How to map Insert key when there isn't one?

[vr8ce]

Fusion 8.5 on OSX 10.12.6.

I'm on a MacBook Pro. It doesn't have an Insert key. I want to map keys I do have to the Insert key so I can type the Insert key. But, since I don't have an insert key, I can't type "Insert" into the "To:" key input. I was hoping that the dropdown would contain the keys that can't be typed, but I don't get anything in the dropdown; clicking on the blue down button doesn't do anything. (Literally; it doesn't open an empty list, it doesn't do anything.)

So, do we map something to the Insert key when we can't type the Insert key for the mapping?

[Mikero · Accepted solution]

Have you tried the Apple key combo "Fn + Return" ?

Also you can manually create a mapping by adding one to the existing Keyboard profile.

Fusion > Preferences > Keyboard and Mouse > Key Mappings > '+'

You specify what you want to type, and what you want it to do in the Guest.

You can also make a unique profile and just load it up whenever you need rather than a default.

[Mikero]

Sorry, missed the 2nd part where your dropdown is empty... Uh, that's weird?

If you just type 'insert' into that field, does it work?

[vr8ce]

Right, that's what I thought I remembered happening on the dropdown.

And yes, it is weird. Was weird. I tried it multiple times yesterday, and nothing ever happened when I clicked on the dropdown. I tried clicking, shift-clicking, all kinds of clicking.

Today, of course, it works. I'm assuming it heard me talking about it.

Fn-Enter doesn't work — typing it while in the "To:" field just closes the dialog, accepting whatever is there — it appears to be equivalent to clicking the OK button. (Which, of course, may be what "Insert" should do there.)

Thus, it may be acting as an Insert key (I'll have to find something that needs Insert separate from Enter), but it can't be used to enter "Insert" for purposes of a mapping.

Thanks for the speedy reply!

[johncaruso]

I just ran into this same problem myself yesterday, and today discovered that there's a bug with this dialogue box. For anyone dealing with this problem in the future:

• If you click into the "To:" field, you are NOT shown the dropdown list
• If you click the blue down arrow on the "To:" field, you are NOT shown the dropdown list

It turns out the only way  to see the dropdown list is to click the blue down arrow on the "To:" field and THEN click into the field. Unless you do these two steps in this order it won't show up. This is with Fusion 10.1.1, BTW, and apparently it doesn't affect all Fusion installs (I had it happen with one Macbook but it didn't happen on another Macbook that I'd installed from a copy of the same Fusion installer).

One other workaround, BTW: attach an external keyboard with an Insert key on it and use it to enter the Insert (or any other keys you need to map to). This is what I did to work around this before I figured out the bug behavior described above.