Run Program Without Transfering Focus

[keohler]

Good Evening,

I'm updating a script that while running updates messages on the users screen. Here is what we currently have:

_Log('Status Update Here', 'True')

Func _Log($Message, $Show)

Local $LogFileName = 'The Log File Name Would go Here' ;The name of the log file

Local $MessageCommand = 'The On Screen Message App Name and Path go Here' ; The on screen message app

Local $Now

If $Show == 'True' Then

$Command = StringFormat('%s "%s"', $MessageCommand, $Message) ; create the message command to be run

Run($Command) ; Run the command

EndIf

If StringLen($Message) > 1 Then ; If the message isn't blank

$Now = _Now() ;Get current Time and Date

$Command = StringFormat('cmd.exe /c Echo %s - %s 1>>%s', $Now, $Message, $LogFileName) ;create the string to go in the log file

RunWait($Command, '', @Sw_Hide) ; Run the command to write the string to the log

EndIf

EndFunc

Is there any way to run the command in red without transfering focus to it? Our users would like to have the messages updated but not have it take focus away from what they are doing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a lot of experience with WinBatch but I am very new to AutoIT. overall, I am very impressed and glad we made the move.

Thank you!

[jdelaney]

sooo, this is a command prompt you do/don't want to display?

I've looked up some stuff recently, and found that you can conditionally create a vbs file, that calls a bat file through powershell, and doing that stops the cmd from displaying (so no loss of focus)...probably easier ways to do so though.

Here is the contents of the vbs:

command = "powershell.exe -nologo -command C:Automationnew.bat"

set shell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

shell.Run command,0

edit: on another read through, this is probably isn't what you need.

In your script, prior to the 'run', you can get the '[active]' window, using wingethandle, and then after the run command, you can make the handle returned active through winactivate

Edited September 11, 2012 by jdelaney

[PhoenixXL]

orelse very simple

use the macro @SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE when creating the window

Hope it Helps

Example

Run ('Notepad.exe',@WorkingDir,@SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE)

Br

PXL

[keohler]

PhoenixXL, your siggestion worked perfectly. I modified the Message App from @SW_Show to @SW_ShowNoActive so that anytime it is called, it does not take the focus. Thank you for the assistance, it is greatly appreciated!

[AutoNL]

Hello,

I'm trying to to the following 

 $iPID = Run(@ProgramFilesDir & '\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe "http://google.com"', '', @SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE) 
or
 $iPID = Run(@ProgramFilesDir & '\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe "http://google.com"', '', @SW_MINIMIZE) 

But Firefox still takes over the focus. 
Is it correct approach?  (I'd like to open Firefox without changing focus. So if user is typing mail in Outlook he can go on with it)