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"Set window order on top" does not work


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Well, if you use "Set window order on top" to make a window (lying under other windows) visible it works sometimes. It works almost always if you put "Place on topmost status and place on top" right before the "Set window order on top"-command.

 

Must be some kind of bug.

 

Can anybody confirm this?

 

Alexandra

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Well, if you use "Set window order on top" to make a window (lying under other windows) visible it works sometimes. It works almost always if you put "Place on topmost status and place on top" right before the "Set window order on top"-command.

 

Must be some kind of bug.

 

Can anybody confirm this?

 

Alexandra

 

I meant: can you provide an example in the form of macro code, showing this incorrect behaviour, that we can try without having to do too much work.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

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The command "Set window order on top" does not work reliably. It works however if you put "Place on topmost status and place on top" before.

After testing the Set Window Order "notepad" Always on top and Set Window Order "Notepad" Remove topmost status and place on top commands I cannot spot any problems. A specific example demonstrating how it fails would be helpful.

 

Are you aware that setting a window on top does not automatically give it focus? A window can be on top and not have focus. This is normal behavior (controlled by Windows). Is that what you are seeing?

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It´s all about setting the window orders of floating menus.

 

See the topic right before this one for details: "Adding buttons/functions to programs, via Floating Menus"

 

Please, do not tell me i´am not allowed to set window orders of floating menus. It works so great. Every program i use often got some fresh icons which appear the moment the programwindow gets activated. :)

That those menus does not get focus is with intent and what i love in general about the windoworder commands as i work in the programwindow and need the focus there.

 

Sorry, i wanted to insert an topic link but couldn´t find the topic ID. Where is it?

 

 

Thanks.

Alexandra

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Sorry, i wanted to insert an topic link but could´t find the topic ID. Where is it?
See where it saws "Post #X" in the upper right of each message? Just click that link and get it from the URL or right click, copy, paste and delete the rest.
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Thank you Cory.

 

BTW the commands "set windoworder on" and "Removetopmost status and place on top" does not work if the targetwindow is minimized. I guess that´s because there is no such window at the moment.

 

In such cases i miss a command which bring the window up anyway without loosing focus of the active window.

 

Alexandra

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Examples are A-C:

A: Set Window Order "Any Window" Remove topmost status and place on top

B: Set Window Order "Any Window" Always on top.

C: Set Window Order "Any Window" Remove topmost status and place on top, Set Window Order "Any Window" Always on top. (2 commands)

 

 

On my system:

A: Nothing happens. (Window does not appear!)

B: Works more or less reliably if window is not a floating menu. But not always!

C: The choice if you want floating menu to stay on top.

 

Thank You

Alexandra

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Alexandra these are descriptions of how to write a sample macro, not a sample macro. Just write a portable macro using Notepad or Calculator, export it to an MEX file and attach it to a post. The reason is if 5 of us want to test your problem we each have to spend X minutes to do so. If you spend X minutes to write it instead the net benefit to the community is 4X minutes.

 

I'm guessing you don't read many other posts here but you might want to check this one out.

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Of course i know the difference between a sample and the description of a macro? Any other macro i would have attached.

 

But if the whole macro consists of just one command?!?

 

Anyway i could not write the macro for anybody as you have to put in a name of a running window which i don´t know.

 

You really think downloading, importing and editing a macro is quicker than writing a one command macro?!?

I have a hard time believing this but as you gave me advice so often i´ll do that at least for you.

 

Which is a common windowtitle?

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First off you have three different conditions so there are at least three different cases. Like I suggested Calculator and Notepad are common to most of us. And If I were writing a demo macro I would not have just those commands but commands to set up the environment. IE I would launch Calculator, arrange, demonstrate, and pop up a dialog box asking what the user saw.

 

BTW I just exported and attached a test macro to this message in 22 seconds and I wasn't even hurrying. Seems pretty painless to me.

 

When you said it was only one command I was surprised because I thought you were explaining something much more complex. I went back and read your ABC example and now I see what you were saying. But this is another good example of why making a sample macro is a better idea. I read and reread your post for a couple of minutes before the “Ah ha! That’s simple”. Had I opened you sample macro I would have seen what you were on about instantly. Also there are a lot of variable parameters that are often not disclosed in verbal description. EG were you using partial or exact match and those can make a difference and often you might not be aware of a subtle mistake. But now that I see what you were on about I agree there really isn't much need for a demo. It's just with all your previous posts about floating menus, minimized windows and all that it sounded like you had a much more complex situation.

<SET WINDOW ORDER Window="\x01" Title="Calculator" Partial="TRUE" Wildcards="FALSE" Action="\x01" _IGNORE="0x0006"/>

Now I created a one line macro in this guise and tried your ABCs after burying Calculator.

  1. Nominal: Appeared on top.
  2. Nominal: Appeared and stayed on top.
  3. Nominal: Appears on top and stays on top.

Is it possible you have some other software running on your PC that is causing your problems? There must be some reason your system behaves differently than mine. I can’t think of any other help to offer on this matter but you can at least rest assured it’s not an issue with the function of these commands.

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Cory is a lot more patient than me! You're lucky he has stayed with you on this despite your failure to respond fully to several previous requests by various users for a specific example.

 

If you had originally provided something like this macro I've taken a few minutes to prepare

TEMP_WindowOrder_Alexis.mex

then it would have saved a lot of wasted time.

 

// This macro launches or activates Notepad and then sets its window order to the status 'Always on top'.

 

It is intended to demonstrate that this command is unreliable on the system used by Alexis.

// In addition to Notepad, the macro can be changed and tried with other easily accessible programs, such as Calculator, Paint, etc.

Activate or Launch: Window "Notepad", Program "NOTEPAD.EXE", Parameters ""

Set Window Order "Notepad" Always on top

 

 

 

My tests confirm those of Kevin and Cory: the command works as expected.

 

It also doesn't help that you're careless with details. The command is not called "Set window order on top". And your reference 8 days ago "See the topic right before this one for details: 'Adding buttons/functions to programs, via Floating Menus' " was misleading. There were 10 intervening posts. One was even another from you.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

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Was never so hard to make my intentions clear. I guess i tend to give insufficient information. I´m really sorry to hear this. I don´t want to waste anybodys time. I believed i was precise. I was not. Unfortunately i had only 5 years english in school. Do you know that i have to look up words for posting? Well due the use of this forum my english was never better! ;-) I promise to attach macros from now on.

I have a terrible insight and four questions:

1. Could it be that the command "Remove topmpost status and place on top" has a misleading name?

2. Is it possible that it is not placing anything?

3. Isn´t it actually just and only removing the topmost status?

4. Wouldn´t be "Remove topmost status" an sufficient and less irritating name?

 

Guys i really understand if you want to kill me now.

 

Please consider two things before doing this. First of all, i don´t live on your continent. (-;) Second, i was not the one who gave the commands it´s names! "Remove topmpost status and place on top" states a 2-Way action, right?

 

I am very sorry for all this!

Alexandra

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Was never so hard to make my intentions clear. I guess i tend to give insufficient information. I´m really sorry to hear this. I don´t want to waste anybodys time. I believed i was precise. I was not. Unfortunately i had only 5 years english in school. Do you know that i have to look up words for posting? Well due the use of this forum my english was never better! ;-) I promise to attach macros from now on.

I have a terrible insight and four questions:

1. Could it be that the command "Remove topmpost status and place on top" has a misleading name?

 

Yes, it probably is easily misunderstood. I can understand why someone might be confused by that word 'placed'. A better description IMO would be simply "Remove 'Always on top' status." It will of course then remain temporarily on top, until the user or a macro or another program changes that.

 

BTW, those details again! Why not simply copy/paste when you want to quote something? The result would have been "Remove topmost status and place on top", (or "Remove Topmost Status and Place on Top" if you copied from Help). Obviously it's trivial in this case, but often it's not.

 

2. Is it possible that it is not placing anything?

 

Yes, it is not actively placing, just leaving it as it stands.

 

3. Isn´t it actually just and only removing the topmost status?

 

Agreed.

 

4. Wouldn´t be "Remove topmost status" an sufficient and less irritating name?

 

Yes indeed, I see we are now singing from the same hymn sheet!

 

 

Guys i really understand if you want to kill me now.

 

Please consider two things before doing this. First of all, i don´t live on your continent. (- ;) Second, i was not the one who gave the commands it´s names! "Remove topmpost status and place on top" states a 2-Way action, right?

 

I am very sorry for all this!

Alexandra

 

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

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I agree the command is slightly misleading and like Terry’s choice of words but if you take a moment to read the help file I doubt you would be confused. Even I admit that I was not familiar with what this is intended to do.

Remove Topmost Status and Place on Top

If the window was previously set to always be on top, this option removes the always on top status and leaves the window on top of all others.

Otherwise this option places the window on top of all others, but does not set the always on top status. In this case the option would be similar to the Window Activate command.

Notice that this has a dual function. I think this is the source of what appears to be misleading. It’s not two steps, it’s dual function. IE the “And” is indicating two separate modes of operation, not two steps.

  1. If the window is set to always on top it removes the “Always on Top”
  2. If the window is buried it simply puts the windows on top.

BTW I wanted to point out before that I have noticed that your English is much improved. ;)

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i had only 5 years english in school. Do you know that i have to look up words for posting?

Wow! You do extremely well for only 5 years of school study! I studied French for 3 years, and I could not order a hamburger in a French McDonald's unless I could point with my finger.

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I agree the command is slightly misleading and like Terry's choice of words but if you take a moment to read the help file I doubt you would be confused. Even I admit that I was not familiar with what this is intended to do. Notice that this has a dual function. I think this is the source of what appears to be misleading. It's not two steps, it's dual function. IE the "And" is indicating two separate modes of operation, not two steps.

  1. If the window is set to always on top it removes the "Always on Top"
  2. If the window is buried it simply puts the windows on top.

 

If anyone from ISS is reading this thread, I'd suggest either:

- Change the "and" to "or" and change "leaves" to "places", so it becomes "...or places the window on top of all others", (including the emphasis).

or

- Remove mention of the dual function altogether, because Window Activate does that anyway so users should never need the 'place on top' function from this command.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

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Remove Topmost Status and Place on Top

Notice that this has a dual function. I think this is the source of what appears to be misleading. It’s not two steps, it’s dual function. IE the “And” is indicating two separate modes of operation, not two steps.

 

1. If the window is set to always on top it removes the “Always on Top”

2. If the window is buried it simply puts the windows on top.

 

BTW I wanted to point out before that I have noticed that your English is much improved. wink.gif

No Cory, the command does not have anything dual. If the window is buried it stays buried. At least on my system. Tested it a dozen times.

 

BTW Wouldn´t be "your English has much improved" better englisch? ;)

 

@reberq: Thank you very much. Wanting to make come my messages through in this forum makes me working hard on my english. I love the language anyway. It´s so effective. Ever bought a global sold product with manuals in 16 languages? The english manual is always the smallest.

See, i already begin to instruct native speakers. ;)

 

Alexandra

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Ever bought a global sold product with manuals in 16 languages?
I have bought hardware from IBM with booklet explaining, in 68 languages, that one should be careful when plugging in the power cord.

 

BTW Wouldn´t be "your English has much improved" better englisch?
Ah, the subtleties of Englisch. "is much improved" and "has much improved" are both equally correct. "has" denotes a period of time during which something occurred. "is" refers to the present condition of something without really specifying when it reached that condition. Another way of looking at it is, the phrase "has improved" is a verb form, like saying "I grew taller". The phrase "is improved" uses improved as an adjective, for example "I am taller than I was last year".

 

Don't worry. Your English is excellent.

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