- (int)keyCodeForCharacter: (NSString*)character {

    if(![character length]) return -1;

   

    char code;

    BOOL shift, alt;

    if(Ascii2Virtual( (char)[character characterAtIndex: 0],shift,alt,code)) {

        return code;

    }

    return -1;

 

BOOL Ascii2Virtual(char pcar, BOOL *pshift, BOOL *palt, char *pkeycode)

    KeyboardLayoutRef keyboard;

    const void *keyboardData; // keyboard layout data

    UInt16 nbblocs;

    char *modblocs, *blocs, *deadkeys;

    int ix, ifin, numbloc, keycode;

   

    BOOL shift, alt;

    // get the current keyboard

    if(KLGetCurrentKeyboardLayout(&keyboard;)) return NO;

    // get the description of the current keyboard layout

    if(KLGetKeyboardLayoutProperty(keyboard, kKLKCHRData, &keyboardData;)) return NO;

    // get pointer early numbers of blocks for each combination of modifiers

    modblocs = ((char *)keyboardData) + 2;

    // get number of blocks keycode->ascii

    nbblocs = *((UInt16 *)(keyboardData + 258));

    // get pointer early blocks keycode-> ascii

    blocs = ((char *)keyboardData) + 260;

    // determining the size of all tables keycode-> ascii a scanner

    ifin = nbblocs*128;

    // determining pointer early in the tables of dead keys

    deadkeys = blocs+ifin;

    // Now it runs blocks keycode-> ascii to find the car ascii

    for (ix=0; ix<ifin ; ix++)

    {

        if (blocs[ix]==pcar)

        {

 

            // found ascii value: now we must determine which block it is

            keycode = ix & 0×7f; // 0111 1111 mask

            numbloc = ix >> 7;

            break;

        }

    }

 

    // not found: bail out (error)

    if (ix >= ifin) return NO;

 

    // from block number, we must find the combination of modifiers using this block

    for (ix=0; ix<15; ix++)

    {

        // it does not address whether the modifiers are not "capital" and "option"

        if (ix&1 || ix&4) continue;

        // Combining modifiers found for the block

        if (modblocs[ix]==numbloc)

        {

            shift = (ix&2) ? YES : NO;

            alt   = (ix&8) ? YES : NO;

            break;        

        }

    }

    // combination modifiers not found: bail

    if (ix>=15) return NO;

    // save our parameters

    *pkeycode=keycode;

    *pshift=shift;

    *palt=alt;

   

    return YES;

</ifin>