get_key_state

short get_key_state(int v_key)

This function obtains the status of a virtual key.

Parameters

int v_key

The virtual key whose state information is being queried. If the virtual key is a letter or digit (A-Z, a-z or 0-9), this parameter is the ASCII value of the character. For other keys, it is the virtual key code.

Return

short

The status of the virtual key:

• If the high-order bit is set the key is down; otherwise, the key is up.
• If the low-order bit is set, the key is in a toggled (on) state.

Notes

The status of a virtual key includes:

• whether the key is up or down and
• whether the key is in a toggled state.

The virtual-key code constants:

• virtual_key::shift,
• virtual_key::control and
• virtual_key::menu

may be used as indices. These indices yield the status of the shift, ctrl and alt keys without distinguishing between left and right. The following virtual key code constants may be used as indices to distinguish between the left and right occurrences of these keys.

virtual_key::left_shift	virtual_key::right_shift
virtual_key::left_control	virtual_key::right_control
virtual_key::left_menu	virtual_key::right_menu

These left and right distinguishing constants are available only through the functions

• get_keyboard_state,
• set_keyboard_state,
• get_asynchronous_key_state,
• get_key_state and
• map_virtual_key.