Flex disable Safari keyboard shortcuts

Question

I have a Flex app running on a web page, and I want to use the Command+← key combination to trigger certain actions in the app. This is fine on most browsers, but on Safari, the browser intercepts this keyboard event and causes the browser "back" event instead. Is there a way, either through Flex or via JavaScript elsewhere on the page, that I can tell Safari not to do that?

It is generally bad form to intercept keyboard events and make them do something they're not meant to, and is actually one of the reasons public opinion of Flash dropped so quickly. I would have to advise against doing this and finding another combo to use. — Josh, Oct 24 '13 at 23:23
Even if it's a bad idea, I still want to know how it can be done. — Dan Burton, Oct 29 '13 at 18:24
You won't be able to do it via AS3, for sure. It would have to be done through Javascript. See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7295508/javascript-capture-browser-shortcuts-ctrlt-n-w — Josh, Oct 29 '13 at 18:34
I believe it is doable, even in the post Josh mentioned, JS/AS or with interactions between the two. but I think Burton is right, it's not what they meant to — zinking, Nov 05 '13 at 09:54
Are you're having this problem on non-mac versions of safari only? — Still.Tony, Nov 05 '13 at 13:49

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:24

Short answer, it's a (little) known bug on non-mac versions of safari. You can't reliably block all shortcut keys. Perhaps if you were more specific about what other shortcuts you're trying to block? Maybe some of them will work. e.g. cut paste copy have their own special methods of blocking. (Although it seems like you probably already know that.)

Are you using something like this?

function blockKeys(e) {
    var blocked = new Array('c','x','v');
    var keyCode = (e.keyCode) ? e.keyCode : e.which;
    var isCtrl;
    if(window.event)
        isCtrl = e.ctrlKey
    else
        isCtrl = (window.Event) ? ((e.modifiers & Event.CTRL_MASK) == Event.CTRL_MASK) : false;

    if(isCtrl) {
        for(i = 0; i < blocked.length; i++) {
            if(blocked[i] == String.fromCharCode(keyCode).toLowerCase()) {
                return false;
            }
        }
    }
    return true;
}

You're not the first to get hit with this bug on here

Flex disable Safari keyboard shortcuts

1 Answers1