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mateopucu
Contributor
Contributor

"right-click *key*"?

On Windows I often use the "right click key" (the key on the windows keyboard between the right windows button and the right ctrl key), on the keyboard to perform a right-click without having to go to the mouse. How can I do this in Fusion with XP?

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WoodyZ
Immortal
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The "right-click key" as you're calling it is called the Application key and this key does not exist on an Apple Keyboard and as such it would require that you remap an existing key to that key in the target Windows Virtual Machine. I have a MacBook Pro so I'm limited to what keys I can choose to remap compared to a full sized Apple Keyboard so the attached file "Application_Key_Remappings.zip" contains 6 Windows Registry files, one to remove the remapping and 5 different choices (2 of which can't be used on a Notebook Keyboard) and should be self explanatory by the file names. Choose which key you want to remap to the Application key and double-click the .reg file and click Yes to the ensuing message box and then log out/in or reboot the Virtual Machine for the change to take effect.

If you want to choose a different key other then the 5 choices I given then here is some info on Scan Code Maps.

The MS KB Article and the white paper below describe how to do this without installing anything.

Scan Code Mapper for Windows

Key Support for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Applications

If the above KB article and white paper are to much to deal with then KeyTweak doesn't require anything other than itself to be installed in order to work. This is a much better option if you don't already have .NET Framework 2.0 installed in order to use SharpKeys which requires .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed. Something just isn't right about having to install what amounts to over an 80 MB footprint to run a 72 KB file!

File Attached: "Application_Key_Remappings.zip"

Message was edited by: WoodyZ

Note: I forgot to mention that the "Remap_Right_Enter_Key_TO_Application_Key.reg" file is from one perspective somewhat mislabeled in that while technically it does remap the Right Enter key on a Full Keyboard, and thus should not be used on a full keyboard because this is the Numeric Enter key, it is meant to be used on a MacBook or MacBook Pro and remaps the square Enter key to the right of the Apple Command key not the rectangular Enter/Return key to the far right on the MacBook/MacBook Pro.

drval
Contributor
Contributor

The "right-click key" as you're calling it is called the Application key and this key does not exist on an Apple Keyboard and as such it would require that you remap an existing key to that key in the target Windows Virtual Machine. I have a MacBook Pro so I'm limited to what keys I can choose to remap compared to a full sized Apple Keyboard so the attached file "Application_Key_Remappings.zip" contains 6 Windows Registry files, one to remove the remapping and 5 different choices (2 of which can't be used on a Notebook Keyboard) and should be self explanatory by the file names. Choose which key you want to remap to the Application key and double-click the .reg file and click Yes to the ensuing message box and then log out/in or reboot the Virtual Machine for the change to take effect.

This mapping works for me for my XP desktop (Boot Camp partition) but not in a variety of Windows applications. In those applications, the key is ignored. Any ideas?

val

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WoodyZ
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This mapping works for me for my XP desktop (Boot Camp partition) but not in a variety of Windows applications. In those applications, the key is ignored. Any ideas?

Well seeing that you've provided absolutely nothing whatsoever in the way of information that could be used to troubleshoot with the only answer that comes to mind is maybe the variety of unnamed applications do not provide for the functionality of the Application key.

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drval
Contributor
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This mapping works for me for my XP desktop (Boot Camp partition) but not in a variety of Windows applications. In those applications, the key is ignored. Any ideas?

Well seeing that you've provided absolutely nothing whatsoever in the way of information that could be used to troubleshoot with the only answer that comes to mind is maybe the variety of unnamed applications do not provide for the functionality of the Application key.

I doubt seriously that you have or have access to the primary application involved so I didn't think it was critical. OK, here's the whole enchilada:

MBP 2.4 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz, Leopard 10.5.3 (9D34) Darwin 9.3.0, XP SP3 (fully updated), Norton 360, Ad-Aware, Boot Camp 2.0, Fusion 2.0b1 (89933) 1 CPU 2024 RAM allocated, Display not accelerated.

The primary application is LabVIEW v8.5.1.

Any ideas?

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WoodyZ
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I doubt seriously that you have or have access to the primary application involved so I didn't think it was critical.

I have all that you mentioned and while I don't have them all installed on my MBP however I will say this, that on a normal PC with a normal windows keyboard Norton AntiVirus and Lavasoft Ad-Aware GUI do not provide for right-click functionality so it stands to reason that the Application key is non-responsive. I could install LabVIEW however I suspect that it is not programed to accept input from the Application key even if some segments of the Application support a right-mouse click. FWIW it is not unusual for an Application to ignore Special Keys much less normal keys and or mouse clicks under certain conditions. As an example ZoneAlarm will not respond to certain mouse clicks when accessing the system remotely and this is done for security reasons. Also note that if this is not working in Fusion 2.0 Beta 1 yet works natively in Boot Camp that would not surprise me as beta software is by its nature buggy and not fully functioning to begin with.

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flymach1
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Contributor

Please disregard.

Message was edited by: flymach1

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WoodyZ
Immortal
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I got mine to work easily by going into "Applications" "System Preferences" under Finder on the MAC side and then to "keyboard and mouse" and changing the right button setting to "secondary button".

That's all well and good however the object of focus here is not a mouse's secondary or right-click. It is the functionality of the Application Key on a Windows Keyboard that doesn't exist on an Apple Keyboard or MacBook/MacBook Pro and how to achieve that functionality in a Virtual Machine using the Keyboard not the Mouse. Both of which are two entirely separate things.

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drval
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I doubt seriously that you have or have access to the primary application involved so I didn't think it was critical.

I have all that you mentioned and while I don't have them all installed on my MBP however I will say this, that on a normal PC with a normal windows keyboard Norton AntiVirus and Lavasoft Ad-Aware GUI do not provide for right-click functionality so it stands to reason that the Application key is non-responsive. I could install LabVIEW however I suspect that it is not programed to accept input from the Application key even if some segments of the Application support a right-mouse click. FWIW it is not unusual for an Application to ignore Special Keys much less normal keys and or mouse clicks under certain conditions. As an example ZoneAlarm will not respond to certain mouse clicks when accessing the system remotely and this is done for security reasons. Also note that if this is not working in Fusion 2.0 Beta 1 yet works natively in Boot Camp that would not surprise me as beta software is by its nature buggy and not fully functioning to begin with.

This problem appears to have nothing to do with either AdAware or Norton 360. Another WIndows app that I use has no problem with the right Command key mapping and very happily provides the appropriate right-click pop-up when using right Command, or when using the double tap of the trackpad. LabVIEW, however, is more erratic re: the double tap of the trackpad (soabVIEW 8.5.1 and could install it, perhaps you could help even further with this issue and I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm also wondering if you can suggest that one or more of the other mappings you've provided might work better. LabVIEW uses quite a number of mappings, keystrokes, etc but a critically important one is the right click -- mainly for accessing properties and methods of objects easily. It's very inconvenient to have to carry a mouse just to have a right click (as I'm sure you know since you did this mapping work).

I also wonder how much this might be related to Unity mode (in the beta release) as I tend to use Unity for most of my work. At times I find that, if the double tap doesn't work (as described above), it will work if I minimize and then restore the Window within which I want to do the double tap. this is apparently independent of whether that Window had focus on the first (failed) attempt to use the double tap.

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WoodyZ
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VMware does its own remapping of certain keys when in Unity view and this could very much effect a User Remapping such as made via these .reg files or the two programs mentioned in my first reply in this thread or any method of using the "Scancode Map" key in the Windows Registry if you choose one of the keys that is being remapped by VMware.

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