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Topic: «Can AWM prevent popup windows from stealing the focus? » on forum: Technical Support   Views: 3796
 
chgoguy7
Advanced user
 
 Posts: 90
Joined: 02/28/2006
Posted: 12/02/2021 23:41:16
 
 
 I have a great Windows 10 desktop app called System Scheduler that has a reminder function that pops up a small window at various times throughout the day with reminders. Unfortunately, the popup reminder window steals the focus when it appears and redirects all keyboard input to that window. It's disruptive and irritating to have to grab my mouse to move back to the window I was in to resume what I was doing.

This is a common enough issue that there is a Wikipedia entry about it. They refer to stealing focus as a "mode error" in UI design and that it's often employed by malware. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_stealing  

The developer says there is no way programmatically for the popup window to not steal the focus, which I explained to him is untrue, and I provided him with several examples showing this, but I did not hear back from him after that. Other than finding a new reminder app, is there a way AWM can allow the popup windows to appear but not steal the focus?

Thanks!

-Nick
 
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Bogdan Polishchuk
Administrator
 
 Posts: 4080
Joined: 04/04/2012
Posted: 12/17/2021 02:43:03
 
 
 chgoguy7,

Thank you for contacting us and sorry for the delay in replying to you.

Quote
is there a way AWM can allow the popup windows to appear but not steal the focus?
For now AWM doesn't provide such ability. We'll consider adding it and will post here if it's added in our software.

Could you please try this workaround and tell us if it's acceptable for you: create specific settings for the reminder window and enable the "Run keyboard macro" action at startup in the settings (AWM configuration module > Window Settings > Specific Settings > specific settings for the reminder window > Startup section > Run keyboard macro). Type "<Alt+Tab>" without quotes into the keyboard macro field and press Apply. Now whenever a reminder window appears the focus should be shortly switched back automatically to the window that was active before this.


Best regards.
 
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