(0, Button1.Height), ToolStripDropDownDirection.BelowRight)
                End If
        End Select
    End Sub

    ' PreviewKeyDown is where you preview the key.
    ' Do not put any logic here, instead use the
    ' KeyDown event after setting IsInputKey to true.
    Private Sub button1_PreviewKeyDown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As PreviewKeyDownEventArgs)
        Select Case (e.KeyCode)
            Case Keys.Down, Keys.Up
                e.IsInputKey = True
        End Select
    End Sub

End Class

Remarks

Some key presses, such as the TAB, RETURN, ESC, and arrow keys, are typically ignored by some controls because they are not considered input key presses. For example, by default, a Button control ignores the arrow keys. Pressing the arrow keys typically causes the focus to move to the previous or next control. The arrow keys are considered navigation keys and pressing these keys typically do not raise the KeyDown event for a Button. However, pressing the arrow keys for a Button does raise the PreviewKeyDown event. By handling the PreviewKeyDown event for a Button and setting the IsInputKey property to true, you can raise the KeyDown event when the arrow keys are pressed. However, if you handle the arrow keys, the focus will no longer move to the previous or next control.

For more information about handling events, see Handling and Raising Events.