virtualbox.org

VirtualBox is great, but does it really need to take 6 clicks to install an extension pack every time?!

It only takes 2 (click to open Devices menu, click to insert GAs CD). After that, address your UI complaints to the authors of your chosen guest OS.

mpack wrote:It only takes 2 (click to open Devices menu, click to insert GAs CD).

True, except that's not what the OP is talking about at all.

Ah, quite right. I guess in that case it would be nice to know what the host OS is.

Once you've installed VBox, it takes a dbl-click to open the ExtPack, one to confirm that this is the ExtPack you're looking for (information, version, capabilities), one to agree to the license agreement, and one final information that the installation went as planned. I've tested this on OSX and Windows.

@reaxion : Which of these steps are you suggesting that gets eliminated? And what would be the reasoning behind it?

I, too, am getting annoyed at the number of separate modal dialogs to get through to upgrade the extension pack.
Unfortunately for me, OP, and possibly others it's now at least 8, start to finish.

Windows
1. Alert "You have an old version of the extension pack installed. Do you wish to download the latest?"
2. "Are you sure you want to download?" (Why?)
3. "The extension pack has been successfully downloaded. Do you want to install? (Why??)
4. "An older version of the extension pack is already installed, would you like to upgrade?" (Yes!)
5. Scroll to the bottom to activate "I agree" button for license. (Ugh)
6. Agree.
7. UAC Prompt.
8. "The extension pack was installed successfully" (Yeah, duh)
9. "Do you want to delete the downloaded file?" (Sure, if you'll GO AWAY!)

macOS at least doesn't require scrolling the license agreement before allowing me to click Agree.

Why can't this be a single prompt before the operation?

Here's a video recording of the process on Windows and Mac.
Youtube /watch?v=CF6EQbgK8zo

This is an old thread that could have been left dozing quietly in its chair in the corner...

If you are a command line junkie then you can install it with a single command. On Linux / macOS something along the lines of:

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace <extpack_name>

-Andy.

Tedd wrote:macOS at least doesn't require scrolling the license agreement before allowing me to click Agree.

Not true, it's a requirement. A legal one...

@andyp73
You forgot to accept the license agreement

:

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace "$MY_ExtPack" --accept-license=56be48f923303c8cababb0bb4c478284b688ed23f16d775d729b89a2e8e5f9eb

Part of a really, really basic script to uninstall/install a different VirtualBox version:

Code: Select all

MY_VirtualBox="$1"
MY_ExtPack="$2"

echo "---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
echo "VirtualBox = $MY_VirtualBox"
echo "ExtPack    = $MY_ExtPack"
echo "---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

echo "Continue? (Yes/No)"
printf "\a"

read MY_ANSWER
if test "$MY_ANSWER" != "Yes" -a "$MY_ANSWER" != "YES" -a "$MY_ANSWER" != "yes" -a "$MY_ANSWER" != "Y" -a "$MY_ANSWER" != "y"; then
    echo "Aborting installation. Your answer was: '$MY_ANSWER')".
    exit 2;
fi
echo ""

sudo hdiutil detach /Volumes/VirtualBox

sudo hdiutil attach "$MY_VirtualBox"
sudo /Volumes/VirtualBox/VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool --unattended

sudo installer -pkg /Volumes/VirtualBox/VirtualBox.pkg -target /

sudo hdiutil detach /Volumes/VirtualBox

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace "$MY_ExtPack" --accept-license=56be48f923303c8cababb0bb4c478284b688ed23f16d775d729b89a2e8e5f9eb

No clicks, just your 'sudo' password. You need to be a sudoer...

socratis wrote:You forgot to accept the license agreement

If you look at the help output from VBoxManage then for extension pack management it says:

Extension package management:
  VBoxManage extpack install [--replace] <tarball>
  VBoxManage extpack uninstall [--force] <name>
  VBoxManage extpack cleanup

There is no mention of the --accept-license option! Where does the hash value come from?

-Andy.

andyp73 wrote:There is no mention of the --accept-license option!

True, very true! The "--accept-license" only comes up if you try it!

The actual hash comes from the license agreement contents. In all honesty, I can't remember how to trigger the license agreement hash. All that I know is that I didn't just make it up!

Searching for "56be48f923303c8cababb0bb4c478284b688ed23f16d775d729b89a2e8e5f9eb" returns a bunch of hits, all (obviously) related to the ExtPack.

The older hash version (before 2017-07-20, version 10) was "b674970f720eb020ad18926a9268607089cc1703908696d24a04aa870f34c8e8", might come in handy.

andyp73 wrote:This is an old thread that could have been left dozing quietly in its chair in the corner...

I disagree, the issue is still relevant.
Also, I have no interest in the command line. I'm interested in fixing the gui.

Here's a mockup of the interface which would be less annoying.
The first is a shade/panel/whatever you call it coming down on the VM manager window alerting to a new version. Similar to those that alert about mouse integration in the VM windows.
The second is the single modal window required to perform the upgrade.

i.imgur.com/JH5xHol.png
i.imgur.com/v4nx6xs.png

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Clicks to install Extension packs

Clicks to install Extension packs

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