HOWTO: Switching Focus to a Visual FoxPro Application

 Last reviewed: August 11, 1997
Article ID: Q172560
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SUMMARY

If you create a local Visual FoxPro OLE Automation Server that displays a user interface (UI), the UI may not have focus when initiated. To force the Visual FoxPro OLE server to have focus you can call the SetForegroundWindow API from the client and pass the window handle of the Visual FoxPro OLE Server.

MORE INFORMATION

When calling the Show Method of a Visual FoxPro OLE Server from a client application, such as a Visual Basic executable, the Visual FoxPro UI may not receive focus.

Here is a method of forcing the Visual FoxPro OLE Server to have focus and control:

  1. In the Visual FoxPro Class Designer, create a class with a property to hold the window handle. Call the property "myHwind."

  2. In the Show Method of the Visual FoxPro Class, add the following code: 

          SET LIBRARY TO HOME()+"\foxtools.fll" && If FoxTools is in the Home

                                                && directory.
      Thisform.myHwind = mainhwnd()
      SET LIBRARY TO


This code loads the Foxtools library and calls mainhwnd, which returns the
window handle for the main Visual FoxPro window, in this case it would be
your OLE Server Form. The code places the window handle into the class
property myHwind and then releases the Foxtools library.


  1. In the client, add the following code:

    

          DECLARE Integer SetForegroundWindow in WIN32API long whnd
      ox.Show()
      whnd = ox.myHwind
      x = SetForegroundWindow(whnd)

    

This code assumes that the Visual FoxPro OLE server was instantiated
elsewhere in the program using the Createobject command. This code uses the
DECLARE as you would in Visual FoxPro; the syntax would be different in
Visual Basic. The code then calls the Show Method. At this point, the UI
for the OLE Server appears, but it does not have focus. Next get the window
handle that was stored in as a class property, call SetForegroundWindow,
and pass the window handle of the application to get focus.



REFERENCES

 


For more information about the SetForegroundWindow, please refer to the
Win32 SDK


For more information about the Mainhwnd function, please refer to the
Foxtools.hlp in the tools directory that is installed with Visual FoxPro.


(c) Microsoft Corporation 1997, All Rights Reserved. Contributions by David
Botzenhart, Microsoft Corporation



	
	

	















	






Additional query words: OLE

Keywords          : FxinteropGeneral FxprgFoxtools vfoxwin

Technology        : kbole

Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0a

Platform          : WINDOWS

Issue type        : kbhowto








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	Last reviewed:  August 11, 1997
	

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