Virtualbox problem - Windows 10 HelpTag not showing

I just found a weird behavior with Windows 10 in Virtualbox running on macOS 10.12.6 and remote debugging.

If I open the Windows 10/Virtualbox window by going to the Dock (autohide active) and using the mouse to click the Virtualbox window running Windows 10, then the HelpTags are not shown.

If I go to Windows 10/Virtualbox window from other mac app (like Xojo) using Command+TAB, HelpTags work on Windows.

Is easy to know if the HelpTags are working at a system level, just move your mouse over the Taskbar icons, if the background change color a little and if you wait a little it show the HelpTag, then you know the system is working, like this:

Working

Not working

I hope this is clear and help someone.

Sounds like you need to talk to Oracle about that.

The idea of posting was only to let other people know this Virtualbox issue.

I found about this by doing several tests. Maybe this thing happen with other VM software, so just be careful.

For example, look at this <https://xojo.com/issue/51260> in it Robin said:

so I wonder if a real Windows machine was used or a virtual installation.

I downloaded the sample from that case and I get the HelpTag from the Combobox that has Autocomplete Disabled, so I don’t understand why Robin is not getting that HelpTag, could it be that:

  • Virtualbox could show a HelpTag than an actual PC can’t?
  • Robin using other virtual software that has a problem similar to Virtualbox
  • or Virtualbox was used to test and Robin got hit by this issue

And for reporting this to Oracle, I don’t have the resources to test if the same happen with High Sierra or Mojave.

No problem. I got the impression from your original post that you thought this was a Xojo bug.

Sorry I wasn’t clear. I changed the title, I hope is more clear now.

This is a Virtualbox bug.

Note:
I know that not everything is a Xojo bug, believe me. After I spent many hours tracking a bug with one of my programs to be able to create a case <https://xojo.com/issue/53085> and then feeling “angry” when it was just closed as “Not Reproducible” when I am able to reproduce it at will. Then more hours installing Virtualbox and High Sierra and Mojave Beta VM to test the code (it would be nice if you can write, when you close cases as Not Reproducible, to say if you tested the macOS/Xojo versions reported or other version), just to find out this problem only happen in Sierra.

Yes, it was correct to close that case because it is not a Xojo bug, it is a weird Sierra bug that was not able to reproduce with High Sierra or Mojave VMs. In fact I compiled the app and tested on a friend’s mac running High Sierra, just to make sure it was not a VM difference with real hardware.