Message Box Spawned From a Custom Action Loses Focus on Windows 7

Title

Summary

Custom Action message box loses focus behind another open window on Windows 7

Symptoms

When spawning a Windows Form or Message Box from a Managed Code custom action, the spawned Window or Message Box loses focus and is behind the other open windows on a Windows 7 machine.

The same Custom Action will keep the spawned window in the foreground on any other operating system.

Cause

This behavior is related to the changes made in the Windows 7 Operating System.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, please use the Windows GetForegroundWindow function or the SetForegroundWindow function in the Managed Code assembly, that you are trying to launch from a Managed Code Custom Action.

Here is a sample code, on how to use the SetForegroundWindow method in a VB .Net application -

Private Sub myform_Shown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Shown
Dim hWnd As IntPtr = Me.Handle
If IsNothing(hWnd) = False Then
BringMeForward(hWnd)
Else
MsgBox("No Window Handle!")
End If

End Sub

Friend Sub BringMeForward(ByVal hWnd As IntPtr)

Dim bSet As Boolean = SetForegroundWindow(hWnd)

End Sub

Additional Information

For more information about the GetForegroundWindow function, please refer to this msdn article --> GetForegroundWindow Function

For more information about the SetForegroundWindow function, please refer to this msdn article -->

SetForegroundWindow Function

For more information about this issue, please refer to this msdn community thread --> http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/pl-PL/vclanguage/thread/5f54c9ac-5517-4809-b0b9-7c81684b71e0

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Case id: 00001065