# Trapping the Escape key
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trapping-the-escape-key/6470
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [October 8, 2002, 8:06am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trapping-the-escape-key/6470 "2002-10-08T08:06:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@JohnLawton](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/JohnLawton)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2002, 8:06am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trapping-the-escape-key/6470/1 "2002-10-08T08:06:03Z")
Hi
I am creating a software product demonstrator. The software uses the Escape key to let users get out of menus - crap I know, but that’s the way they do it!!
My problem is that I want Flash MX to look out for the Escape key being hit within my demonstrator and then go to another frame when it is hit.
Any ideas/sample code would be very welcome
Thanks
John 🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2002, 8:34am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trapping-the-escape-key/6470/2 "2002-10-08T08:34:51Z")
Well, it just goes to show that a little struggle through the help files sometimes pays off!!
\_root.onEnterFrame = function() {
if (key.isDown(key.ESCAPE)) {
gotoAndPlay(“EscapeHit”);
}
};
will do the job from that frame on. If anyone has any smarter ways of doing it please let me know.
I hope this can help someone else one day!
Cheers
John 🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trapping-the-escape-key/6470/3 "2002-10-08T13:04:50Z")
:-\ It doesn’t work for me. I can trap the space bar, any letter, but not escape…
Anyway, you can check if escape was pressed only when the user presses a button, it will be less processor intensive:
```auto
_root.onKeyDown = function() {
if (key.isDown(key.ESCAPE)) {
trace("EscapeHit");
}
};
Key.addListener(_root);
```
pom 😏