Keyboard Class

.NET Framework (current version)

Provides properties for accessing the current state of the keyboard, such as what keys are currently pressed, and provides a method to send keystrokes to the active window.

Namespace: Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices
Assembly: Microsoft.VisualBasic (in Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll)

Inheritance Hierarchy

System::Object
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices::Keyboard

Syntax

C++

[HostProtectionAttribute(SecurityAction::LinkDemand, Resources = HostProtectionResource::ExternalProcessMgmt)]
public ref class Keyboard

Constructors

	Name	Description
	Keyboard()	Initializes a new instance of the Keyboard class.

Properties

	Name	Description
	AltKeyDown	Gets a Boolean indicating if the ALT key is down.
	CapsLock	Gets a Boolean indicating if CAPS LOCK is turned on.
	CtrlKeyDown	Gets a Boolean indicating if a CTRL key is down.
	NumLock	Gets a Boolean indicating if the NUM LOCK key is on.
	ScrollLock	Gets a Boolean indicating whether the SCROLL LOCK key is on.
	ShiftKeyDown	Gets a Boolean indicating if a SHIFT key is down.

Methods

	Name	Description
	Equals(Object^)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.(Inherited from Object.)
	Finalize()	Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection.(Inherited from Object.)
	GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance.(Inherited from Object.)
	MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.(Inherited from Object.)
	SendKeys(String^)	Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.
	SendKeys(String^, Boolean)	Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.
	ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object.(Inherited from Object.)

The My.Computer.Keyboard object provides an interface to the computer's keyboard. The properties of the My.Computer.Keyboard provide information about the state of several special keys. The My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method lets you send keys to the active window as if they have been typed at the keyboard.

Tasks

The following table lists an example of a task involving the My.Computer.Keyboard object.

To	See
Send keystrokes to an application	How to: Start an Application and Send it Keystrokes (Visual Basic)

Availability by Project Type

Project type	Available
Windows Application	Yes
Class Library	Yes
Console Application	Yes
Windows Control Library	Yes
Web Control Library	No
Windows Service	Yes
Web Site	No

Examples

This example uses the My.Computer.Keyboard.CtrlKeyDown property to determine if the computer's CTRL key is pressed.

If My.Computer.Keyboard.CtrlKeyDown Then
    MsgBox("CTRL key down")
Else
    MsgBox("CTRL key up")
End If

Version Information

.NET Framework
Available since 2.0

Thread Safety

Any public static ( Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.