How to press two keys at once and send Enter similar to karabiner

[hdecoded]

Hi @cajhin ,

Thanks for the great tool. I am loving the flexibility the offers.

I'm trying to replicate the following Karabiner-Elements configuration on Windows using capsicain:

{
  "description": "Simultaneous keys",
  "manipulators": [
    {
      "from": {
        "modifiers": { "optional": ["any"] },
        "simultaneous": [
          { "key_code": "k" },
          { "key_code": "j" }
        ],
        "simultaneous_options": {
          "detect_key_down_uninterruptedly": false,
          "key_down_order": "insensitive",
          "key_up_order": "insensitive",
          "key_up_when": "any"
        }
      },
      "to": [{ "key_code": "return_or_enter" }],
      "type": "basic"
    }
  ]
}

This setup allows the simultaneous press of k and j (regardless of order or interruption) to send the Enter key.

On Windows, I'm trying to replicate my Karabiner setup using tools like Capsicain and AutoHotKey (AHK), but I've run into a few limitations.

AHK doesn't support true simultaneous key detection, and while I managed to approximate it with the below code, the keys often get dropped when typing quickly due to input delays.

k::Send "k"
j::Send "j"

k & j::Send "{Enter}"
j & k::Send "{Enter}"

I've gone through the Capsicain documentation but mostly found examples involving modifier keys. I'm specifically looking to trigger actions with simultaneous letter key combos (e.g., J + K → Enter). I did notice an example in the README: F and J to Shift. Is this the same mechanism I’d use for letter-only combos,

[cajhin]

Sorry capsicain does not have proper support for that use case. I was never happy with 'character key combos' in real life, too many little issues that interrupt my typing.
Did you actually use "k + j = Enter" on your Mac for some time?

[hdecoded]

Hi Cajhin,

Yes, I’ve been using “k + j = Enter” on my Mac for a while now, and it’s been working flawlessly. I followed this guide to set it up using Karabiner Elements.

I also found a way to replicate the same functionality on Windows using Kanata, and it’s been just as reliable there.

[cajhin]

The two issues I had with character key combos (please correct me if I'm wrong) is
a) when I touch type fast, I often type combos, e.g. in "fast", I'm rolling over 'as', I press 's' before I release 'a'. Can't think of a word that contains 'kj' so that might be a safe combo.
b) this requires that the keys are lazy, meaning, you don't get a 'k' when you press K, it has to wait for potential combos. The 'k' is produced when you release the key (or when you press another key that is not a defined combo). This kept irritating me.

I removed the "F and J for shift" from the readme. That's not a good usecase for capsicain.

If you want to try it out, this does the job, clumsily:

REWIRE J MOD12 J
COMBO K [&... .... ....] > key(RET)

J is now modifier 12, pressing it does nothing; tapping J creates one J.
Tapping K while J is down creates one Return.
Tapping J while K is down creates J K
Tapping X (any other key) while J is down creates X (but no J, which is now MOD12 since it is not tapped)

[hdecoded]

Thanks for the detailed explanation! That makes sense. I’ll give this approach a try and see how it works out for my use case. Appreciate your help!