This message is posted to the window with the keyboard focus when a WM_KEYDOWN message is translated by the TranslateMessage function. WM_CHAR contains the character code of the key that was pressed.
At a Glance
| Header file: | Winuser.h |
| Windows CE versions: | 1.0 and later |
Syntax
WM_CHAR chCharCode = (TCHAR) wParam; lKeyData = lParam;
Parameters
chCharCode
Specifies the character code of the key.
lKeyData
Specifies the repeat count, context code, previous key-state flag, and transition-state flag, as shown in the following table.
| Value | Description |
| 0–15 | Specifies the repeat count. The value is the number of times the keystroke is repeated as a result of the user holding down the key. |
| 29 | Specifies the context code. The value is 1 if the ALT key is held down while the key is pressed; otherwise, the value is 0. |
| 30 | Specifies the previous key state. The value is 1 if the key is down before the message is sent, or it is 0 if the key is up. |
| 31 | Specifies the transition state. The value is 1 if the key is being released, or it is 0 if the key is being pressed. |
Return Values
An application should return zero if it processes this message.
Remarks
Because there is not necessarily a one-to-one correspondence between keys pressed and character messages generated, the information in the high-order word of the lKeyData parameter is generally not useful to applications. The information in the high-order word applies only to the most recent WM_KEYDOWN message that precedes the posting of the WM_CHAR message.
For enhanced 101- and 102-key keyboards, extended keys are the right ALT and the right CTRL keys on the main section of the keyboard; the INS, DEL, HOME, END, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN and arrow keys in the clusters to the left of the numeric keypad; and the divide (/) and ENTER keys in the numeric keypad. Some other keyboards may support the extended-key bit in the lKeyData parameter.
See Also