Using multiple screens with just one Tab

[N0Nick]

Hello to everyone

My situation is:
I use for normal two monitors to work. Sometimes three. And I also love to give my VMs this count of monitors. For the most time I have min. 3-4 VMs open to work.
This works perfectly but my issue with that is: when I want to close as example my Win7 Privat VM I have to minimize all tabs from this VM.
When I have more than 2 VMs open this can be a rly confusing thing, because I though I closed my Win7 Privat and work now on my Win7 Work VM buut that isn't the case. Actually I just closed one Screen from my Win Privat.
I guess u know what I mean.

Is it possible to use just one Tab from a VM to control all Screens from the VM ?
As Example: My Win7 Privat is opened with 3 Screens. Then I want to minimize one Tab to minimize all current Screens from this VM.
So that I have only one Tab from a VM - and not every Screen as Tab.

Would be rly great if someone who knows it could answer.
Thank You!

[mpack]

Not a "Using VirtualBox" topic. Moved to "Suggestions" forum.

[N0Nick]

That I understand it right, there is no way to do this at the moment ?

I changed from VMPlayer to VirtualBox because VirtualBox has many benefits that VMPlayer don't support.
But one benefit from VMPlayer (in my opinion) is that every VM is showing as one tab and not every screen from the VM.

[socratis]

But one benefit from VMPlayer (in my opinion) is that every VM is showing as one tab and not every screen from the VM.

I honestly fail to see the benefit of having multiple screens one behind the other. It would be similar to having two physical monitors, not side by side, but one laptop hiding the 2nd monitor. You want to work on the 2nd monitor? Lower/close the laptop's screen. Not that workflow friendly if you ask me.

But, in any event, this request is similar to "Feature request: Tabbed interface for VMs". Maybe they should be merged...

[scottgus1]

I've a suspicion that OP's "tab" may be referring to "taskbar icon" instead of "tabbed interface", based on OP's "minimize all tabs" and "Actually I just closed one Screen from my Win Privat". Unusual terminology? Minimizing seems to relate to a window, not so much a tabbed interface perhaps, and windows can be minimized from the taskbar icons.

If this is the case, then OP's request seems to be unavailable in Virtualbox at this time. Each screen in the guest needs a window in the host, and each window is provided a taskbar icon. Maybe the devs could program one taskbar icon for any windows the guest has open - one 3D-modelling program I use has a pop-up user/password window that opens with no taskbar icon. Bugtracker time.

[socratis]

Yes, I'm not sure either, at least not from re-reading it three times.

@N0Nick
Could you point to an existing feature like the one you're describing? With links to images if possible?

[mpack]

Could you point to an existing feature like the one you're describing? With links to images if possible?

I believe he's describing the tabbed interface in VMWare, which is (last time I saw it) similar to the tabbed interface in a browser. IMHO it is not appropriate to suggest that VirtualBox should copy what VMWare does, at least not without a much greater effort to do things the VirtualBox way, or a really persuasive argument showing that the VMWare way is measurably better.

[N0Nick]

Thanks for reply.
Sorry that I didn't explane it very well.

What I mean was:
Tab -> On the Host System the tab bar (or menu bar) with the icon and name from each guest system.
Each screen (monitor) from the VM gets his own Tab on this tab bar. And that's the difference to VMPlayer, there u become always one tab for a vm doesn't matter how many monitors the vm has.

When I have my private vm opened with 3 monitors and I want to disappear the vm to the background I have to go to each tab and minimze them. (By the tab bar from the host or by the monitor screen from the vm - by the menu bar from virtualbox below the screen)

I would like to press just one disappear/minimize button to disappear the whole vm with every screen.

I hope I could explane it now a bit better ^^

[donkeyhead]

N0Nick, did you ever figure this out? I too find 3 scattered icons for 1 VM somewhat annoying.