Re: Custom shell window management

Hi Aaron,

I'd recommend you to create your shell app with CreateWindowEx API (or .Net equivalent) with the WS_EX_NOACTIVATE ex-style set. Then
the window will not become the foreground window when the user clicks it. The system will not bring this window to the foreground
when the user minimizes or closes a foreground window.

Also, you probably want to add WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW ex-style there as well to remove the window from Alt-Tab list.

Also, I'd recommend you to use SetWindowPos ( HWND_BOTTOM ) in the window proc every time you get WM_ACTIVATE notification (wParam=
WA_ACTIVE or WA_CLICKACTIVE). In general it is not required to have with the WS_EX_NOACTIVATE ex-style used but doesn't hurt to
have.

--
=========
Regards,
KM


<aflynt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:15234471-273f-45ec-aef1-62b8ba8e3922@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My custom shell is C# .NET Windows Forms 2.0 app, consisting of a
fullscreen window with icons on it that launch various other device
function and utility applications. When I launch applications that
have multiple non-modal windows, then click on the 'background' shell
app, all of the spawned windows are 'hidden' behind the shell.

My first approach for keeping the shell 'underneath' everything was to
loop through all of the running processes each time the shell received
focus and call ShowWindow, and SetForegroundWindow on their main
window handles. This only sort of worked. It was kind of ugly and slow
with all the windows flashing. Apps with multiple windows open would
also wind up with all windows but one still underneath the shell.

Right now what I'm doing is creating modal windows as part of the
shell application to perform as many of the functions as possible. For
example, I've created an Internet Browser form with an embedded MSHTML
control for functions requiring web browser access. For utilities and
functions that would be too time consuming to recreate in my shell
app, I've found that calling SetWindowPos on the Shell window with the
HWND_BOTTOM flag each time it receives focus works fairly well. It's
not as slow and ugly as the first method, and all of the non-minimized
windows will stay on top of the shell. The only potential point of UI
confusion for the user now is window minimization. Windows appear to
minimize to a small rectangular title bar in the lower left hand
corner (which is fine). Unfortunately, the minimized window winds up
below the shell until the shell is given focus and the SetWindowPos
function is called again.

I was just wondering how other people approach problems like these
that seem common to custom shell creation. Is running the app
fullscreen an uncommon way of creating a shell? Are there any good
books or web resources for designing custom shells?

Thanks again,
-=Aaron=-

On Jan 29, 6:03 pm, "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I am not sure I fully understood the issue.
What is the damaged behaviour when you spawn an IE window and your shell app window is hidden with ShowWindow(SW_HIDE) call?

--
=========
Regards,
KM

<afl...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:b65e2545-7210-46c5-96b6-ab954e592daa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello,

I've created a custom shell using .NET Windows Forms and integrated it
into my XPE image. It's working perfectly except for one caveat: I'm
having trouble keeping the shell 'behind' all of the other application
windows I'm spawning (Internet Explorer, Control Panel, etc...). I've
tried using the windows user32.dll API calls ShowWindow, and
SetForegroundWindow, and these work with some application windows, but
not others.

Does anyone have any experience with custom shell window management
that can give me some tips? Interestingly, I couldn't find much on the
net about actually writing custom shell code. Just a number of
articles about integrating your existing app into XPE as a custom
shell.

Thanks,
-=Aaron=-


.

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