ActionScript 2.0 :: Capture Enter Key In Application?

I am trying to capture enter key in my application. I can get the event firing, but when i try to access a variable outside the function it says it is undefined. Flash Player v8. Actionscript 2.

Here is main part of the code:

class Library.ClientListTS extends mx.core.UIComponent
{
//Declare variables for controls to be used
public var dgClientataGrid;

[Code]....

The Alert.show pops up a box with the contents specified. So when i run this code and press the "enter" key, i get the alert popup box , which shows that the event is triggering ok. But the variable "listLength" shows as undefined. I wanted it to show the value 4. The main essence of my questiion is how can I access a variable outside the listener event function.

I have tried various combinations of public and private settings as well as prefixing the variable with _parent.