{"id":10214,"date":"2006-08-10T06:46:49","date_gmt":"2006-08-10T13:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2006\/08\/10\/focus.html"},"modified":"2006-08-10T06:46:49","modified_gmt":"2006-08-10T13:46:49","slug":"focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/08\/10\/focus.html","title":{"rendered":"Focus!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hate applications that steal focus. I really, really do. <\/p>\n

A focused window is the one that’s on the top. An application that steals focus is one that, when it starts or when something happens in it, pops itself up to the top of the stack, bringing its window to the fore, and burying other windows that had focus under it. <\/p>\n

This is a real problem when you’re typing something in a window, and suddenly another window (or dialog box) pops up. You can easily send a stray keystroke to the dialog, which it interprets as a response, etc. It also disrupts your train of thought, as you have to go digging back for the window you wanted, figure out what you were saying, etc. <\/p>\n

Bleah. <\/p>\n

It’s a fundamental Windows design (the old IBM OS\/2 team fought the matter long and hard, apparently, and we see where it got them), though each new Windows release has chipped away at the “feature” of letting applications jump up and down and cut in line when they have something to say. <\/p>\n

Bleah. <\/p>\n

The Microsoft PowerToy “Tweak UI<\/a>” has, among its many other spiffy why-isn’t-this-standard features, an option to prevent applications from stealing focus, and to leave their Task Bar icon blinking or highlighted when they’re requesting focus. <\/p>\n

It’s a faboo setting, and has saved my sanity on several occasions … except that it would be even spiffier if Micro$oft Outlook didn’t ignore<\/em> the setting and spatter whatever windows it’s opening on startup<\/a> over whatever window is actually active, over and over and over again.* <\/p>\n

Bleah. <\/p>\n

Stealing focus is just wrong, folks. It’s rude. It’s annoying. And it’s dangerous, if it causes you to inadvertently provide a response to a dialog that you don’t realize in time is there. Unless it’s something warning me my PC is about to explode, or unless I configure an application to intentionally do so, applications shouldn’t do it. Even then, pop-ups and the like that steal focus should have no keyboard shortcuts or default responses that can be inadvertently clicked when they interrupt everything else
\ngoing on except for my busy fingers. <\/p>\n

Bad design, all around.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* Actually, it may not be Outlook. I keep finding that Tweak UI setting changed back to allow apps to grab focus — which is really annoying. If I find out what’s doing it … Though, nevertheless, Outlook grabs focus way too often on startup. Bad dog! No cookie!<\/p>\n

<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hate applications that steal focus. I really, really do. A focused window is the one that’s on the top. 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