Feature request: wider copy/paste support, in Console for instance

[Julien Bidault]

I'd like to see a wider copy/paste support, for exemple in console without X installed (typicall server config).

Beeing able to copy/paste from/to shell would be very nice for server config work, as many server daemon use text based configuration.

Use case :

• (on windows host) : copy a config line from a webpage
• (on linux guest, debian etch with Zsh) : open vi, then paste the config line

Another use case :

• (on windows host) : copy a command line from a webpage
• (on linux guest, debian etch with Zsh) : paste it on the shell to execute it

Another use case :

• (on linux guest, debian etch with Zsh)) : copy the result of a command or a log file (from tail, more, cat, whatever)
• (on windows host): paste it on a forum to seek for help

This would turn virtual box into a powerfull tool for learning server admin, or to use it as a copy of a production server where you can test modifications...

[Pistos]

+1

[JF Lalande]

This could be really helpful to manage virtual operating systems that does not have an X server. I use virtual box to install debian kernels and test them and it's true that it's frustrating to not be able to copy/paste from firefox some long admin commands into the guest OS.

[thewild]

+1

Copy/Paste to linux guests in console-only mode would be a huge improvement to VirtualBox.

[wal]

Major pain not having this feature. Forces you to install Xorg and/or have an x-server if your host is windows. Should be more than minor priority.

[Michael Thayer]

Perhaps this would be a good candidate for an external contribution? We currently don't have time to implement this, as we have more than enough other tasks to keep us busy, but we would be happy to help with the relevant VirtualBox interfaces.

[Julien Bidault]

I wish I could help, but I only know how to code in Java which I guess is not of help here...I can assist with tests though

[Michael Thayer]

#3293 has been marked a duplicate of this ticket.

Description:

Either by hotkey or by menu item VirtualBox could back-translate the text on the host clipboard to a sequence of physical key codes (according to host key mapping) and would send those keys to the guest. This would allow anyone to paste text from host to guest without requiring any form of guest support or driver. It would equally allow pasting to console or to a graphical editor, as long as host/guest key mappings do not differ too much.

[Emerson]

+1

Really annoying thing..

[Frank Mehnert]

Waiting for your patch.

[Juergen Ulbts]

Another ping as the lack of a copy/paste feature is indeed very annoying.

[Frank Mehnert]

Yes, and there are many other missing features which is annoying as well. Still waiting for patches.

[Tom]

+1 for this. Very dissappointed to find it's not possible.

[Michael Thayer]

cellingfish: very sorry that you are so disappointed. You must realise though that although VirtualBox is a very feature-complete piece of software there are still more useful features that could be added than our team can add in a reasonable time, and we have to make choices, normally based on what paying customers are interested in. This is one of the reasons why we make the source code available to the general public - so that people with different priorities to us can still add features which they want badly and which we do not currently have time to do.

[wal]

Its actually not that much of an issue.(as I once commented on 2 years ago) All you need to do is ​putty into the machine; sure its not *ideal* but it sure beats typing out each command

[Torsten Bronger]

Strangely, that's the only way to subscribe to bug reports here ...

[Technologov]

+1. Useful.

-Technologov

[Michael Smith]

+1 would enhance productivity as per the ticket description.

[Michael Thayer]

Unfortunately it still doesn't look like we will be able to implement this in the foreseeable future. So if it is implemented it will probably have to be as a user contribution.