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Reference for Processing version 1.0.1+. If you have a previous version, use the reference included with your software. If you see any errors or have any comments, let us know.

Name

### keyCode

Examples

    color fillVal = color(126);

    void draw() {
      fill(fillVal);
      rect(25, 25, 50, 50);
    }

    void keyPressed() {
      if (key == CODED) {
        if (keyCode == UP) {
          fillVal = 255;
        } else if (keyCode == DOWN) {
          fillVal = 0;
        }
      } else {
        fillVal = 126;
      }
    }

Description

The variable keyCode is used to detect special keys such as the UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT arrow keys and ALT, CONTROL, SHIFT. When checking for these keys, it's first necessary to check and see if the key is coded. This is done with the conditional "if (key == CODED)" as shown in the example.
The keys included in the ASCII specification (BACKSPACE, TAB, ENTER, RETURN, ESC, and DELETE) do not require checking to see if they key is coded, and you should simply use the key variable instead of keyCode If you're making cross-platform projects, note that the ENTER key is commonly used on PCs and Unix and the RETURN key is used instead on Macintosh. Check for both ENTER and RETURN to make sure your program will work for all platforms.

Usage | Web & Application
Related | key keyPressed keyPressed() keyReleased()

Updated on November 22, 2008 08:39:25pm PST