# One key at a time
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Created:** [April 30, 2002, 10:11am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078 "2002-04-30T10:11:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 10:11am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078/1 "2002-04-30T10:11:08Z")
Hi,
I’m trying to make a game where a stick figure’s movements are controlled by the keyboard. Pretty much everything works, but not exactly the way I want. Left, right, up, and down movements are controlled with the arrow keys. There are times where the stick figure can perform other actions by pressing other keys, like the spacebar. However, if I press an arrow key and spacebar, the figure will move AND perform the action attached to the spacebar. What I would like is a way to ‘lock out’ all other keys when any one key is down. Currently, I am using the following commands, in a function, to detect keys: if (Key.isDown (Key.LEFT)) etc…
Is there a method for locking out the other keys when one key is already pressed?
Thanks!
scigolf
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078/2 "2002-04-30T16:17:05Z")
do this:
if(Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT)){
// do the ‘right’ thing.
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.LEFT)){
// do the ‘left’ thing.
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.UP)){
// do the ‘up’ thing.
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.DOWN)){
// do the ‘down’ thing.
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.SPACE)){
// do the ‘space’ thing.
}
by using ‘else if’ instead of 5 ‘if’ statements you are limiting the user to one keypress at a time.
🙂
jeremy
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2002, 10:03am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078/3 "2002-05-06T10:03:31Z")
Thank you!
scigolf
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/one-key-at-a-time/2078/4 "2002-06-06T14:06:30Z")
Hey scigolf i tried to make a stick figure run while pressing right. But every thime i hold right it locks on the first frame of the movie clip. How do u make it so that if u hold right it will play the movie clip running while holding right down?