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jQuery keydown() Method

❮ jQuery Event Methods

Example

Set the background color of an <input> field when a keyboard key is pressed down:

$("input").keydown(function(){
  $("input").css("background-color", "yellow");
});
Try it Yourself »

Definition and Usage

The order of events related to the keydown event:

  1. keydown - The key is on its way down
  2. keypress - The key is pressed down
  3. keyup - The key is released

The keydown event occurs when a keyboard key is pressed down.

The keydown() method triggers the keydown event, or attaches a function to run when a keydown event occurs.

Tip: Use the event.which property to return which keyboard key was pressed.


Syntax

Trigger the keydown event for the selected elements:

$(selector).keydown() Try it

Attach a function to the keydown event:

$(selector).keydown(function) Try it

Parameter Description
function Optional. Specifies the function to run when the keydown event is triggered

Try it Yourself - Examples

Determine which key was pressed
How use the event.which property to determine which key was pressed.


❮ jQuery Event Methods