KeyPressed/KeyReleased not working?

Question

I'm trying to make a game in java, just a simple platformer, but I'm having difficulty when running the code. I can't seem to get any response from key presses. The only thing I can think hasn't been working properly is the keyPressed and keyReleased functions. Below is the relevant code.

public ReflexPanel() {

    initBoard();

    setFocusable(true);
    addKeyListener(this);

    Timer timer = new Timer(1000/120, this);
    timer.start();
}

private void initBoard() {

    loadMenu();

    int w = menu.getWidth(this);
    int h = menu.getHeight(this);
    setPreferredSize(new Dimension(w, h));
}



private void step() {
    if(mainMenu){
        if(ePressed) {
            System.exit(0);
        }

        if(hPressed) {
            loadScores();
            repaint();
        }
    }
}

public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {}

@Override
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
    if (e.getKeyCode() == 'e') {
        ePressed = true;
    }
    if (e.getKeyCode() == 'h') {
        hPressed = true;
    }
}

@Override
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {
    if (e.getKeyCode() == 'e') {
        ePressed = false;
    }
    if (e.getKeyCode() == 'h') {
        hPressed = false;
    }
}

@Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
    step();
}

The ePressed and hPressed variables are just booleans set to false by default, and loadScores calls a png file.

Answer 1

You're using getKeyCode() which returns an int value with constants given in KeyEvent class, such as KeyEvent.VK_E.

You're looking to use getKeyChar() which returns 'e' directly.

if (e.getKeyChar() == 'e') {  // Now it has an actual chance of working

Answer 2

You can't do this:

if(e.getKeyCode() == 'e'){
    // code logic
}

KeyEvent::getKeyCode doesn't return the char you press on the keyboard. It "returns the integer keyCode associated with the key in this event". When using KeyEvent::getKeyCode you have to use the KeyEvent key constants values predefined in the class. So for example:

if(e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_E){
    // code logic
}

Or you can use KeyEvent::getKeyChar which "returns the character associated with the key in this event".