If you call addEventListener with useCapture=true, the listener will trap events that don't usually bubble. I've verified that it works even when the focus is on a tab bar.
The one issue is that after the application starts *nothing* has focus - but once you click on anything, even a component that doesn't normally respond to keyboard events, the centralized listener will start getting key events. __ Josh Vanderberg -- http://vanderblog.typepad.com --- In [email protected], Jeffry Houser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Conceptually this sounds good. However, I would expect this method > would be non-intuitive to users. > > Containers will not broadcast keyboard events on their own, so the > user must have have given focus to a component that will broadcast the > keyboard events. I believe there are a lot of situations, such as > changing the selectedIndex of a ViewStack or tabbing through a > TabNavigator where nothing will be given focus and the bar code scan > would be ignored. > > > > Josh VanderBerg wrote: > > > > > > Define a keyDown event handler at the application level. Because of > > the Flex 2.0 event model, all keydown events, from all controls, > > should bubble up to the Application. Here is a little application I > > made to test this. The bottom text area will show all keys typed, no > > matter the control that has the focus when the key was pressed. > > > > <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> > > <mx:Application keyDown="keyCapture(event)" > > xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml > > <http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml>" layout="vertical"> > > > > <mx:Script> > > <![CDATA[ > > private function keyCapture(event: KeyboardEvent) : void { > > allKeys.text += String.fromCharCode(event.charCode); > > } > > ]]> > > </mx:Script> > > > > <mx:Label text="Text1" /> > > <mx:TextArea id="textArea" height="200" width="200" /> > > <mx:Label text="Text2" /> > > <mx:TextInput id="textInput" /> > > <mx:Label text="Button:" /> > > <mx:Button label="Set Focus here" /> > > > > <mx:Label text="Key Capture" /> > > <mx:TextArea selectable="false" id="allKeys" width="400" height="400" /> > > > > </mx:Application> > > > > __ > > Josh Vanderberg -- http://vanderblog.typepad.com > > <http://vanderblog.typepad.com> > > > > --- In [email protected] <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com>, > > "Chad Gray" <cgray@> wrote: > > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > I am just doing research and need some input. > > > > > > We would like to make an Air/Flex app that when you scan in a > > barcode you get product details from a database that CF is serving out. > > > > > > The barcode scanner works like a key board and at the end of a scan > > I can have it send a carriage return. I don't want the user to have > > to put focus on a text input field then scan the barcode to get a > > result. I want them so that any keyboard entry from the scanner will > > always pull up product details upon the carriage return. > > > > > > It does not matter what section of the Appliction they are in. If > > text entry is present from the barcode scanner then I want to return > > product details from the database. > > > > > > Has anyone built an app that works with a barcode reader in this way? > > > > > > Any quick code suggestions on capturing the text input from the > > barcode reader? > > > > > > Thanks! > > > > > > > > > -- > Jeffry Houser, Technical Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Author, > Recording Engineer > AIM: Reboog711 | Phone: 1-203-379-0773 > -- > My Company: <http://www.dot-com-it.com> > My Podcast: <http://www.theflexshow.com> > My Blog: <http://www.jeffryhouser.com> >
