Element: keypress event

{{APIRef}} {{deprecated_header}}

The keypress event is fired when a letter, number, punctuation, or symbol key is pressed, or else when the Enter key is pressed — including when the Enter key is pressed in combination with the Shift key or Ctrl key. Otherwise, when a modifier key such as the Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Meta, Esc, or Option key is pressed in isolation, the keypress event is not fired.

[!WARNING] Since this event has been deprecated, you should use beforeinput or keydown instead.

The event bubbles. It can reach {{domxref("Document")}} and {{domxref("Window")}} .

Syntax

Use the event name in methods like {{domxref("EventTarget.addEventListener", "addEventListener()")}} , or set an event handler property.

addEventListener("keypress", (event) => {});

onkeypress = (event) => {};

Event type

A {{domxref("KeyboardEvent")}} . Inherits from {{domxref("UIEvent")}} and {{domxref("Event")}} .

{{InheritanceDiagram("KeyboardEvent")}}

Event properties

This interface also inherits properties of its parents, {{domxref("UIEvent")}} and {{domxref("Event")}} .

{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.altKey")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the Alt (Option or ⌥ on macOS) key was active when the key event was generated.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.code")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a string with the code value of the physical key represented by the event.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.ctrlKey")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the Ctrl key was active when the key event was generated.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.isComposing")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the event is fired between after compositionstart and before compositionend.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.key")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a string representing the key value of the key represented by the event.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.location")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a number representing the location of the key on the keyboard or other input device. A list of the constants identifying the locations is shown in Keyboard locations.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.metaKey")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the Meta key (on Mac keyboards, the ⌘ Command key; on Windows keyboards, the Windows key (⊞)) was active when the key event was generated.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.repeat")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the key is being held down such that it is automatically repeating.
{{domxref("KeyboardEvent.shiftKey")}} {{ReadOnlyInline}}
- : Returns a boolean value that is true if the Shift key was active when the key event was generated.

Examples

addEventListener keypress example

This example logs the {{domxref("KeyboardEvent.code")}} value whenever you press a key after focussing the {{htmlelement("input")}} element.

To see which keys cause a keypress event to fire, and which keys don’t, try pressing the following:

letter keys, number keys, and punctuation keys
symbol keys such as the $, +, =, %, and + keys
modifier keys such as the Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Meta, Esc, Option, or ⌘ keys
the Enter key
the Enter key in combination with the Shift or Ctrl keys
the Enter key in combination with modifier keys other than the Shift or Ctrl keys

<div>
  <label for="sample">Focus the input and type something:</label>
  <input type="text" name="text" id="sample" />
</div>
<p id="log"></p>

const log = document.getElementById("log");
const input = document.querySelector("input");

input.addEventListener("keypress", logKey);

function logKey(e) {
  log.textContent += ` ${e.code}`;
}

{{EmbedLiveSample("addEventListener_keypress_example")}}

onkeypress equivalent

input.onkeypress = logKey;

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

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