keyReleased

KeyReleased is a type of keyboard event in graphical user interfaces and games that signals when a key on the keyboard has been released after being pressed. It is part of the standard event model used by many frameworks to handle keyboard input.

In Java's AWT and Swing, keyReleased is one of the methods of the KeyListener interface, alongside keyPressed and keyTyped. A class implementing KeyListener receives a KeyEvent when the user lifts a key. The event object provides details such as the key code (for example, VK_A), the key character, and modifier flags like Shift or Ctrl.

KeyReleased is commonly used to update internal state after a key is released, to trigger actions on release, or to implement keyboard shortcuts that depend on the release timing. It is also used in games to detect when a movement key stops being pressed, allowing smooth transitions between states.

Relationship to other events: keyPressed fires when the key goes down, keyReleased when it goes up, and keyTyped is for keys that produce character input. Some keys may not generate keyTyped, and delivery can be affected by focus, input methods, or platform-specific behavior.

Example (Java):

class MyListener implements java.awt.event.KeyListener {

@Override public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) { }

@Override public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {

if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_ENTER) {

// handle enter release

}

}

@Override public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) { }

}

See also: keyPressed, keyTyped.