new windows open top level = BAD!

[vmerc]

Does anyone know how to get new windows to open bottom level, or make it selectable? One of the most annoying things that I find in Windows is that not only does it take forever for a window/app to load up, but since I am inevitably off doing some other task while I wait for the app to load, when it does load it pops up on top of what I was doing causing an interruption in my work flow.

Thanks for any help on this. Google (my best friend according to some) was unable to provide an answer.

 

[mikeblas]

There's two problems: what Windows does, and what the app does (or might do).

Applications can try to grab input focus. Whatever gets added to the Windows API soon gets "worked around" to make the application "better". This arms race has brought us flashing tray icons, beeping activations, and so on.

When an application starts, whatever starts it tries to get it to start with a certain visibility. (See the definition for WinMain(). The nCmdShow parameter is what I'm talking about; an application is supposed to listen to that and use it to decide how to paint itself the first go.)

When you launch something from the shell by double-clicking an icon on your desktop, or an someplace in the "Start" menu, Windows tells the app to show itself normally.

You can change this in the properties for the item you're cliking on to launch: set it to run minimized, initially, for example. (It's on the "General" tab, IIRC.) Maybe the application doesn't listen. Maybe it listens, then immediately does something else.

 

[vmerc]

Ahh, well that's a start. I'll try that and see how it works. Maybe it'll have some affect. I'm sure it'll not matter for splash screens though. Thanks for the info mikeblas!

 

[ameoba]

Just get a faster computer so the apps come up instantly +)