For some input devices, such as keyboards, more information is available than can be returned by a single execution of KEY. EKEY provides a standard word to access a system-dependent set of events.

EKEY and EKEY? are implementation specific; no assumption can be made regarding the interaction between the pairs EKEY/EKEY? and KEY/KEY?. This standard does not define a timing relationship between KEY? and EKEY?. Undefined results may be avoided by using only one pairing of KEY/ KEY? or EKEY/EKEY? in a program for each input stream.

EKEY assumes no particular numerical correspondence between particular event code values and the values representing standard characters. On some systems, this may allow two separate keys that correspond to the same standard character to be distinguished from one another. A standard program may only interpret the results of EKEY via the translation words provided for that purpose (EKEY>CHAR and EKEY>FKEY).

See: A.6.1.1750 KEY, 10.6.2.1306 EKEY>CHAR and 10.6.2.1306.40 EKEY>FKEY.