Showing how to listen to all keypresses in OS X through the Cocoa API using Python and PyObjC

cocoa_keypress_monitor.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
#
# cocoa_keypress_monitor.py
# Copyright © 2016 Bjarte Johansen <[email protected]>
#
# The MIT License (MIT)
#
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
# a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
# “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
# without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
# distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
# permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to
# the following conditions:
#
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
# included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
#
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
# EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
# MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
# NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE
# LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION
# OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
# WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
#
# Usage:
#
# Goto System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility and add
# Python to apps allowed to control your computer. If it is not in the
# list, the easiest is to run this file first and it should appear.

from AppKit import NSApplication, NSApp
from Foundation import NSObject, NSLog
from Cocoa import NSEvent, NSKeyDownMask
from PyObjCTools import AppHelper

class AppDelegate(NSObject):
    def applicationDidFinishLaunching_(self, notification):
        mask = NSKeyDownMask
        NSEvent.addGlobalMonitorForEventsMatchingMask_handler_(mask, handler)

def handler(event):
    try:
        NSLog(u"%@", event)
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        AppHelper.stopEventLoop()

def main():
    app = NSApplication.sharedApplication()
    delegate = AppDelegate.alloc().init()
    NSApp().setDelegate_(delegate)
    AppHelper.runEventLoop()
    
if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

What if I want to write the output to a file?

@Quentin-M I think pyObjC returned a python KeyboardInterrupt before, but it seems it is not doing that anymore. It should be easy to fix, but I think that should be an exercise for the reader.

@kismet- You should be able to use standard python commands to output to a file, or you can use gurgeh/selfspy.

What is it supposed to print? I run and get no errors but also get no output, is this normal? It doesn't seem like it is, how do i prevent this?

@JacyNewbs It should print the event that contains the keyboard press. You probably have to turn on assistive devices and add python to the programs allowed to control your computer.

its working for me. thank you.
However, I have the following issue

1. unable to stop the code ctl+C
2. I want to create a log file in addition to display
   could you let me know the step. I tried , since it did not come out of loop I was not able to write in a file

I get this error :
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "keylogger.py", line 1, in
from AppKit import NSApplication, NSApp
ImportError: No module named AppKit

And before you say somethin bout you gotta install appkit, I have I did all this pip install appkit thingy and it installed I think.
Please HELP!!!!

Unable to stop the code control + C.
And can't get into handler. :(