[DUG] Shellexecute question

[John Bird]

Hey that should have been perfect, as I already was doing SW_SHOWMINIMIZED which works fine, and so does SW_SHOWNOACTIVE  which also does what it should – start the other window but not change focus.

However SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE doesn’t work.   Now the other program is a Delphi program of mine that does some initialisation in the Formshow event (turning on timers etc) and I am wondering if somehow the event doesn’t fire.  The process starts, but nothing runs, looks asleep in Task Manager. Not worth messing around with, as its a minor issue.

I toyed with using SW_SHOWINACTIVE and getting the program (Program B) to minimise itself on start, but that is just damned complicated and fiddly/fragile.  It also seems prone to ending up with 2 icons on the task bar, as though multiple copies have started even if only one is running – (maybe due to the large amount of work it does on startup – it is unresponsive for a good while) .

I also tried Russells suggestion about setting the foreground window and it don’t work for me (Windows 8.1)

What I did in the end was go back to the SW_SHOWMINIMIZED and then after the ShellExecute (in Program A) I put a ShowMessage saying I had started the other program.   Because this gives a modal clue that they have to click on to continue it will do the job of setting the focus back.  And its a bit useful for them to be informed it has been started.


From: Jolyon Smith 
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 8:21 PM
To: Russell Belding ; NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List 
Subject: Re: [DUG] Shellexecute question

Have you tried passing SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE instead of SW_MINIMIZED ? 


Caveat:  The show flag parameter is merely passed to the application being executed.  What it chooses to do with that flag is it's own affair, but if you're lucky, it will respect your wishes.  If not, then you will have to engage in a focus window arms race/lotto as already suggested.  But Route #1 would be to try the officially mandated mechanisms.

Good luck.  :)



On 24 July 2014 19:46, russell <russell at belding.co.nz> wrote:

  Tyr this after spawning the other program.



  SetForegroundWindow(forms.application.mainWindow.handle)



  To give the main window of your program focus.

  Perhaps modifications of this will take you to the window of the calling program where you want the focus?



  Russell



  From: delphi-bounces at listserver.123.net.nz [mailto:delphi-bounces at listserver.123.net.nz] On Behalf Of John Bird
  Sent: Thursday, 24 July 2014 4:43 p.m.
  To: NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List
  Subject: [DUG] Shellexecute question



  I have a program (Program A) that fires up another (program B)  via ShellExecute, if its not already running.  However even though Program B is started minimised, focus shifts away from Program A, which is a minor nuisance.



  Is there any way to stop this within Delphi?  Or will I have to do something like delve into the Windows API?



  if ShellExecute(Application.Mainform.Handle, 'open', Pchar(aProgName), PChar(aparaml), PChar(aDir), SW_SHOWMINIMIZED) <= 32 then

    ShowMessage('Start Minimised error:')




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