KeyPressEventHandler Delegate

Definition

Represents the method that will handle the KeyPress event of a Control.

C#
public delegate void KeyPressEventHandler(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e);
C#
public delegate void KeyPressEventHandler(object? sender, KeyPressEventArgs e);

Parameters

sender
Object

The source of the event.

e
KeyPressEventArgs

A KeyPressEventArgs that contains the event data.

Examples

C#
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Form1: Form
{
    public Form1()
    {
        // Create a TextBox control.
        TextBox tb = new TextBox();
        this.Controls.Add(tb);
        tb.KeyPress += new KeyPressEventHandler(keypressed);
    }

    private void keypressed(Object o, KeyPressEventArgs e)
    {
        // The keypressed method uses the KeyChar property to check 
        // whether the ENTER key is pressed. 

        // If the ENTER key is pressed, the Handled property is set to true, 
        // to indicate the event is handled.
        if (e.KeyChar == (char)Keys.Return)
        {
            e.Handled = true;
        }
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        Application.Run(new Form1());
    }
}
C#
// Boolean flag used to determine when a character other than a number is entered.
private bool nonNumberEntered = false;

// Handle the KeyDown event to determine the type of character entered into the control.
private void textBox1_KeyDown(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs e)
{
    // Initialize the flag to false.
    nonNumberEntered = false;

    // Determine whether the keystroke is a number from the top of the keyboard.
    if (e.KeyCode < Keys.D0 || e.KeyCode > Keys.D9)
    {
        // Determine whether the keystroke is a number from the keypad.
        if (e.KeyCode < Keys.NumPad0 || e.KeyCode > Keys.NumPad9)
        {
            // Determine whether the keystroke is a backspace.
            if(e.KeyCode != Keys.Back)
            {
                // A non-numerical keystroke was pressed.
                // Set the flag to true and evaluate in KeyPress event.
                nonNumberEntered = true;
            }
        }
    }
    //If shift key was pressed, it's not a number.
    if (Control.ModifierKeys == Keys.Shift) {
        nonNumberEntered = true;
    }
}

// This event occurs after the KeyDown event and can be used to prevent
// characters from entering the control.
private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
    // Check for the flag being set in the KeyDown event.
    if (nonNumberEntered)
    {
        // Stop the character from being entered into the control since it is non-numerical.
        e.Handled = true;
    }
}

Remarks

Set KeyPressEventArgs.Handled to true to cancel the KeyPress event. This keeps the control from processing the key press.

When you create a KeyPressEventHandler delegate, you identify the method that will handle the event. To associate the event with your event handler, add an instance of the delegate to the event. The event handler is called whenever the event occurs, unless you remove the delegate. For more information about handling events with delegates, see Handling and Raising Events.

Extension Methods

GetMethodInfo(Delegate)

Gets an object that represents the method represented by the specified delegate.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
Windows Desktop 3.0, 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

See also