copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Linux hosts.
Post Reply
Plagrö
Posts: 140
Joined: 27. May 2018, 14:57

copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by Plagrö »

Of course I have installed VirtualBoxGuest Additions.

Here is what works:
A) copy from "Libre Office Calc from host" to "Microsoft Office Excel in the Guest" (with "text" or "unicode text")
1. open Libre Office Calc in host
2. copy some cells in a column
3. change to the guest
4. open Microsoft Excel
5. right click on a cell
6. click on Insert content
7. choose "text" or "unicode text"
done

Here is what does not work:
B) copy from "Libre Office Calc from host" to "Microsoft Office Excel in the Guest" (with Ctrl+V)
1. open Libre Office Calc in host
2. copy some cells in a column
3. change to the guest
4. open Microsoft Excel
5. mark a cell
6. press the keys Crtl+V
Message: "Microsoft cannot insert the data"

Here is what also works:
C) copy from "Microsoft office Excel 1 in the guest" to "Microsoft office Excel 2 in the guest"
1. open Microsoft Excel in the guest two times (-> Window 1 + Window 2)
2. copy some cells in a column from Excel Window 1
3. mark a cell in Excel Window 2
4. press Ctrl+V
done

Here is what also works:
D) copy from "libre Office Calc in the host" to "Microsoft Office Excel in Wine (Wine "Emulator", not VirtualBox)"
1. open Libre Office Calc in host
2. copy some cells in a column
3. open a wine version of Microsoft Office Excel
5. mark a cell in the "wine" Excel version
6. press the keys Ctrl + V
done.



Feature request:

1. Can you improve the "VirtualBoxGuest Additions", so that it also works in B).
2. Why does it work with wine, but not with VirtualBox?

Would appreciate some comments. Thank you.
Plagrö
Posts: 140
Joined: 27. May 2018, 14:57

Re: copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by Plagrö »

No answer?

Why can I copy cells from ...
"libre Office Calc in the host" to "Microsoft Office Excel in Wine"
... but not from ...
"Libre Office Calc from host" to "Microsoft Office Excel in the Guest (with Ctrl+V)"

?
fth0
Volunteer
Posts: 5690
Joined: 14. Feb 2019, 03:06
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows 10, ...
Location: Germany

Re: copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by fth0 »

VirtualBox supports only some clipboard content types, but not all.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20945
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by scottgus1 »

Plagrö wrote:No answer?
The Virtualbox forum is 'answered' by your fellow Virtualbox users who volunteer their time to try to answer your questions if they have time and happen to know the answer. Free Virtualbox users are entitled to zero (0) support.

A bump after a week, for a few weeks, while waiting for a user who happens to know the answer, is best, else folks might get frustrated with impatience.

Shared Clipboard technically only passes text. Cell contents could be more, especially from Excel.

Also Wine (a "compatibility layer" according to their website) != Virtualbox, which is a completely different operating system environment (another "PC"). So what Wine allows with clipboard usage is not necessarily equal to what can be done copy/pasting between two separate computers.
Plagrö
Posts: 140
Joined: 27. May 2018, 14:57

Re: copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by Plagrö »

Thank you.
scottgus1 wrote: The Virtualbox forum is 'answered' by your fellow Virtualbox users who volunteer their time to try to answer your questions if they have time and happen to know the answer.
Of course. Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.
scottgus1 wrote: Shared Clipboard technically only passes text.
But also pictures seems to work.
scottgus1 wrote: Also Wine (a "compatibility layer" according to their website) != Virtualbox, which is a completely different operating system environment (another "PC"). So what Wine allows with clipboard usage is not necessarily equal to what can be done copy/pasting between two separate computers.
I see.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20945
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: copy from host to guest does not work for all content

Post by scottgus1 »

Plagrö wrote:also pictures seems to work.
True, some picture formats pass through too, though I can't find the spot in the manual that discusses it.

You could try a post about this on the Bugtracker, leave a log showing your various attempts, and a link back here, and enough info so the devs can figure out how to reproduce.
Post Reply