<iframe onKeyDown="checkIt"></iframe>

<script language="JavaScript">

function checkIt()
{
    var stripped = obj_Editor1.editdoc.body.innerText;
   var diff = stripped.length - maxLength;
    if (diff > 0) {
        alert('The maximum length for this statement is ' + maxLength + ' characters (roughly 5 pages). Your entry exceeds that length by ' + diff + '.');
        this.focus();
    }

}

</script>