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How To Detect Escape Key Press With Pure Js Or Jquery

When building interactive web applications, it's essential to enable users to navigate smoothly. Incorporating features like detecting key presses can enhance user experience significantly. In this guide, we will explore how to detect the Escape key press using pure JavaScript or jQuery in your projects.

### Detecting Escape Key Press with Pure JavaScript

To detect the Escape key press using pure JavaScript, you can utilize event listeners. Here's a simple step-by-step guide to achieve this:

1. Attach an Event Listener: Start by attaching an event listener to the `keydown` event on the `document` object. This will allow you to capture key press events.

Javascript

document.addEventListener('keydown', function(event) {
  if (event.key === 'Escape') {
    // Execute your desired code when the Escape key is pressed
    console.log('Escape key pressed!');
  }
});

2. Check for the Escape Key: Within the event listener function, check if the pressed key is the Escape key by comparing `event.key` to `'Escape'`.

3. Execute Your Code: Once the condition is met, execute your desired code. In the example above, a simple log message is displayed when the Escape key is pressed.

### Detecting Escape Key Press with jQuery

If you prefer using jQuery in your projects, you can achieve the same functionality with its simplified syntax. Here's how you can detect the Escape key press using jQuery:

1. Attach an Event Handler: Use the `keydown()` method in jQuery to attach an event handler to the `keydown` event.

Javascript

$(document).keydown(function(event) {
  if (event.key === 'Escape') {
    // Execute your desired code when the Escape key is pressed
    console.log('Escape key pressed!');
  }
});

2. Check for the Escape Key: Similar to the pure JavaScript approach, check if the pressed key is the Escape key within the event handler function.

3. Execute Your Code: Upon detecting the Escape key press, execute your desired code. In this case, a log message is displayed in the console.

### Conclusion

Detecting key presses, such as the Escape key, can add valuable functionality to your web applications. Whether you choose pure JavaScript or jQuery, implementing this feature is straightforward and can improve user interactions.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily detect the Escape key press in your projects and customize the behavior based on your requirements. Experiment with different actions and enhance the user experience by incorporating key press detection into your web development toolkit.

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