virtualbox.org

I have to use this feature quite often, because drag&drop doesn't work somehow... So that the first problem I'd like to report. Dragging and dropping files either way doesn't work, neither does copy-pasting them. Drag&drop and clipboard are both set to bidirectional nonetheless.

Anyway, about shared folders. By itself, the feature works. But there are a couple a quircks that need to be addressed:

1. When adding a share, the dropdown next to Folder Path always contains <not selected> and Other. Rather pointless, iyam. Why not make a dropdown box with a proper history of previously connected shared folders, and a button next to the field to choose a different folder. An item called "other" is a bit unorthodox; more so if it's the only option.
2. When typing a path, when I type this: "D:\Download", it turns into this: "D:\\Download" while typing.
3. Not having noticed (2), Hitting OK seems to be all good and well. But when dismissing the settings dialog after that, I get an error message "Shared folder path 'D:\\Download' is not absolute". Not only is that not true (instead, it's a path that can't possibly exist) it wasn't neccesary in the first place if the Add Share dialog didn't change what I typed. So the problem here is that a malformed path gives the wrong error message (and too late).
4. Auto-mount doesn't appear to work with a Windows guest (XP at least). That is, assuming it would mount the share in the guest automatically

Using VirtualBox 4.3.4 on Windows 7 x64.

The dialog does not turn a single \ into \\. What happens is that when you type a drive designation "D:" then the dialog automatically adds the '\' (i.e. makes it a folder designation). If you're a two fingered typist who watches the keyboard instead of the screen then, and if you press a further '\' yourself - then of course you'll have two. I agree that this is probably VBox being a bit too smart for its own good.

Regarding drag and drop, AFAIK the behaviour is quite predictable and documented:

VBox user manual s3.2.2 wrote: Drag’n’DropThis setting allows to enable Drag and Drop: Select a file on the desktop, click the
left mouse button, move the mouse to the VM window and release the mouse button. The
file is copied from the host to the guest. This feature is currently only implemented for
Linux guests and only for copying files from the host to the guest.

Most application, I would presume, would "overwrite" that \ when it's typed by the user *and* inserted automatically. Kind of like when entering the product key in a windows installation. Perhaps VB devvers should look into this. No biggie of course, but an issue nonetheless.
(btw, indeed, I do look at my keyboard when typing, but certainly not using two fingers )

Regarding your DnD quote. I'm a bit confused by this. I have specifically set the "type" of guest to Windows XP in this particular case, so f DnD is unavailable for this type of guest, then why is the option there in the first place? As for Linux guests, why is there an option to put it to bidirectional when bidirectional DnD isn't implemented at all? Am I missing something?

First, the guest type selected in the recipe is just a "hint". It merely selects the VM template to be used. You are under no obligation to actually install that OS.

Also, support for drag and drop is implemented by the GAs for the guest, enabled if the VM recipe allows it, and then only if appropriate for guest OS capabilities. Potentially the GAs for any guest may implement the feature, it so happens that for the moment they mostly don't. It's like enabling 3D graphics in the recipe: do you think that makes 3D graphics possible in (say) a DOS VM? No. It just means that the VM (not the guest OS) is capable of it.

Also, support for drag and drop is implemented by the GAs for the guest, enabled if the VM recipe allows it, and then only if appropriate for guest OS capabilities. Potentially the GAs for any guest may implement the feature, it so happens that for the moment they mostly don't. It's like enabling 3D graphics in the recipe: do you think that makes 3D graphics possible in (say) a DOS VM? No. It just means that the VM (not the guest OS) is capable of it.

VirtualBox could be intelligent about this. If you select the VM type to be Windows 7, chances are pretty high you're installing Windows 7 in it. Virtualbox can VERY EASILY hide/show or disable/enable menu entries for features that don't work in a particular type of VM. It's a simple if-statement.

To the user, it's confusing and misleading.

thany wrote:irtualbox can VERY EASILY hide/show or disable/enable menu entries for features that don't work in a particular type of VM.

Well, it's a FOSS project, so if hiding menu/dialog items in QT4 is so very easy then perhaps you should contribute the code for it?