Keyboard handling -- worse in 1.0rc1

[daxab]

I've downgraded from 1.0rc1 back to beta4 because there is a bug in the keyboard handling. Specifically, the ALT key (command key) doesn't map through the same anymore.

Here is my setup:

1 - Mac

2 -- VMware Fusion running XP

3 --- Remote Desktop Connection

The ALT key is passed find from 1 to 2. But from 2 to 3 something is broken (in 1.0rc1) and ALT- combinations don't work.

This works fine in beta4.

---

On a related note, I would love to route ALL keyboard input to the Guest OS. I like that 1.0rc1 takes the step of routing ALT-TAB etc., but I mean even ^-ALT-ENTER, ^-ALT-S, and so on. It should at least be an option, or failing that, Fusion should obey the Keyboard Shortcuts setting on the Mac (so I can manually remove those shortcuts from Fusion). The latter is less desirable, because when input is not grabbed, the shortcuts are handy.

[admin]

Specifically, the ALT key (command key) doesn't map

through the same anymore.

Alt and Command aren't the same key; alt and option are. Assuming you actually meant the command key, is your problem fixed if you uncheck VMware Fusion > Preferences > Enable Mac OS keyboard shortcuts?

[daxab]

I tried it both ways and that does not help.

Again, the key does[/b] transmit properly to the Guest OS, but if the guest os is XP running remote desktop, the key does not[/b] transmit into[/i] the Remote Desktop session correctly.

All works fine on Beta 4.

[daxab]

By the way, this is the single most important make-or-break issue for me. I've seen some other posts that lead me to think:

No single keyboard setup is going to satisfy all users. The best approach in my opinion is to make Fusion completely configurable[/b]. Global keys, shortcuts, remapping, it should all be in a Settings Page.

And I'd really like the ALT key (OPTION key) mapping to go back to the way it was in Fusion Beta 4[/i]--that worked perfectly. The new code does NOT[/b] pass it through to the Guest OS correctly, at least as far as my setup goes.

Thanks for a great beta, and hoping this can be fixed in 1.0 final.

[bgertzfield]

Disabling the "Enable Mac OS keyboard shortcuts" does, indeed, use the exact same code that was present in 1.0 RC4.

I'm not sure of the steps to reproduce the issue you're describing.

Unless you had configured some other Mac OS program to globally grab Option-Foo keyboard combinations (like Quicksilver, LaunchBar, etc.), the "Enable Mac OS keyboard shortcuts" shouldn't affect Option-Foo keyboard combinations.

[Pat_Lee]

If it is the Option key, you also need to disable "Enable Mac OS Mouse Shortcuts" in Preferences and restart.

Pat

[daxab]

That's not the issue. That preference is already off.

I just checked this against 1.0.0 final and it's still broken.

Let me restate the problem to make it clearer:

\* Inside Fusion (after beta 4) running Windows, Remote Desktop Connection does not work[/b] because the Alt key (option key on the Mac) is not sent properly.

\* Inside Fusion (beta 4 and earlier) it does[/b] work.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install guest OS Windows XP SP2.

2. Launch guest.

3. Inside guest: Launch Remote Desktop Connection, and connect to a windows machine.

4. Inside Remote Desktop Connection, type ALT-F4 to close a window (aka OPTION-F4), or any other ALT keyboard shortcut.

RESULT: Instead of ALT-F4 being sent, F4 is sent. This is easily verified in Notepad, using ALT-F (OPTION-F), in which you can see the key ('f') typing into the document, instead of activating a keyboard shortcut.

EXPECTED: Typing ALT-F4 sends F4 with an ALT modifier. This is what happens in beta 4 and earlier.[/b]

For me, since this is a main use case, this is a showstopper.[/i]

[daxab]

More information on this bug: It only surfaces if the Microsoft Scan Code Map is used:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kscan-map.mspx

Specifically, if the Scan Code Map is used to remap what Windows calls the ALT key (Mac OPTION key) then Remote Desktop Connection handling of that key breaks.

(Why remap the OPTION key? Because I interoperate with Windows and I'm used to the ALT key being where the COMMAND key is--adjacent to the space bar.)

Maybe I can turn this into a feature request: Add a preference for keyboard remapping that will let me swap the way the OPTION and COMMAND keys map to the Guest OS.[/i]

[admin · Accepted solution]

Do you mean something like the mks.keyboard.swapAlt[/url] option?

[daxab]

Thank you. I never would have found that on my own.

My goodness, the hours I've spent trying to get this to work...and it was built-in all along. VMware really deserve all their recent good fortune--they know what they are doing.

However[/b], for some reason this still doesn't quite work in Remote Desktop Connection[/b]. The behavior is actually about the same as if the Windows registry scan code remapping is used in the Guest OS (as described above).

[daxab]

I spoke too soon. Remote Desktop Connection still does not work.

[joeschmoe]

I spoke too soon. Remote Desktop Connection still

does not work.

I read through this thread, and although I don't understand all the ins-and-outs that you've gone through, I thought I would add that I use another "PC Anywhere type application" inside a Windows VM running on a Mac under Fusion, and it does[/b] work correctly. I.e., when I press fn/alt/F4 on the Mac keyboard, the remote machine gets Alt/F4 (and thus the foreground window on that machine closes)

So, the problem might be with Remote Desktop. And, if I may be permitted a bit of editorializing, isn't it always the case that the MS-bundled apps are merely proof-of-concept demos?

[devwild]

daxab: I just tested this with 1.0 and it works exactly as it is supposed to. I think your problem may be that you are the running remote desktop application in windowed mode. RDC does not accept some key combinations in windowed mode, only in fullscreen, otherwise alt-tab, etc, are picked up by the host os. So if you are running it, for example, as windowed RDC in unity mode, then it won't work. My testing in VMWare shows running RDC in fullscreen, in an os running in windowed mode, works the same as on a dedicated pc. This is with the VMWare tools installed.

joeschmoe: RDC is very much a production application, and critical to many corporate operations. While the Mac version is horribly underdeveloped, the windows version is extremely stable. Far from a concept design, the RDP protocol is based off the long proven Citrix ICA framework.

EDIT: I noticed you mentioned alt-F4 specifically, and it seems that alt-F4 works fine for me inside RDC in either windowed or fullscreen in the XP VM, and in unity. Perhaps if you have been using the same VM since beta days you have some cruft in your config? Have you tried this on a fresh VM, or even fresh install of fusion?

Message was edited by:

devwild

[Dee_Dee_Warren]

My numerical keyboard on my Mac keyboard doesn't work in the VM

[devwild]

First, oops, somehow I skipped over the bit where your key remapping was part of the problem

Additionally, I gave the swapALT tip a try, and with that enabled, there does seem to be a problem, but it's not as simple as "not working". Instead, when in RDC alt is only sometimes[/i] passed through RDC, and it's not just for combos. If you keep hitting it repeatedly you'll note that sometimes it is passed and sometimes not. That is definitely peculiar. Sounds like VMWare needs to use a different mechanism for the swap.

Message was edited by:

devwild

[bflad]

My numerical keyboard on my Mac keyboard doesn't work

in the VM

Windows usually starts up with Num Lock off... you need to hit the Clear key (where the Num Lock key normally is) and that should enable your numerical keypad.

[Dee_Dee_Warren]

Thanks!!! That was very helpful, thank you, thank you.

[daxab]

devwild: Yes, that is exactly what I see:

With no swapAlt[/b] everything works fine.

With swapAlt[/b], everything works in the Guest OS, but when I fire up Remote Desktop Connection[/b] the ALT (COMMAND) key becomes flaky. Sometimes it is transmitted, sometimes it isn't. For example, if I hit ALT-F4hold ALT downF4 again[/b], it works the second time[/i] F4 is pressed.

Needless to say this renders Remote Desktop Connection pretty unusable.

This problem did not exist in Fusion Beta 4[/i] so I'm sure it can be corrected.

[ludloff]

Fwiw, I'm seing similar flakyness with the FC/W file manager.

That is, alt/option works as LWin, but cmd as LAlt is unstable.

That said, I'm not using swapAlt anymore -- instead I'm using

the Windows registry setting for mapping Lcmd to LAlt. Rcmd

is my Win key, and a utility named AutoHotKey maps F11/F12

to Insert/Delete, as well as NumEnter to RControl. As a result

the Win key is the only "awkward" one (only on the right side

of Space) -- but then, I don't use Win that often. Phew.

But yeah, overall I'd like to see the ability to remap whatever

I want, preferably for each of the three modes (window, unity,

or full screen). Use whatever default settings you want. Heck,

hide it behind a "I'm a power user" menu or such -- but give

me the option, please!