Keyboard Input

Keyboard input is available on Windows, Linux, and Android. It is not available on GameCube, Wii, or 3DS (see Platform Notes below).

Key Table Reference

All key constants are accessed via the global Key table in Lua, or the KEY_ enum in C++.

Letters

Lua	C++
Key.A	KEY_A
Key.B	KEY_B
Key.C	KEY_C
...	...
Key.Z	KEY_Z

All 26 letters A-Z are available.

Numbers

Numbers have two naming styles in Lua:

Lua (short)	Lua (word)	C++
Key.N0	Key.Zero	KEY_0
Key.N1	Key.One	KEY_1
Key.N2	Key.Two	KEY_2
Key.N3	Key.Three	KEY_3
Key.N4	Key.Four	KEY_4
Key.N5	Key.Five	KEY_5
Key.N6	Key.Six	KEY_6
Key.N7	Key.Seven	KEY_7
Key.N8	Key.Eight	KEY_8
Key.N9	Key.Nine	KEY_9

Function Keys

Lua	C++
Key.F1	KEY_F1
Key.F2	KEY_F2
...	...
Key.F12	KEY_F12

Common Keys

Lua	C++	Description
Key.Space	KEY_SPACE	Spacebar
Key.Enter	KEY_ENTER	Enter / Return
Key.Backspace	KEY_BACKSPACE	Backspace
Key.Tab	KEY_TAB	Tab
Key.Escape	KEY_ESCAPE	Escape
Key.Back	KEY_BACK	Back (Android)

Modifier Keys

Lua	C++
Key.ShiftL	KEY_SHIFT_L
Key.ShiftR	KEY_SHIFT_R
Key.ControlL	KEY_CONTROL_L
Key.ControlR	KEY_CONTROL_R
Key.AltL	KEY_ALT_L
Key.AltR	KEY_ALT_R

Arrow Keys

Lua	C++
Key.Up	KEY_UP
Key.Down	KEY_DOWN
Key.Left	KEY_LEFT
Key.Right	KEY_RIGHT

Navigation Keys

Lua	C++
Key.Insert	KEY_INSERT
Key.Delete	KEY_DELETE
Key.Home	KEY_HOME
Key.End	KEY_END
Key.PageUp	KEY_PAGE_UP
Key.PageDown	KEY_PAGE_DOWN

Numpad

Lua	C++
Key.Numpad0	KEY_NUMPAD0
Key.Numpad1	KEY_NUMPAD1
...	...
Key.Numpad9	KEY_NUMPAD9
Key.Decimal	KEY_DECIMAL

Punctuation

Lua	C++	Character
Key.Period	KEY_PERIOD	.
Key.Comma	KEY_COMMA	,
Key.Plus	KEY_PLUS	=/+
Key.Minus	KEY_MINUS	-/_
Key.Colon	KEY_COLON	;/:
Key.Question	KEY_QUESTION	//?
Key.Squiggle	KEY_SQUIGGLE	`/~
Key.LeftBracket	KEY_LEFT_BRACKET	[/{
Key.RightBracket	KEY_RIGHT_BRACKET	]/}
Key.BackSlash	KEY_BACK_SLASH	\/\|
Key.Quote	KEY_QUOTE	'/"

Lua Functions

IsKeyDown(key)

Returns true if the key is currently held down.

if Input.IsKeyDown(Key.W) then
    -- Move forward every frame the key is held
    moveForward()
end

IsKeyPressed(key) / IsKeyJustDown(key)

Returns true only on the frame the key is first pressed. Both names are aliases for the same function.

if Input.IsKeyPressed(Key.Space) then
    jump()
end

IsKeyReleased(key) / IsKeyJustUp(key)

Returns true only on the frame the key is released. Both names are aliases for the same function.

if Input.IsKeyReleased(Key.E) then
    finishInteraction()
end

IsKeyPressedRepeat(key) / IsKeyJustDownRepeat(key)

Returns true on the first press and then repeatedly while held, following the OS key repeat rate. Useful for text input or menu navigation.

if Input.IsKeyPressedRepeat(Key.Down) then
    moveMenuCursor(1)
end

IsControlDown() / IsShiftDown()

Convenience helpers that check if either left or right modifier is held.

if Input.IsControlDown() and Input.IsKeyPressed(Key.S) then
    save()
end

GetKeysPressed() / GetKeysJustDown()

Returns a table (array) of key codes that were just pressed this frame. Useful for text input.

local keys = Input.GetKeysPressed()
for i, keyCode in ipairs(keys) do
    local char = Input.ConvertKeyCodeToChar(keyCode)
    textBuffer = textBuffer .. char
end

IsAnyKeyJustDown()

Returns true if any key was pressed this frame.

if Input.IsAnyKeyJustDown() then
    dismissSplashScreen()
end

ConvertKeyCodeToChar(keyCode)

Converts a key code integer to a character string. Respects shift state automatically.

local char = Input.ConvertKeyCodeToChar(Key.A) -- returns "a" or "A" depending on shift

C++ Equivalents

#include "InputDevices.h"

// State checks
bool down    = IsKeyDown(KEY_W);
bool pressed = IsKeyJustDown(KEY_SPACE);
bool repeat  = IsKeyJustDownRepeat(KEY_DOWN);
bool up      = IsKeyJustUp(KEY_E);

// Modifiers
bool ctrl  = IsControlDown();
bool shift = IsShiftDown();
bool alt   = IsAltDown();

// Low-level (Input/Input.h)
char ch = INP_ConvertKeyCodeToChar(KEY_A);

Platform Notes

• GameCube / Wii: No keyboard support. INPUT_KEYBOARD_SUPPORT is 0 on these platforms.
• 3DS: No physical keyboard. The Key table still exists in Lua but several entries conflict with 3DS gamepad button names. Specifically, Key.A, Key.B, Key.L, Key.R, Key.X, Key.Y, Key.Up, Key.Down, Key.Left, and Key.Right all resolve to 0 on 3DS. Do not use keyboard input on 3DS; use gamepad functions instead.
• Android: Keyboard input is supported (hardware or software keyboards). Use Input.ShowSoftKeyboard(true) to bring up the on-screen keyboard.