Is there a way to make AfxMessageBox() take focus from another program?

Question

I'm not a newbie, but my programming for Windows is weak. I have multiple programs running on a PC. One is an operator interface, so it usually always has focus.

If an error/warning condition happens on the other programs, I use AfxMessageBox() to generate a popup window for the operator. That's fine is the program generating the popup has focus. My issue is the popup is hidden behind the program with focus.

I'm currently searching the Internet for past cases to point me in a direction, so I've not tried any code changes yet.

Is there a method to make the popup appear over the program with focus so the operator can acknowledge it. The operator can then decide if they need bring up the other program or not.

Old New Thing - Foreground activation permission is like love: You can’t steal it, it has to be given to you — Richard Critten
– Richard Critten, Commented Jan 31, 2024 at 16:05
A dialog is not a "popup" window. Dialogs are commonly owned windows. You cannot bring a dialog to the foreground without also bringing its owner to the foreground. The foreground thread can transfer foreground activation to a different thread. — IInspectable
– IInspectable, Commented Jan 31, 2024 at 18:07

Mike Nakis · Accepted Answer · 2024-01-31 15:51:49Z

1

Right before popping up the message box, you can explicitly bring the application that pops up the messagebox to the foreground. You can probably do this by activating the main window of that application.

However, I would advise against that, because nobody likes random applications popping up in front of them while working on something else. Instead, look at how you can pop up a notification bubble in the system tray. That's the proper way of doing something like that.

answered Jan 31, 2024 at 15:51

Mike Nakis

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