[SOLVED]Bringing Separate Livecode apps on Top via launcher

[Lagi Pittas]

Hi

I have a program that can use different data , graphics, etc nad I want 1 version to run in 3 different configurations.

So I have copied the whole directory 3 times renamed the application differently and setup the config and data files graphics etc to be different for each directory.

I created a little launcher program with 3 buttons that have a button like

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
    launch "C:\Users\xxxx\Documents\multi\nameXXX\progxxx.exe"
end mouseUp

Fine and dandy - it worked first time - I should hope so!!

I already had a on relaunch handler in the main stack that just beeped to stopp people running multiple copies of the original.

My problem is if I set systemwindow to true on relaunch you would expect the window to come to the top but it doesn't. The first time each application is run it does show at the top but pressing the launcher with

set the systemwindow of me to true

has no effect.

I can think of a "simple" way but I woulkd like to do it the obvious way.

The simple way is putting "the launcheR button in the app - but that means a lot of real estate movement.

Here is how I used to do it in Foxpro - if anybody can show me how to "wrap" this with infinite livecode on windows with a C interface i then have a good reason to make a move to version 8 - at least for the launcher which will be three times the size of the main app - go figure.

LOCAL lcWinName, lnHWnd

lcWinName = "Your window title name"
DECLARE INTEGER BringWindowToTop IN WIN32API LONG HWND

DECLARE INTEGER ShowWindow IN WIN32API LONG HWND, LONG nCmdShow

DECLARE INTEGER FindWindow IN WIN32API STRING, STRING

lnHWnd = FindWindow(0, m.lcWinName)
IF m.lnHWnd <> 0
ShowWindow(m.lnHWnd, SW_RESTORE)
BringWindowToTop(m.lnHWnd)
ENDIF

edit

to further explain - we could call these routine like this

BringWindowToTop(tnHWND)
ShowWindow(m.lnHWND, 3)

and there were other calls we could "bind" like

DECLARE INTEGER GetForegroundWindow IN user32 - so you could see which window was in the foreground . - simples.

Any help/ideas/cake welcome.

KIndest Regards Lagi

[Klaus]

Hi Lagin,

I found that sometimes "... of me" does not work reliably when ME is referring to a stack, try with:

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set the systemwindow of stack "name of the stack here" to TRUE

And since LC and "do XYZ as VBSCRIPT" on Windows, I am sure there are lots of VB code snippets around on the internet
that will bring an EXE to front.


Best

Klaus

[bogs]

<sic>...
I found that sometimes "... of me" does not work reliably when ME is referring to a stack, try with:

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set the systemwindow of stack "name of the stack here" to TRUE

Curious, does "this stack" work more reliably than "of me"? Or is it always better to use the "stack "name of the stack" ?

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set the systemWindow of this stack to true

or

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set the system window of stack "mySuperStack" to true

I would suspect the 2nd (referring by specific name) is the better solution, right?

[FourthWorld]

I've found that on some OSes it's necessary to set the style of the stack to palette in addition to setting the systemWindow to true, if you want it above other apps' windows.

[Lagi Pittas]

I Tried that - No Cigar.

I thought this is what widgets were invented for - I wanted tio stay clear of any other Exes be they VB or delphi.

I will see how slow a shellexecute with a small delphi program will be instead of getting all messy with VB.

Regards Lagi

p.s. still wish Ali ir Mark would come to the rescue with a short course in calling from LCB.

[FourthWorld]

You might consider filing a bug report on this.

Though FWIW I just tested on my Win10 box and systemWindow seems to be working well with the latest v9 build.

[Lagi Pittas]

Hi Richard

I'm going to install 9 and see what happens

Thanks again

Lagi

[Lagi Pittas]

Hi

problem solved in 2 ways.

Ok was to lazy to write it in another language so I built the "launcher" into the program with buttons that had dynamic labels and paths, and dynamically changed the database files - took all of 15 minute, no third party, job done.

But Then I ran the old launcher program noticed that the called program stack was ALWAYS above all other programs including editors, IDE everything. So ..... donning my Deerstalker

I wonder if I

Code: Select all

set the the systemwindow of  stack "stackname" to TRUE

on program 1 maybe the second program I run can't take the top position? I originally assumed that the last program executed/launched with systemwindowset to true would percolate to the top - It doesn't.

So I added 6 lines to the program code.

At the end of the openstack I added

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set the systemwindow of  stack "stackname" to TRUE
   wait 250
   set the systemwindow of  stack "stackname" to false

And I added exactly the same to the end of the relaunch command (which only has a beep in it if they try to run more than 1 instance of the same program). This code probably isn't needed but it works and so ill see next time i'm in the program.

The thing works exactly as I envisaged it (at least on windows)

Basically I'm setting the stack to be on top waiting a quarter of a second - (could be much less but who cares) and then setting the system window to false so that any other program running after it can get top spot.

At least now I know what I can do if I want to take over the desktop - hope no lawyers are lurking

Kindest Regards Lagi

[sphere]

Hi,

i've tested the last code of Lagi and it works.
But it also seems to have a side effect, like the window is refreshing. A real fast backdrop and back again.