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Overview

The Keyboard sensor enables keyboard-based drag and drop interactions. It is enabled by default in the DragDropManager.

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Usage

import {DragDropManager} from '@dnd-kit/dom';
import {KeyboardSensor} from '@dnd-kit/dom/sensors';

const manager = new DragDropManager({
  sensors: [
    KeyboardSensor.configure({
      keyboardCodes: {
        start: ['Space', 'Enter'],
        cancel: ['Escape'],
        end: ['Space', 'Enter'],
        up: ['ArrowUp'],
        down: ['ArrowDown'],
        left: ['ArrowLeft'],
        right: ['ArrowRight'],
      },
    }),
  ],
});

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Default Key Bindings

The Keyboard sensor comes with these default key bindings:

const defaultKeyboardCodes = {
  start: ['Space', 'Enter'],    // Start dragging
  cancel: ['Escape'],           // Cancel drag operation
  end: ['Space', 'Enter'],      // End dragging
  up: ['ArrowUp'],             // Move up
  down: ['ArrowDown'],         // Move down
  left: ['ArrowLeft'],         // Move left
  right: ['ArrowRight'],       // Move right
};

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Customizing Key Bindings

You can customize which keys trigger different actions:

KeyboardSensor.configure({
  keyboardCodes: {
    // Use Tab to start/end dragging
    start: ['Tab'],
    end: ['Tab'],

    // Use WASD for movement
    up: ['KeyW'],
    down: ['KeyS'],
    left: ['KeyA'],
    right: ['KeyD'],

    // Additional cancel keys
    cancel: ['Escape', 'KeyQ'],
  },
});

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Default behavior

By default, each key press moves the dragged item by 10 pixels. Hold Shift to move by 50 pixels instead.

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API Reference

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Options

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keyboardCodes
KeyboardCodes

Configure which keyboard codes trigger different actions:

interface KeyboardCodes {
  start: KeyCode[];    // Start dragging
  cancel: KeyCode[];   // Cancel operation
  end: KeyCode[];      // End dragging
  up: KeyCode[];       // Move up
  down: KeyCode[];     // Move down
  left: KeyCode[];     // Move left
  right: KeyCode[];    // Move right
}

type KeyCode = KeyboardEvent['code'];

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Events

The Keyboard sensor handles these events:

  • keydown: Key press detection
  • keyup: Key release detection

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Activation

The sensor activates when:

  1. A draggable element or its handle has focus
  2. A configured start key is pressed
  3. The element isn’t disabled

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Best Practices

  1. Provide clear focus indicators:

    • Use visible focus rings
    • Maintain sufficient contrast

  2. Support screen readers:

    • Use proper ARIA attributes
    • Provide clear instructions

  3. Consider key combinations:

    • Avoid conflicts with browser shortcuts
    • Support standard keyboard patterns