jQuery event.which: Track Button or Key Presses That Trigger Events

jQuery event.which: Main Tips

• The event.which (shortened as e.which) property returns the Unicode value of a pressed key or button that triggered an event.
• e.which stabilizes mousedown and mouseup events.

Pros

• Easy to use with a learn-by-doing approach
• Offers quality content
• Gamified in-browser coding experience
• The price matches the quality
• Suitable for learners ranging from beginner to advanced

Main Features

• Free certificates of completion
• Focused on data science skills
• Flexible learning timetable

GET 25% OFF

Pros

• Simplistic design (no unnecessary information)
• High-quality courses (even the free ones)
• Variety of features

Main Features

• Nanodegree programs
• Suitable for enterprises
• Paid Certificates of completion

UP TO 70% OFF

Pros

• A wide range of learning programs
• University-level courses
• Easy to navigate
• Verified certificates
• Free learning track available

Main Features

• University-level courses
• Suitable for enterprises
• Verified certificates of completion

FREE COURSES

Usage of event.which

The event.which property was first introduced in the Netscape browser. It indicates which button of the keyboard or the mouse invoked the event.

In jQuery, event.which represents the which property for an event object. It's rather common to label the event object as e, therefore e.which is also available. As it is a property and not a function, the syntax does not require specifying any parameters:

$("button").keydown((event) => {
    $("p").html("The key pressed down was: " + event.which);
});

In the example above, the Unicode value of the last key you press when typing into the input field will be displayed.

Note: the mouse button values when using e.which are as follows: a right-click is 1, a middle (or mouse wheel) click is 2, and a left-click is 3.

Most Common Character Codes

In the table below, you will find the most common Unicode character codes that jQuery event.which can return. Feel free to check the less common symbols in this guide.

Arrows

Control Keys

Other Characters