(This is the documentation for SDL3, which is the current stable version. SDL2 was the previous version!)

SDL_GetKeyboardState

Get a snapshot of the current state of the keyboard.

Header File

Syntax

const bool * SDL_GetKeyboardState(int *numkeys);

Function Parameters

int *

numkeys

if non-NULL, receives the length of the returned array.

Return Value

(const bool *) Returns a pointer to an array of key states.

Remarks

The pointer returned is a pointer to an internal SDL array. It will be valid for the whole lifetime of the application and should not be freed by the caller.

A array element with a value of true means that the key is pressed and a value of false means that it is not. Indexes into this array are obtained by using SDL_Scancode values.

Use SDL_PumpEvents() to update the state array.

This function gives you the current state after all events have been processed, so if a key or button has been pressed and released before you process events, then the pressed state will never show up in the SDL_GetKeyboardState() calls.

Note: This function doesn't take into account whether shift has been pressed or not.

Thread Safety

It is safe to call this function from any thread.

Version

This function is available since SDL 3.1.3.