The characters generated by a key event as if no modifier key (except for Shift) applies.
SDK
- macOS 10.0+
Framework
- App
Kit
Declaration
@property(readonly, copy) NSString *charactersIgnoringModifiers;
Discussion
Raises an NSInternal if accessed on a non-key event.
This property is set to the non-modifier key character pressed for dead keys, such as Option-e. For example, Option-e (no shift key) returns an “e" for this method, whereas the characters property returns an empty string.
This property is useful for determining “basic” key values in a hardware-independent manner, enabling such features as keyboard equivalents defined in terms of modifier keys plus character keys. For example, to determine if the user typed Alt-S, you don’t have to know whether Alt-S generates a German double ess, an integral sign, or a section symbol. You simply examine the string contained by this property along with the event’s modifier flags, checking for “s” and NSAlternate.
For a list of constants corresponding to commonly-used Unicode characters, see NSText.