I personally prefer the multi-key approach. This allows multiple keys to be detected, but also a single key just the same, and it works in every browser I've tested.
map={}//declare object to hold data
onkeydown=onkeyup=function(e){
e=e||event//if e doesn't exist (like in IE), replace it with window.event
map[e.keyCode]=e.type=='keydown'?true:false
//Check for keycodes
}
An alternative method would be to separate the onkeydown and onkeyup events and explicitly define the map subitems in each event:
map={}
onkeydown=function(e){
e=e||event
map[e.keyCode]=true
}
onkeyup=function(e){
e=e||event
map[e.keyCode]=false
}
Either way works fine. Now, to actually detect keystrokes, the method, including bug fixes, is:
//[in onkeydown or onkeyup function, after map[e.keyCode] has been decided...]
if(map[keycode]){
//do something
map={}
return false
}
map[keycode] constitutes a specific keycode, like 13 for Enter, or 17 for CTRL.
The map={} line clears the map object to keep it from "holding" onto keys in cases of unfocusing, while return false prevents, for example, the Bookmarks dialog from popping up when you check for CTRL+D. In some cases, you might want to replace it with e.preventDefault(), but I've found return false to be more efficient in most cases. Just to get a clear perspective, try it with CTRL+D. Ctrl is 17, and D is 68. Notice that without the return false line, the Bookmarks dialog will pop up.
Some examples follow:
if(map[17]&&map[13]){//CTRL+ENTER
alert('CTRL+ENTER was pressed')
map={}
return false
}else if(map[13]){//ENTER
alert('Enter was pressed')
map={}
return false
}
One thing to keep in mind is that smaller combinations should come last. Always put larger combinations first in the if..else chain, so you don't get an alert for both Enter and CTRL+ENTER at the same time.
Now, a full example to "put it all together". Say you want to alert a message that contains instructions for logging in when the user presses SHIFT+? and log in when the user presses ENTER. This example is also cross-browser compatible, meaning it works in IE, too:
map={}
keydown=function(e){
e=e||event
map[e.keyCode]=true
if(map[16]&&map[191]){//SHIFT+?
alert('1) Type your username and password\n\n2) Hit Enter to log in')
map={}
return false
}else if(map[13]){//Enter
alert('Logging in...')
map={}
return false
}
}
keyup=function(e){
e=e||event
map[e.keyCode]=false
}
onkeydown=keydown
onkeyup=keyup//For Regular browsers
try{//for IE
document.attachEvent('onkeydown',keydown)
document.attachEvent('onkeyup',keyup)
}catch(e){
//do nothing
}
Note that some special keys have different codes for different engines. But as I've tested, this works in every browser I currently have on my computer, including Maxthon 3, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (9 and 8), and Firefox.
I hope this was helpful.
