BUG: Focus Doesn't Return to MDI Form After Modal Form Is Closed

• Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

An MDI child form shows a second non-MDI form modally. The second form displays a message box (or another modal form). When you close the second form after dismissing the message box, the focus does not return to the MDI child form as expected. The focus returns to the MDI child form only when the second form does not display a message box (or a modal form).

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, set the focus to the MDI child form after you've shown the non-MDI child. The workaround is illustrated in the MORE INFORMATION section of this article.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this bug and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start a new Standard EXE project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default. From the Form1 properties dialog box, set the MDIChild property to True.

2. From the Project menu, click Add MDI Form to display the Add MDI Form dialog box. Click Open to add an MDI Form to the project.

3. Add a second form to the project.

4. Add a CommandButton to each of the forms.

5. Copy the following code to the code window of Form1:

         Option Explicit
   

         Private Sub Form_Load()
            Command1.Caption = "Show Modal Form"
         End Sub
   
         Private Sub Command1_Click()
            Form2.Show vbModal
            'Uncomment the following statement to work around the problem
            'Me.SetFocus
         End Sub
   
   

6. Copy the following code to the code window of the Form2 form:

         Option Explicit
   

         Private Sub Form_Load()
            Command1.Caption = "Show Message Box."
         End Sub
   
         Private Sub Command1_Click()
            MsgBox "Displayed from the non-MDI form."
         End Sub
   
   

7. Press the F5 key to run the program, and then complete the following steps:

       - Click Show Modal Form in the MDI Child form and the second form
         appears.
   

       - Click Show Message Box in the second form and the message box appears
         (a message box is modal).
   

       - Click OK in the message box to close the message box.
   

       - Close the second form.
   

   Results: Focus does not return to the MDI child form as expected.

Keywords          : vb5all VBKBObj VBKBVB
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug