shiftKey

HTML (DHTML)

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shiftKey Property

Retrieves the state of the SHIFT key.

Syntax

[ bKey = ] event.shiftKey

Possible Values

bKey Boolean that receives one of the following values.
false SHIFT key is not pressed.
true SHIFT key is pressed.
The property is read-only. The property has no default value.
Expressions can be used in place of the preceding value(s), as of Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5. For more information, see About Dynamic Properties.

Example

This example demonstrates how to retrieve the state of the SHIFT key. Any key pressed fires the onkeydown event handler, enabling you to retrieve the state of the SHIFT key. Because the onkeyup event handler only fires when a key is released, it always returns false for the SHIFT key's state. The onkeypress event handler only fires when the user presses an alphanumeric key—it will not fire if the SHIFT key is pressed.
<HTML>
.
.
.
<BODY onkeydown="okd.innerText=event.shiftKey;"
onkeypress="okp.innerText=event.shiftKey;"
onkeyup="oku.innerText=event.shiftKey;">
State of SHIFT key from the onkeydown event handler:
 
State of SHIFT key from the onkeyup event handler:
 
State of SHIFT key from the onkeypress event handler:

.
.
.
</BODY>
</HTML>
This feature requires Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 or later. Click the following icon to install the latest version. Then reload this page to view the sample.

Standards Information

There is no public standard that applies to this property.

Applies To

event