Alt+Tab not redirected in AppVM

[799]

Hello,

I am using a fedora-29 based AppVM ("my-office") to connect to my corporate virtual desktop using VMware Horizon View.

Unfortunately the Alt+Tab key sequence is not forwarded into the virtual desktop.

I totally understand that his has been done to improve security, so that no AppVM can "catch" the mouse, but in this use case it is very annoying as I need to switch application within the virtual desktop very often.

I have three ideas how to work arround this problem:

1) Switch the Alt+Tab sequence in qubes to something like Windows+Tab, so that Alt+Tab can be used in an AppVM

2) Disable Alt+Tab in a specific AppVM (not sure if this can be done)

3) Disable Alt+Tab if an AppVM goes into fullscreen mode (as it is always possible to use Alt+Space to get out of fullscreen mode) when I work in my corporate virtual windows desktop there is no danger, that I mess up and getting lost between different AppVM window sessions.

(also not sure if this can be done, disabling Alt+Tab depending on the fullscreen state).

I think the easiest way is 1) switching Alt+Tab against Windows+Tab.

Can this be done?

I looked into the Qubes Menu > Keyboard > Application Shortcut,  but Alt+Tab is not present there.

- O

[awokd]

799 wrote on 4/9/19 7:28 AM:

> I think the easiest way is 1) switching Alt+Tab against Windows+Tab.
> Can this be done?

Maybe
https://superuser.com/questions/458846/how-to-map-alttab-behavior-to-another-keyboard-combination
?

[Vít Šesták]

In some cases, Alt+Win+Tab is not handled by dom0 (at least with Kwin) and the remote VM handles it as Alt+Tab (AFAIR at least Windows and Unity).

[799]

Hello,

 I tried edting the shortcut file in
~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
from:  <property name="&lt;Alt&gt;Tab" type="string" value="cycle_windows_key"/>
to:      <property name="&lt;Ctrl&gt;Tab" type="string" value="cycle_windows_key"/>
and I tried also:
<property name="&lt;Primary&gt;Tab" type="string" value="cycle_windows_key"/>

... but those settings didn't work, nothing changed.

I also tried to a new shortcuts via the Qubes Menu > Keyboard but also there not changes are working.

Any other suggestions?

- O/799

[awokd]

799 wrote on 4/10/19 8:12 PM:

> I tried edting the shortcut file in
> ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
> from: <property name="&lt;Alt&gt;Tab" type="string"
> value="cycle_windows_key"/>
> to: <property name="&lt;Ctrl&gt;Tab" type="string"
> value="cycle_windows_key"/>
> and I tried also:
> <property name="&lt;Primary&gt;Tab" type="string"
> value="cycle_windows_key"/>
>
> ... but those settings didn't work, nothing changed.
>
> I also tried to a new shortcuts via the Qubes Menu > Keyboard but also
> there not changes are working.
>
> Any other suggestions?

Did you reboot after? Also, did you see Vit's suggestion?

[799]

'awokd' via qubes-users <qubes...@googlegroups.com> schrieb am Mi., 10. Apr. 2019, 22:30:

799 wrote on 4/10/19 8:12 PM:

>   I tried edting the shortcut file in
> ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml

(...)

> ... but those settings didn't work, nothing changed.
>
> I also tried to a new shortcuts via the Qubes Menu > Keyboard but also
> there not changes are working.
>
> Any other suggestions?

Did you reboot after? Also, did you see Vit's suggestion?

I didn't know that a reboot needs to be done

- O/799

[awokd]

799 wrote on 4/10/19 8:37 PM:

I'm guessing XFCE only reads that config file once on startup. There's
probably a more subtle way to trigger it. Does it work now?

[799]

Hello,

On Wed, 10 Apr 2019 at 22:43, awokd <aw...@danwin1210.me> wrote:

799 wrote on 4/10/19 8:37 PM:
> 'awokd' via qubes-users <qubes...@googlegroups.com> schrieb am Mi., 10.
> Apr. 2019, 22:30:
>
>> 799 wrote on 4/10/19 8:12 PM:
>>
>>>    I tried edting the shortcut file in
>>> ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
>> (...)
>>

(...)

I'm guessing XFCE only reads that config file once on startup. There's
probably a more subtle way to trigger it. Does it work now?

I tried to change it from Alt+Tab to Primary-Tab, rebooted, but no changes have been made.

I'll try to do the opposite and will use autohotkey (https://www.autohotkey.com) in windows to set a new key-sequence for application switching.

- O/799