Done as suggested above. Found simpler way to get at char as translated by plugin. Therefore can pass char (instead of keycode) to event. See screenshot-03 and -04 for event details.

Subversion: Committed revision 33046.

A: C:\svn\ossrepo\icefaces3\trunk\icefaces\ace\component\src\org\icefaces\ace\event\KeyPressEvent.java#33046
M: C:\svn\ossrepo\icefaces3\trunk\icefaces\ace\component\src\org\icefaces\ace\component\maskedentry\MaskedEntry.java#33046
M: C:\svn\ossrepo\icefaces3\trunk\icefaces\ace\component\resources\icefaces.ace\maskedentry\maskedentry.js#33046
M: C:\svn\ossrepo\icefaces3\trunk\icefaces\ace\component\src\org\icefaces\ace\component\maskedentry\MaskedEntryMeta.java#33046
M: C:\svn\ossrepo\icefaces3\trunk\icefaces\ace\component\resources\icefaces.ace\maskedentry\readme.txt#33046

Suggestion from Ken:

• make all input optional
• assume no re-render or JS-like event-handling from server side
• wrap value in event as well

Seems when you tab out of an incomplete field the plugin would just blank out the field. See video http://screencast.com/t/WkQ5brrubo. But in this case the character is submitted before any tab and does get to the server. See screenshot-02. But in the re-render and subsequent re-init the plugin wipes it out again, probably seeing that it is as an incomplete entry again. Meanwhile the focus is also lost by the framework.

KeyPressEvent added and worked smoothly when render="@none". See screenshot-01.png.

However, when render="@this", both the value (first and only character input) and the focus just disappear on re-render. See video http://screencast.com/t/K1nt0nWdjVCl. Console shows that framework has applied updates and focus:

[window] applied updates >>
update["form:dobInput"]: <span id="form:dobInput"><input aria-lab....
update["javax.faces.ViewState"]: 4118240290899047183:-3169996285773209031....
eval: ice.applyFocus('form:dobInput_field');....

For some of the intricacies of the keypress event, read these:

http://lists.webkit.org/pipermail/webkit-dev/2007-December/002992.html
http://help.dottoro.com/ljlwfxum.php
http://www.quirksmode.org/dom/events/keys.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ie/ms536939%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/DOM/event.keyCode

Will use jQuery keypress event and listener which hopefully are cross-browser enough.
(The third-party Masked Input Plugin is already using the jQuery keypress event to do a lot of other things.)