[Solved]Inputting characters via codes in Win XP ( Alt-0151)

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vboxuser799
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[Solved]Inputting characters via codes in Win XP ( Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

Other than cut-and-paste, I can't find any way to input unusual characters in Windows applications running in a Virtual Box Windows XP SP3 VM on a MacBook Pro 4.1 (early 2008). If I were on a regular Windows machine, I could type in Alt-0151, and an em dash would appear (in, say, MS Word). I noticed in the "charmap" of Windows XP, that such characters also have another "name" or "address", e.g. the em dash is also U+2014. Maybe I could somehow enter that information to get the right characters to show up? I need some way to input these characters regularly and quickly without cutting and pasting (I prefer keystrokes).

The primary characters I need are:

Alt-0146 (U+2019)
Alt-0130 (U+201A)
Alt-0145 (U+2018)
Alt-0132 (U+201E)
Alt-0147 (U+201C)
Alt-0148 (U+201D)
Alt-0133 (U+2026)
Alt-0150 (U+2013)
Alt-0151 (U+2014)
Alt-0182 (U+00B6)
Alt-0167 (U+00A7)

Thanks!
VB 2.1.4, Mac OS X (10.5.6) on MacBook Pro 4.1 (early 2008), 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Last edited by vboxuser799 on 27. May 2009, 11:20, edited 1 time in total.
Perryg
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by Perryg »

Appears to be a MAC specific problem. Here is a link that you may find useful. http://www.google.com/search?q=alt+key+in+MAC
There are suggestions to use the MAC option key, to pressing the option key more than once.
vboxuser799
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

Perryg wrote:Appears to be a MAC specific problem. Here is a link that you may find useful. http://www.google.com/search?q=alt+key+in+MAC
There are suggestions to use the MAC option key, to pressing the option key more than once.
Thank you. So far none of the easy solutions have worked. I haven't decided yet whether to do what is recommended at this site yet (http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=800), since I'm not a power user of computers, and am new to Macs. I'm a little afraid it might mess up some of my normal Mac functions or be hard to undo.

Does VB use xorg as its display manager?

I noticed that Apple's Bootcamp, which I have never used includes an "Apple Keyboard Support Driver" that runs in Windows that might do what I need ((see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1167 and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1220). The question is whether that support driver is available other than within the Bootcamp package and if so where to get it an try it?

BTW, I know there are ways to enter lots of unusual characters with OS X using keyboard shortcuts (e.g. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343), but I want the ability to input via keyboard any of the Alt+

Code: Select all

 characters (especially w/in WinXP in VB).
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by baf »

Have you tried to enable the keypad via numlock? If I remember correctly those sequences only works on the keypad.

One possibility is to get "Microsoft Keyboard layout creator" from microsoft. With that you could add your extra characters to a new windows keymap and use that instead. This would only "mess" with your windows so no risk for the macs keyboard.
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by baf »

Or:

Fn-alt-0151 (the numbers from keys 789 uio jkl m) Then its the keypad. Works fine on my MacBook at least.
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vboxuser799
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

baf wrote:Fn-alt-0151 (the numbers from keys 789 uio jkl m) Then its the keypad. Works fine on my MacBook at least.
I just tried this, but it doesn't seem to work for me. But...before that I did the procedure referred to above whereby the .xmodmap file is changed (see ref. to inkscape forum above). To be honest, I didn't even know it was possible to make some of the the uio jkl m,. keys become numeric, and the MBP keyboard (and thus far it hasn't worked for me). (My keyboard is set to US Extended.) I saw the someone said fn+F5 is supposed to be Num Lock, but that doesn't work either...
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by baf »

Well for me fn+f6 is numlock.
Does fn+j give a "1" in a mac program say textedit?
Do you have a real keypad? Any weak gray numbers on any keys?
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

I don't have a separate numeric keypad (or anyother). I don't have any light gray numbers on the keyboard letters uio, jkl, m,. and so forth. In TextEdit, fn+j just gives me a "j".
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by baf »

from this web page
The new MacBook Pro models that were released today include some significant changes to the keyboard. Here's an overview of the changes:

* Combination "Media and Function" keys on the top row. Includes a picture of what the media functions do.
* The word "command" is now present on the cmd keys
* Removal of the num lock key
* Removal of numbers that were on the right side letters (u,i,o,p,j,k,l,m)
* Removal of arithmetic symbols from keys on the right side of the keyboard
* Replaced small 'enter' key on the right with a second 'option' key on the bottom row (two keys to the right of the space bar)

The following picture shows the keyboard change on the Early 2008 MacBook Pro models:
So sorry your mac is too new.....
Its back to making a custom keyboard layout with MSKLC then. You could use ctrl-alt-"any letter" and or ctrl-alt-shift-"any letter" and bind them to whichever symbol you want.
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

baf wrote:One possibility is to get "Microsoft Keyboard layout creator" from microsoft. With that you could add your extra characters to a new windows keymap and use that instead. This would only "mess" with your windows so no risk for the macs keyboard.
Here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en) it says it is compatible with WinXP SP1 and SP2. I'm using SP3. Likely problem?
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by baf »

Well I use it on xp SP3 and I have had no problems.
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

Well, right now my problem is that even if I remap keys with, say Windows Keyboard Layout Creator or Tavultesoft Keymapper, I don't have a way to enter Numeric keypad digits (as in Alt+0151) from my MPB 4.1 keyboard. So, I bought a Logitech Wireless Number Pad (which is only compatible with PCs; bad choice, I know), and I'm trying to figure out how to get my Mac to recognize it. Somewhere I saw a post about getting a PC-compatible Targus numeric keypad to work with a Mac, but now when I google on it, I can't find it. My Mac does not recognize it, nor does my Virtual Box VM running Win XP SP3. I do have it in the USB adapters on the VM, but it is gray and not selectable (under Devices > USB Devices).
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

I got the PC-only number pad to work in Win XP on the Virtual machine. It was a simple solution -- turn on the MacBook Pro and get VirtualBox running without the wireless receiver for the numeric keypad in the USB port. Then once XP was up and running, make VB the active application and plug in the number pad receiver. The number pad ONLY works in XP (not in OS X), but that's okay -- I only need it to work in XP.

Thank the Lord!
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Re: Inputting characters via codes in Win XP (em dash Alt-0151)

Post by vboxuser799 »

Would an administrator please mark this thread solved? Thank you. I'm finding that physically unplugging the NumberPad transmitter and plugging it in after every reboot of VB is sufficient to make the NumberPad work fine. With the use of the NumberPad I can input all characters I need to into my XP machine on a Virtualbox XP guest. Thank you.
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