"Hide Controls" in Workstation 8

[RussellT]

In the UI redesign for Workstation 8 it appears that the option to "Hide Controls" has been removed.  This option provided the ability to remove much of the Workstation UI from around the VM when running in a window allowing for maximized guest screen size but still be 'windowed'.  I used "Hide Controls" as an alternative to Full Screen because I run multiple VMs and still want each VM in a window so I can interact quickly with the local desktop, but I also wanted to as much guest screen real estate as possible.

Is there an alternative way (such as config file) to reduce the amount of UI elements displayed in Workstation 8 when not running full screen?  (i.e. closing toolbars, status bars, menus, etc.)

Thanks,

-R

[RussellT]

Page 191 of the Using Workstation Guide (http://www.vmware.com/pdf/ws80-using.pdf) references the command line option (-B) to start Workstation without toolbars or sidebars.  I am unable to get this to work and am guessing that this option no longer exists and the documentation needs to be corrected.  The description for this command option describes how to Hide Controls in the UI but that option is not present either.

[0WayneH0 · Accepted solution]

Does View --> Customize do what you are after? I can't get rid of the menu bar, but everything else is removable from there.

[RussellT]

How did I miss that?  Yes, that comes pretty close to what "Hide Controls" did before.

Thanks!

[admin]

We didn't delete this option, but we did hide it - good to know you  really like it. There was not time to properly integrate it into the  Customize feature for Workstation 8.0 and we didn't want a last minute  "kludge".

In your preferences.ini file put the following:

pref.allowHideControls = "TRUE"

Th

[RussellT]

Perfect!  This is just what I was looking for.

Thanks!

[michaeljf]

I am using Workstation 8.0.1 and I see no difference when adding pref.allowHideControls = "TRUE" to preferences.ini.  I am hoping to achieve what existed in version 7, where you could be in Full Screen mode but show only the tabs (Quick View).  I see no way to accomplish this.  In other words, remove the title bar, menu bar, status bar, and toolbar.  All that would remain are the tabs.

Workstation 7	Workstation 8

If version 8 does not currently have this feature any longer, can you say whether or not it is planned to put it back in an upcoming patch or release?

[continuum]

the quick-switch mode is history and no longer iumplemented

[PaulSinnema]

Hi,

I'm using VMWare Workstation 8.1 with Mac OS X Lion 7.2 as the Guest OS.

I have a problem that is related to hiding the toolbar in combination with mouse problems in fullscreen mode. Although one could also say I've got a problem with how the mouse is handled in the Guest.

When I set 'Optimize mouse for games' = 'Automatic', my mouse is not working correctly. Symptoms are:

• Randomly mouse clicks are not seen.
• When moving the mouse immediately after a click and hovering over another position on the screen, clicks with the mouse are not seen under the mouse but at the previous position. In other words: The mouse if not over the object that receives the clicks.

In this mode I don't have any problems with the Toolbar.

When I set 'Optimize mouse for games' = 'Always', The mouse is working perfectly but I have a problem with the Toolbar. Symptoms are:

• When I move the mouse near the top of the screen I see 2 mouses. The one being the hosts mouse and the other the guests mouse. When I click the mouse both the Host and Guest see the click and select something.

I think this problem could be solved easily when the toolbar could be hidden completely. On the other hand I do think the mouse problem should be solved when 'Optimize mouse for games' = 'Automatic'.

Regards

Paul Sinnema

[vmQuint]

Quick switch?  Is that what full screen with tabs at the top is called?  I've used that every day, all day, for years.  .... Whaaa? ..... It's gone?  Is there some other way to be in full screen and pop around to different machines?  And don't even say "hit goto next VM button".  If I have 4 or 5 VMs going, and I need to randomly check on progress or values in them, how can I do that?

[gmarcotte3]

preferences.ini does not exist on the host os (centos 6) where is it?, do I create the file?

the menu bar is quite a problem as it covers up the menu bar of some of the guests menu bar header prevents me from using the guest properly in full screen mode.

[karockiad]

Hi Michale,

Could you help me how did u get that view.. i tried alot to move the tool bar to menu bar location.. 

[michaeljf]

I don't understand your question. Get what view?  The point of my comment was that version 8 does not allow the Quick view option which would only show tabs in full screen mode.

This feature is still not available and I am very dissapointed.

Go back and re-read my post.

[admin]

@michaeljf

The "Hide Controls" feature (turned on by the preferences.ini file) adds a menu item to the application's System Menu (Click on the Workstation icon in the title bar or right-click the title bar).

This menu item turns on/off all of the window chrome around the VM.

This feature was hidden with the newly redesigned menubar/toolbar/fullscreen system in Workstation 8.0, but is still available via the preferences.ini file. As the menubar/toolbar/fullscreen system continues to evolve and add new capabilities (have you checked out the Technology Preview yet?) there is no guarantee it will remain in the future.

[admin]

@vmQuint: Check out the latest Workstation Technology Preview to see where we are going with respect to a) dropping the old QuickSwitch more and b) evolving the new menubar/toolbar/tabs. Thanks!

[admin]

@gmarcotte3: "Hide Controls" was a Windows-only feature that does not exist on Linux.

[michaeljf]

Thank you VMware for giving us back tab control (Quick View).  Beta 8.1 is great so far.  Can't wait to see what's new in 9.