What registry setting controls/prevents focus stealing?

[Michael Moser]

Does somebody know, what registry setting PowerToys changes when one
selects General => Focus => "prevent applications from stealing the
focus"?

Since a while I seem to have some app, that keeps changing this setting
(but I haven't been able to figure out, which one, yet) and it drives me
nuts that each alert or popup immediately grabs the keyboard focus while
I am typing along...

I am going to write me some utility that forces that setting every
couple of minutes. But I first need to find out, WHAT that key is, that
I need to force-set (or -reset).

Michael

 

[Asger Joergensen]

Hi Michael

Does somebody know, what registry setting PowerToys changes when one selects
General => Focus => "prevent applications from stealing the focus"?

Since a while I seem to have some app, that keeps changing this setting (but
I haven't been able to figure out, which one, yet) and it drives me nuts
that each alert or popup immediately grabs the keyboard focus while I am
typing along...

I am going to write me some utility that forces that setting every couple of
minutes. But I first need to find out, WHAT that key is, that I need to
force-set (or -reset).

Are You sure they have changed the setting ?
I have an editor that some times pops up a dialog which have a
setting called MB_SYSTEMMODAL aposed to MB_APPLMODAL and that kind
of dialog steels the focus no matter what, if this is the case
You should complain to te software vendor and make them change it
unless of course it realy is a system critical error.

Kind regards
Asger

 

[ju.c]

This is what is set when you tick the box, "Prevent applications from stealing focus":

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00030d40

Un-ticking the box sets it to this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00000000


The option, "Flash taskbar button until I click on it" sets this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundFlashCount"=dword:00000000


ju.c

 

[1776]

This registry change seems to prevent IE7 from (repeatedly) stealing focus
as well! Bless you.

This is what is set when you tick the box, "Prevent applications from
stealing focus":
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00030d40

Un-ticking the box sets it to this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00000000


The option, "Flash taskbar button until I click on it" sets this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundFlashCount"=dword:00000000


ju.c

Does somebody know, what registry setting PowerToys changes when one
selects General => Focus => "prevent applications from stealing the
focus"?

Since a while I seem to have some app, that keeps changing this
setting (but I haven't been able to figure out, which one, yet) and
it drives me nuts that each alert or popup immediately grabs the
keyboard focus while I am typing along...

I am going to write me some utility that forces that setting every
couple of minutes. But I first need to find out, WHAT that key is,
that I need to force-set (or -reset).

Michael

 

[Michael Moser]

This is what is set when you tick the box, "Prevent applications from
stealing focus":

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00030d40

Un-ticking the box sets it to this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00000000


The option, "Flash taskbar button until I click on it" sets this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ForegroundFlashCount"=dword:00000000


ju.c

Only saw this now. Thanks a lot!
I added this to my Startup folder. What a relief!

Michael