PRB: Application Loses Focus or Opens Minimized on Startup

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a, 6.0

SYMPTOMS

When you launch a Visual FoxPro application, it appears to open minimized or loses focus.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you include the following code in the Init event of a Top-Level form:

   APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.F. 

RESOLUTION

Move the following line:

   APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.F. 

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The line Application.Visible=.F. hides the main Visual FoxPro window. The reason the application loses focus and appears to open minimized is related to the sequence of events. Because the form's Init event sets the application's Visible property to false, the application is hidden and focus returns to the last active object or application. Even though the application no longer has focus, the code continues executing as a background process.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. To illustrate this behavior, create a program called Runhide.prg with the following code:

   
        LOST=CREATEOBJECT('NOFOCUS')
        LOST.SHOW
        READ EVENTS
        RETURN
   
        DEFINE CLASS nofocus AS FORM
        AUTOCENTER = .T.
        HEIGHT  = 450
        WIDTH   = 640
        CAPTION = "Lost Focus Form"
        VISIBLE = .T.
        SHOWWINDOW=2
        WINDOWTYPE=0
        ADD OBJECT frmcaption AS frmcap WITH Top=225, Left=220
        PROCEDURE INIT
        APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.F.
        ENDPROC
        PROCEDURE CLICK()
        THISFORM.RELEASE
        CLEAR EVENTS
        APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.T.
        ENDPROC
        ENDDEFINE
   
        DEFINE CLASS frmcap AS LABEL
        FONTNAME="ARIAL"
        FONTSIZE=10
        FONTBOLD=.T.
        CAPTION="Click anywhere on the form to close"
        VISIBLE=.T.
        AUTOSIZE=.T.
        ENDDEFINE 




2. From the command line, type the following:

   
         DO RUNHIDE 




3. To illustrate hiding the main Visual FoxPro window while the application retains focus, create a program called Nohide.prg with the following code:

   
        NOTLOST=CREATEOBJECT('HASFOCUS')
        NOTLOST.SHOW
        READ EVENTS
        RETURN
   
        DEFINE CLASS hasfocus AS FORM
        AUTOCENTER = .T.
        HEIGHT  = 450
        WIDTH   = 640
        CAPTION = "Lost Focus Form"
        VISIBLE = .T.
        SHOWWINDOW=2
        WINDOWTYPE=0
        ADD OBJECT frmcaption AS frmcap WITH Top=225, Left=220
        PROCEDURE ACTIVATE
        APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.F.
        ENDPROC
        PROCEDURE CLICK()
        THISFORM.RELEASE
        CLEAR EVENTS
        APPLICATION.VISIBLE=.T.
        ENDPROC
        ENDDEFINE
   
        DEFINE CLASS frmcap AS LABEL
        FONTNAME="ARIAL"
        FONTSIZE=10
        FONTBOLD=.T.
        CAPTION="Click anywhere on the form to close"
        VISIBLE=.T.
        AUTOSIZE=.T.
        ENDDEFINE 




4. From the command line, type the following:

   
         DO NOHIDE 

REFERENCES

Visual FoxPro Help, version 5.00; search on: "Application"
Visual FoxPro Help, version 5.00; search on: "Visible"

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbMAC kbVFp kbVFp500 kbVFp500a kbVFp600 FxprgClassoop
Version : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0a,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb