User Input - Make it Easier on Yourself

I wanted to help make it a bit easier for you guys for getting keyboard presses. I was going to write a little library, but it ended up being that it only really needs this one function.
In my last post I showed an ASCII table that would be handy for user input. But with this, you don't need it.

Just copy the code from the box below, and either put it in a new file and include it in your page, or put it in an existing included script.

Examples of use:
If you wanted to check if the A key is pressed down:

if (isKeyPressed('a')==true) { /* do whatever */ }

If you wanted to check for the left arrow key being pressed:

isKeyPressed('left')

For escape key:

isKeyPressed('esc')

The Code:

window.addEventListener('keydown',keyPressDown,true);
window.addEventListener('keyup',keyPressUp,true);

function keyPressDown(evt){
 keys[evt.keyCode] = true;
}
function keyPressUp(evt){
 keys[evt.keyCode] = false;
}


function isKeyPressed(checkKey) {
 
 // alphabet
 if ((checkKey == 'a' || checkKey == 'A') && (65 in keys && keys[65])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'b' || checkKey == 'B') && (66 in keys && keys[66])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'c' || checkKey == 'C') && (67 in keys && keys[67])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'd' || checkKey == 'D') && (68 in keys && keys[68])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'e' || checkKey == 'E') && (69 in keys && keys[69])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'f' || checkKey == 'F') && (70 in keys && keys[70])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'g' || checkKey == 'G') && (71 in keys && keys[71])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'h' || checkKey == 'H') && (72 in keys && keys[72])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'i' || checkKey == 'I') && (73 in keys && keys[73])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'j' || checkKey == 'J') && (74 in keys && keys[74])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'k' || checkKey == 'K') && (75 in keys && keys[75])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'l' || checkKey == 'L') && (76 in keys && keys[76])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'm' || checkKey == 'M') && (77 in keys && keys[77])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'n' || checkKey == 'N') && (78 in keys && keys[78])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'o' || checkKey == 'O') && (79 in keys && keys[79])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'p' || checkKey == 'P') && (80 in keys && keys[80])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'q' || checkKey == 'Q') && (81 in keys && keys[81])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'r' || checkKey == 'R') && (82 in keys && keys[82])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 's' || checkKey == 'S') && (83 in keys && keys[83])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 't' || checkKey == 'T') && (84 in keys && keys[84])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'u' || checkKey == 'U') && (85 in keys && keys[85])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'v' || checkKey == 'V') && (86 in keys && keys[86])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'w' || checkKey == 'W') && (87 in keys && keys[87])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'x' || checkKey == 'X') && (88 in keys && keys[88])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'y' || checkKey == 'Y') && (89 in keys && keys[89])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'z' || checkKey == 'Z') && (90 in keys && keys[90])){
  return true;
 }
 
 
 //numbers
 else if ((checkKey == '0') && (48 in keys && keys[48])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '1') && (49 in keys && keys[49])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '2') && (50 in keys && keys[50])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '3') && (51 in keys && keys[51])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '4') && (52 in keys && keys[52])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '5') && (53 in keys && keys[53])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '6') && (54 in keys && keys[54])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '7') && (55 in keys && keys[55])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '8') && (56 in keys && keys[56])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == '9') && (57 in keys && keys[57])){
  return true;
 }
 
 
 // special keys
 else if ((checkKey == 'left' || checkKey == 'LEFT') && (37 in keys && keys[37])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'right' || checkKey == 'RIGHT') && (39 in keys && keys[39])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'up' || checkKey == 'UP') && (38 in keys && keys[38])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'down' || checkKey == 'DOWN') && (40 in keys && keys[40])){
  return true;
 }
 else if ((checkKey == 'esc' || checkKey == 'ESC' || checkKey == 'escape' || checkKey == 'ESCAPE' ) && (27 in keys && keys[27])){
  return true;
 }
 
}