Window Will Not Activate

[hcour]

I use a few macros that use the "Activate or Launch" command, but sometimes, if the program is already running, the macro will not bring the window to the front. Instead what happens is the app's taskbar button will be highlighted and blink a couple of times, then remain highlighted until I manually switch to that app. How can I fix this?

 

Thanks,

Harold

[kevin]

Harold,

 

Windows tries hard to prevent one application stealing focus from another application. Imagine if you were typing along and suddenly you were typing in another window. You wouldn't be happy.

 

Macro Express is one application that has a legitimate reason to change the focus to another program. Macro Express uses several techniques to try to trick Windows into letting it switch focus without getting the orange flashing taskbar button.

 

If you are not using the latest version of Macro Express, you should upgrade. If I recall correctly, we made some improvements to the routines that set focus as recently as v 3.5.0.1.

 

Another thing to check is the 'Send HotKey in Window Activation' and 'Attach Thread Input in Window Activation' options found in Options, Preferences, Miscellaneous. If either of these are enabled then I recommend that you try disabling them. If they are disabled you may find enabling one or the other will help.

 

Unless the problem happens consistently, this will take some amount of experimenting to fix. Try one solution and see if it helps. If, after a few days you continue to have trouble then try a different solution.

 

We are interested to know the result.

[hcour]

Kevin,

 

Neither of those options were enabled. I enabled "Send HotKey in Window Activation" and it seems to be working now. As you mentioned, the problem is intermittent, so I'll see how it works over the next few days. But so far, so good.

 

Thanks much,

Harold