Focus not moved to inputbox() and box remains behind of apps (Vista) - delphi

How can I make my delphi systray app using standard vcl inputbox() function to request focus, now dialog box seem to remain in taskbar and dialog does not open to front of other apps. This is Vista issue I think. Creating own form would solve it I believe.
ps: I can edit dialogs.pas if needed, it seem to be using Tcustomforms.showmodal

You are probably using older version of delphi.
Some Vista specific workarounds for older delphi versions can be fond here.

Try Application.ProcessMessages; just before inputbox call.

Have you tried an application.BringtoFront() before you launch the inputbox?
Editing dialogs.pas seems to be a bad ide. I would rather make my own inputbox-form.
Applications stealing focus can be quite annoying, though... How do you launch the inputbox? On a timer, or on a userrequest (e.g. clicking on the icon)?

Related

Form/Button/other component styles

Ok, so I downloaded a .zip file of all different kinds of examples from embarcadero... the way the buttons look and among other things are completely different from when I just create an application within my Delphi 7. I believe these examples were made for or made at a new time... because the button look way different from the way the button when I put them on my application. the buttons from the example look very modern and sleek and have mouse over effects (This applies for all the examples..its not a custom component ) I was wondering I can get this effect in my own applications within Delphi 7.. I can do this by opening one of the examples and just erasing all the code... but that's not what im trying to do..im wondering how I can accomplish these styles.. how come the examples have these nice looking buttons and such..but when I make an app within D7 its much older looking and such..
I apologize if my question is hard to understand.. and I appreciate any help on this.
Thank you in advance.. I appreciate it.
If I understand your question correctly, you're asking about the native control appearance changes that were added by the addition of Windows Themes in Windows XP.
Delphi 7 supported themes by use of the XPManifest component, which does nothing but add a manifest to your application which tells Windows your app is theme-aware and therefore it should load a more recent version of the common controls library. You can find the XPManifest component in the VCL component palette on the Win32 tab, or simply add the XPMan.pas unit to your uses clause. Note that the themed drawing does not work for all controls (grids, for instance, are not drawn using themes, and IIRC neither is TSpeedButton - it's been a long time since I used D7, so I'm not sure exactly what is and isn't supported, but the support is limited).
Starting with Delphi 2007, there is built-in support for Windows Themes, which is available by default in new projects. It can also be enabled in older projects using a checkbox in the Project->Options->Application dialog.
(Of course the real answer is that if you want your app to have the features included in modern versions of Windows, you should upgrade from your Windows-95 era version of Delphi to one that is more recent.)

Delphi: Win7 side effect with forms

Win7/x64, Delphi 6 Prof.
Win7 drives me crazy with his side effect. I describe it:
When I force the suggestion with Ctrl+Space, or Delphi do this automatically, the Delphi don't show the suggestion dropdown listbox, he is only bring my all opened forms to front, one by one.
This causes that what I typing is not going to editor window: it is going to any property of the active form, of the active control.
For example.
Ctrl+Space+"ShowMes..."
I don't got ShowMessage with suggestion listbox, I type ShowMess into my main form's caption.
Many times I need to make update pack's because the buttons, caption, etc got "ShowMes" or "Excep" or other property, because I type into these windows...
This function is sometimes broken on win7.
May I can restore the normal working mode without "bring all opened form to front"?
Thanks:
dd
You can disable UAC in Windows 7, see here:
http://www.petri.co.il/disable-uac-in-windows-7.htm
Also running Delphi 6 in Windows XP compatibility mode should do the trick.
See this discussion on the embarcadero forums, it's about Delphi 7, but it's the same issue:
https://forums.codegear.com/thread.jspa?messageID=204928&tstart=0
Finally see here how to run a program in XP compatibility mode:
See: http://www.w7forums.com/application-compatibility-mode-t314.html
Or: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html

Delphi IDE locks because of a hidden modal window

Has someone else experienced something like this with Delphi and if so is there a known workaround!
I'm using the Delphi 2010 Rad Studio on Windows 7 64 bit.
A few times when editing the IDE hangs and I can't do any action either by keyboard or mouse. But there is a error-beep sound from windows like there is a modal window open somewhere, but hidden behind the ide it self.
Only by ending the ide via Task manager can I make this hidden modal window visible.
I see this often with various other dialogs as well.
Pressing "Alt-Tab" and reselecting Delphi you will cause the dialog to appear in the front again.
Note: This happens with other versions of Delphi as well.
I have the same problem with older versions of Delphi like D6.
My solution is use another tool like WinExp –Windows Explorer– or WinResQ to explore the existing active windows on system and reactivate it (BringToTop).
With this solution I get the Delphi IDE on Top and appears the window that cause the lock. This is the only option I have worked for me.
Regards.
Alt+Tab works, but you have to select another application, then Alt+Tab to return to Delphi, and then the dialog will show in front.

Why don't I get hotkey underlines in a Delphi TMainMenu

In a Delphi 2007 program I am using a TMainMenu referencing actions in a TAction list. I have prefixed the hotkeys of all main captions with an ampersand:
&File | &Edit | Ev&aluate | ...
In design view these hotkeys are underlined as I would expect, but when I start the program they no longer are underlined but they work nonetheless. In contrast to this, for all the submenu icons
&File
&New ...
&Open ...
the underline is shown as expected.
I am aware of the Windows pisplay properties option "Hide underlined letters or keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key." and have disabled it. In all other programs this works fine, including the Delphi IDE.
If I create a new VCL appliation and just add a TMainMenu and a few menu items, it works as expected.
This has me baffled, really.
Is there any property of the TMainMenu component or maybe an application option that I must change? The "Enable runtime themes" project option is grayed out for some reason, might that be the problem? If yes, what causes this?
This may not be a Delphi issue. I have just tried this with IE8 on WinXP. On my machine, with the display properties set to require the Alt key, the underlining works as expected. However, with the checkbox unchecked, the underlining never appears on the main menu items (even when using the Alt key), but always appears on the File,Edit,View etc submenus (as you describe) ........ unless Microsoft wrote IE8 in Delphi :-)
I asked the same question last year and there were some excellent answers:
Menu Accelerator Keys Not Showing Up Delphi 2009
In conclusion, it appears to be a Delphi bug, and I reported it to Embarcadero at:
http://qc.embarcadero.com/wc/qcmain.aspx?d=68816
However, they have no resolution to it, so unless others (maybe you) also complain, I don't expect it will get addressed.
Step's answer to my question refers to a possibly related bug reported on the Delphi forums:
ALT Key press causes controls to disappear under Themes in Vista and XP. This one is marked as "resolved" with several possible fixes listed in the comments. I have not had the opportunity to go through these.
By the way, since I asked that question last year, I got a new computer with Vista. The same problem still happens, even when the Vista Ease of Access Centre setting: "Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys" is set. So the Delphi bug still exists.
I was very surprised to find the default was that this was unchecked. I guess in Vista, they want a cleaner looking menu with the assumption that not many people ever used the accelerator keys.
The easiest way to fix this problem seems to use TJvMainMenu from the jvcl instead of TMainMenu. I tried the current version 3.38, but it is possible that the problem was fixed already in earlier versions. Since I was using the jvcl anyway it does not add much to my program's size. Your mileage may vary though, the jvcl is a huge library.
Uses an empty image list for main menu, if it is possible. In this way you can force delphi to paint menu correctly. (But looks ugly in vista and w7)
Are you sure you don't have OwnerDraw set to true in the MainMenu?

How to set Delphi bookmarks on Vista 64-bit

In Delphi (2007) I'm used to setting a bookmark with CTRL-SHIFT-0,1,2 etc.
Since I've upgraded to Vista x64 the above no longer works. I can still set a bookmark with CTRL-K-0,1,2 etc but I'm habituated to the traditional way (plus it's quicker).
Does anyone know why it's not working for me?
I had the same problem. Some more investigation showed that it is caused by a change in Vista.
Input method editor keyboard shortcut (CTRL+SHIFT+0) switches the input language in Vista. The following link shows how to disable this shortcut and thereby make it available to other applications (including Delphi) again: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967893.
I am running on Windows 2008 Server 64-Bit (which is based on Vista) and I use CTRL+SHIFT+1 to set book marks and it works fine. At home I have Vista 32-Bit and that works fine too.
You might check to make sure your OEM didn't install some crazy keyboard hook on that or something. I've had that happen before where some key combinations were remapped by a background program and it prevented them from working in Delphi.
Programmers use a lot more key combinations then most "normal" users.
Verify that you don't have system wide hot keys that conflict with those. I had the same problem with Trillian hijacking some Delphi shortcuts.
As already mentioned, Vista is using that key combination.
If you don't want to disable it, Ctrl+K CTRL+0 is the old school method to set bookmark 0.

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