tap-hold-release-keys: What does "trigger an early tap" mean?

[thomastthai]

I'm on macOS. I've read the section below multiple times and tried different examples listed below. Still, I don't notice the difference referenced by "trigger an early tap." For example, in the Home row mod advanced demo, when a left-hand modifier key (e.g. d or lctl) is pressed and held and another left-hand key is pressed (e.g. e), it still registers as Ctrl+e. The same happens if the right-side k or rctl is pressed and held while tapping e.

Shouldn't the e turn the d key into an early tab and output d instead of lctl?

tap-hold-release-keys or tap⬓↑keys

This variant takes a 5th parameter which is a list of keys that trigger an early tap when they are pressed while the tap-hold-release-keys action is waiting. Otherwise this behaves as tap-hold-release.

The keys in the 5th parameter correspond to the physical input keys, or in other words the key that corresponds to defsrc. This is in contrast to the fork and switch actions which operates on outputted keys, or in other words the outputs that are in deflayer, defalias, etc. for the corresponding defsrc key.

Example:

(defalias
  ;; tap: o    hold: arrows layer    timeout: backspace
  oat (tap-hold-press-timeout   200 200 o @arr bspc)
  ;; tap: e    hold: chords layer    timeout: esc
  ect (tap-hold-release-timeout 200 200 e @chr esc)
  ;; tap: u    hold: misc layer      early tap if any of: (a o e) are pressed
  umk (tap-hold-release-keys 200 200 u @msc (a o e))
)

[jtroo]

See this simulator link.

The notable point is the timing and the difference in key outputs based on the difference between pressing a and d, even though both are held for long enough.

Quicker:

t:              100ms
out:   ↓(press) A
t:              6ms
out:   ↓(press) D
t:              294ms
out: ↑(release) A
t:              1ms
out: ↑(release) D

Slower

out:   ↓(press) LGui
t:              250ms
out:   ↓(press) LCtrl
t:              150ms
out: ↑(release) LGui
t:              1ms
out: ↑(release) LCtrl

[thomastthai]

@jtroo, thanks for the response. The simulated link you sent didn't show how pressing the same key on the same side as the alias-modifier key that is held would change that hold into a tap.

d:a t:100 d:d t:300 u:a u:d t:10000

d:a t:250 d:d t:300 u:a u:d t:10000

Your first line had a with a tick time of 100 which would make it a tap because of the hold-time 150.

The second input line has a held because its tick time is 250. However, since d is also on the left-hand side, wouldn't that turn the hold a into an "early tap?"

[jtroo]

In the first line a is held for 400ms. In the second line a is held for 550ms. Both are long enough to be "held". The first is "early tapped" because d came in before "hold" got decided which is at 200ms.

[thomastthai]

My understanding of how the tick time works with key events for Kanata is way off.

With regard to the simulator...

For the first line, d:a t:100 d:d t:300 u:a u:d t:10000, the tick time for how long a is held for is the total tick time up util the u:a, i.e., 100 + 300 = 400. Likewise for the second line with 250 + 300 = 550.

I considered only at the tick time after the initial d:a.

Thank you for your time!