Capture a keyboard keypress in the background
In case you have problem running Otiel's solution:
You need to include:
using System.Runtime.InteropServices; //required for dll import
Another doubt for newbies like me: "top of the class" really means top of your class like this (not namespace or constructor):
public partial class Form1 : Form { [DllImport("user32.dll")] public static extern bool RegisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id, int fsModifers, int vlc); [DllImport("user32.dll")] public static extern bool UnregisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id); }
You don't need to add user32.dll as reference to the project. WinForms always load this dll automatically.
What you want is a global hotkey.
Import needed libraries at the top of your class:
// DLL libraries used to manage hotkeys [DllImport("user32.dll")] public static extern bool RegisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id, int fsModifiers, int vlc); [DllImport("user32.dll")] public static extern bool UnregisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id);
Add a field in your class that will be a reference for the hotkey in your code:
const int MYACTION_HOTKEY_ID = 1;
Register the hotkey (in the constructor of your Windows Form for instance):
// Modifier keys codes: Alt = 1, Ctrl = 2, Shift = 4, Win = 8 // Compute the addition of each combination of the keys you want to be pressed // ALT+CTRL = 1 + 2 = 3 , CTRL+SHIFT = 2 + 4 = 6... RegisterHotKey(this.Handle, MYACTION_HOTKEY_ID, 6, (int) Keys.F12);
Handle the typed keys by adding the following method in your class:
protected override void WndProc(ref Message m) { if (m.Msg == 0x0312 && m.WParam.ToInt32() == MYACTION_HOTKEY_ID) { // My hotkey has been typed // Do what you want here // ... } base.WndProc(ref m); }