MACROMEDIA FLASH MX, Reference

Page: 555 / 1104

MovieClip.onKeyDown 555
MovieClip.onKeyDown
Availability
Flash Player 6.
Usage
my_mc .onKeyDown = function() {
// your statements here
}
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.
Description
Event handler; invoked when a movie clip has input focus and a key is pressed. The
onKeyDown
event handler is invoked with no parameters. You can use the
Key.getAscii()
and
Key.getCode()
methods to determine which key was pressed. You must define a function that
executes when the event handler is invoked. You can define the function on the Timeline or in a
class file that extends the MovieClip class or is linked to a symbol in the library. For more
information, see “Assigning a class to a movie clip symbol” in
Using ActionScript in Flash .
The
onKeyDown
event handler works only if the movie clip has input focus enabled and set. First,
the
MovieClip.focusEnabled
property must be set to
true
for the movie clip. Then, the clip
must be given focus. This can be done either by using
Selection.setFocus()
or by setting the
Tab key to navigate to the clip.
If
Selection.setFocus()
is used, the path for the movie clip must be passed to
Selection.setFocus()
. It is very easy for other elements to take the focus back after the mouse
is moved.
Example
The following example defines a function for the
onKeyDown()
method that sends a
trace()
action to the Output panel. Create a movie clip called my_mc and add the following ActionScript
to your FLA or AS file:
my_mc.onKeyDown = function() {
trace("key was pressed");
};
The movie clip must have focus for the
onKeyDown
event handler to work. Add the following
ActionScript to set input focus.
my_mc.tabEnabled = true;
my_mc.focusEnabled = true;
Selection.setFocus(my_mc);