[WorksForMe] Host key stopped working

[barmar]

A few days ago I performed the following upgrades:

2011 MacBook Pro replaced with 2015 MacBook Pro
El Capitan replaced with High Sierra
VirtualBox 5.1.30 upgraded to 5.2.12

I use VBox to run a Snow Leopard Server guest. See this thread for other problems I had to resolve to get it running since the upgrades. It's mostly working OK now, but my Host key is not working.

I have the Host key set to the right Command key. It's apparently capturing the key, because it doesn't do its normal actions like the left Command key. But none of the VBox shortcuts that are bound to Host+<key> are working. The only combo I use regularly is Host+F to toggle full-screen, and it's not working. I can toggle full-screen from the menu.

[socratis]

ZIP and post the following file: "/Users/barmar/Library/VirtualBox/VirtualBox.xml".
And barmar... thanks for opening a new thread.

[barmar]

Here it is.

[barmar]

I haven't changed anything, but it just started working again.

[socratis]

Your VirtualBox.xml (the "juicy" parts):

<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/HostKeyCombination" value="54"/>
<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/MachineShortcuts" value="Close="/>
<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/SelectorShortcuts" value="Exit="/>

My VirtualBox.xml:

<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/HostKeyCombination" value="54"/>
<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/MachineShortcuts" value="InstallGuestAdditions=D"/>
<ExtraDataItem name="GUI/Input/SelectorShortcuts" value="CloneVM=,ShowVMInFileManager=Ctrl+B,StartVMNormal=Ctrl+O"/>

So, we both use the Right-Cmd as the HostKey (the "54" part), and you seem to have disabled the "Close VM" (HostKey+Q) and the "Exit VirtualBox" (Cmd+Q), I guess too many accidents...

The only thing I can think of, is that you're using a second keyboard layout. Are you? I know that *I* do use the US, Greek, Greek Polytonic and Unicode Hex Input layouts (yes I need all 4 of them at times). If I'm not on the US layout, but (let's say) the Greek one, the FullScreen shortcut does not work (or anything else for that matter). So, HostKey+"F" works, HostKey+"Φ" doesn't!

See: #15058: Host+<key> doesn't work if host layout not US (by yours truly).

[barmar]

I just use the US layout.

I haven't disabled Exit VirtualBox, but I have remapped it to Cmd-Ctl-Q with the Keyboard system preference. Ran into an issue when I upgraded to High Sierra, since it uses that as a shortcut to lock the screen, but I remapped that to something else since I don't use it.

[socratis]

Don't know what else might be going on, you may have to take a closer/deeper look at your setup. Any applications like Karabiner? Any funky external keyboards?

Since the size of the reported cases is not that big (=1), I can't say that this is a VirtualBox problem, I have the tendency to believe that there's something specific about your setup...

[barmar]

Did you miss my post above where I said that the problem went away on its own?

[socratis]

D'oh! Yes, it seems that I have!
So, no clue what made it go away? Did it just need a good "scare"?

[barmar]

Maybe it just realized that I was monopolizing your time too much

Thanks for all your help.

[socratis]

I haven't changed anything, but it just started working again.

OK, I'm going to mark this one as [WorksForMe] then...

[barmar]

Today it stopped working again. I haven't changed anything, I just resumed my VM from saved state like I normally do.

I've attached the log file from my latest session.