Tab key navigation in JavaFX TextArea

Question

How do I make hitting the Tab Key in TextArea navigates to the next control ?

I could add a listener to cath de key pressed event, but how do I make te TextArea control

Answer 1

If a different solution for the Tab - Focus problem. The default behaviour of the TextArea for the CTRL+TAB key is a move of focus to the next control. So I replaced the TAB key event with a CTRL+TAB key event, and when the user hits CTRL+TAB a tab character is inserted in the TextArea.

My question: is it OK to fire an event in the event filter? And is it OK to replace the text of the KeyEvent with the FOCUS_EVENT_TEXT, in order to have an indication if it is the an event generated by the user, or from the event created in the event filter.

The event filter:

javafx.scene.control.TextArea textArea1 = new javafx.scene.control.TextArea();
textArea1.addEventFilter(KeyEvent.KEY_PRESSED, new TextAreaTabToFocusEventHandler());

The event handler:

public class TextAreaTabToFocusEventHandler implements EventHandler
{
    private static final String FOCUS_EVENT_TEXT = "TAB_TO_FOCUS_EVENT";

    @Override
    public void handle(final KeyEvent event)
    {
        if (!KeyCode.TAB.equals(event.getCode()))
        {
            return;
        }

        // handle events where the TAB key or TAB + CTRL key is pressed
        // so don't handle the event if the ALT, SHIFT or any other modifier key is pressed
        if (event.isAltDown() || event.isMetaDown() || event.isShiftDown())
        {
            return;
        }

        if (!(event.getSource() instanceof TextArea))
        {
            return;
        }

        final TextArea textArea = (TextArea) event.getSource();
        if (event.isControlDown())
        {
            // if the event text contains the special focus event text
            // => do not consume the event, and let the default behaviour (= move focus to the next control) happen.
            //
            // if the focus event text is not present, then the user has pressed CTRL + TAB key,
            // then consume the event and insert or replace selection with tab character
            if (!FOCUS_EVENT_TEXT.equalsIgnoreCase(event.getText()))
            {
                event.consume();
                textArea.replaceSelection("\t");
            }
        }
        else
        {
            // The default behaviour of the TextArea for the CTRL+TAB key is a move of focus to the next control.
            // So we consume the TAB key event, and fire a new event with the CTRL + TAB key.

            event.consume();

            final KeyEvent tabControlEvent = new KeyEvent(event.getSource(), event.getTarget(), event.getEventType(), event.getCharacter(),
                                                          FOCUS_EVENT_TEXT, event.getCode(), event.isShiftDown(), true, event.isAltDown(), event.isMetaDown());
            textArea.fireEvent(tabControlEvent);
        }
    }
}