greetings,

I just got TweakUI for XP specifically for the "General > Focus" items. When
I select the setting "Prevent applications from stealing focus" then click
"Apply" and "OK" (just for good measure) everything works as expected fo rthe
whole session until I log out or shut down. The next day when I log in this
setting is no longer effective. When I go back into TweakUI, it is unchecked.
I have to do it again.

Other settings, like the animation in IE, do stick across sessions. Why
doesn't this one?

I notice that it says it is a "per-user" setting. I am in a domain
environment. Would that have anything to do with it?

Thanks for any help.

You're not the Lone Ranger, TweakUI/Focus doesn't last very long for me
either.

This is a per-user setting means that the setting applies only to the user
that was logged on when the TweakUI setting was made.

Most all TweakUI settings are made in HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive in the
registry. Settings made in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, however they are
made, by TweakUI or some other way apply only to the user that was logged on
when the settings were made.

Settings in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive apply to the whole machine
regardless of who may be logged on.

This is the registry key that applies, with the two value names.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Value Name: ForegroundFlashCount
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 0 thru X
0 = taskbar button flashes until you click it
1 thru X = flashes the number of times for value set

Value Name: ForegroundLockTimeout
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 00030d40
The default value is 0x00030D40 (200000)
This value is the time in milliseconds before Windows XP allows an
application to steal the focus from the foreground application. To convert
200000 to seconds, divide it by 1000 (200 seconds).

This is how it's supposed to work...

Focus
[[Enables to user to "prevent applications from stealing focus" from the
window you are working in. Instead, their taskbar icon will flash to
indicate that the application is trying to get your attention.]]

[[When an application needs your attention-or when it simply wants to annoy
you-it steals the focus from the application in which you're currently
working. This leads to frustration as you flip back and forth between
windows. The settings in the Focus category prevent that scenario by causing
applications to flash their taskbar buttons to get your attention rather
than stealing focus from the application in the foreground.]]

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:9282343D-F183-4A3F-8611-239697993318@microsoft.com,
Byron C. <Byron C.@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> greetings,
>
> I just got TweakUI for XP specifically for the "General > Focus" items.
> When I select the setting "Prevent applications from stealing focus" then
> click "Apply" and "OK" (just for good measure) everything works as
> expected fo rthe whole session until I log out or shut down. The next day
> when I log in this setting is no longer effective. When I go back into
> TweakUI, it is unchecked. I have to do it again.
>
> Other settings, like the animation in IE, do stick across sessions. Why
> doesn't this one?
>
> I notice that it says it is a "per-user" setting. I am in a domain
> environment. Would that have anything to do with it?
>
> Thanks for any help.

Good explanation Wes, thanks...but I can't believe M$ would do that to us.
I.e., make a 'per user' setting not persistent across a warm or cold start.
Gimme a break...what kinda nonsense is THAT??!? I have no problem w/a 'per
user' setting and I (like most of us) count on that going from system to
system and customizing, etc., but to make it actually clear the value when
you logoff is ridiculous. I can't imagine that was planned...if it was, I'm
giving M$ WAAYYY too much credit in the 'clue' department and knowing how the
real world use their systems. Anyway, thanks for the tip...I'll stop looking
for what's clearing the "don't steal focus" flag now...sheesh...
--
....Dave


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

> You're not the Lone Ranger, TweakUI/Focus doesn't last very long for me
> either.
>
> This is a per-user setting means that the setting applies only to the user
> that was logged on when the TweakUI setting was made.
>
> Most all TweakUI settings are made in HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive in the
> registry. Settings made in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, however they are
> made, by TweakUI or some other way apply only to the user that was logged on
> when the settings were made.
>
> Settings in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive apply to the whole machine
> regardless of who may be logged on.
>
> This is the registry key that applies, with the two value names.
>
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
> Value Name: ForegroundFlashCount
> Value Type: REG_DWORD
> Value Data: 0 thru X
> 0 = taskbar button flashes until you click it
> 1 thru X = flashes the number of times for value set
>
> Value Name: ForegroundLockTimeout
> Value Type: REG_DWORD
> Value Data: 00030d40
> The default value is 0x00030D40 (200000)
> This value is the time in milliseconds before Windows XP allows an
> application to steal the focus from the foreground application. To convert
> 200000 to seconds, divide it by 1000 (200 seconds).
>
> This is how it's supposed to work...
>
> Focus
> [[Enables to user to "prevent applications from stealing focus" from the
> window you are working in. Instead, their taskbar icon will flash to
> indicate that the application is trying to get your attention.]]
>
> [[When an application needs your attention-or when it simply wants to annoy
> you-it steals the focus from the application in which you're currently
> working. This leads to frustration as you flip back and forth between
> windows. The settings in the Focus category prevent that scenario by causing
> applications to flash their taskbar buttons to get your attention rather
> than stealing focus from the application in the foreground.]]
>
> --
> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>
> Wes
> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>
> In news:9282343D-F183-4A3F-8611-239697993318@microsoft.com,
> Byron C. <Byron C.@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> > greetings,
> >
> > I just got TweakUI for XP specifically for the "General > Focus" items.
> > When I select the setting "Prevent applications from stealing focus" then
> > click "Apply" and "OK" (just for good measure) everything works as
> > expected fo rthe whole session until I log out or shut down. The next day
> > when I log in this setting is no longer effective. When I go back into
> > TweakUI, it is unchecked. I have to do it again.
> >
> > Other settings, like the animation in IE, do stick across sessions. Why
> > doesn't this one?
> >
> > I notice that it says it is a "per-user" setting. I am in a domain
> > environment. Would that have anything to do with it?
> >
> > Thanks for any help.
>
>

There are bugs in XP and there will be bugs in Vista.

I bet $9 that they do not fix the Balloon Tips behind the Taskbar bug in
Vista.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:B260E131-772D-43D0-BA5D-566F9EB91F47@microsoft.com,
Dave Hyte <DaveHyte@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> Good explanation Wes, thanks...but I can't believe M$ would do that to us.
> I.e., make a 'per user' setting not persistent across a warm or cold
> start. Gimme a break...what kinda nonsense is THAT??!? I have no problem
> w/a 'per user' setting and I (like most of us) count on that going from
> system to system and customizing, etc., but to make it actually clear the
> value when you logoff is ridiculous. I can't imagine that was
> planned...if it was, I'm giving M$ WAAYYY too much credit in the 'clue'
> department and knowing how the real world use their systems. Anyway,
> thanks for the tip...I'll stop looking for what's clearing the "don't
> steal focus" flag now...sheesh... --
> ...Dave
>
>
> "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>
>> You're not the Lone Ranger, TweakUI/Focus doesn't last very long for me
>> either.
>>
>> This is a per-user setting means that the setting applies only to the
>> user that was logged on when the TweakUI setting was made.
>>
>> Most all TweakUI settings are made in HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive in the
>> registry. Settings made in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, however they are
>> made, by TweakUI or some other way apply only to the user that was
>> logged on when the settings were made.
>>
>> Settings in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive apply to the whole machine
>> regardless of who may be logged on.
>>
>> This is the registry key that applies, with the two value names.
>>
>> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
>> Value Name: ForegroundFlashCount
>> Value Type: REG_DWORD
>> Value Data: 0 thru X
>> 0 = taskbar button flashes until you click it
>> 1 thru X = flashes the number of times for value set
>>
>> Value Name: ForegroundLockTimeout
>> Value Type: REG_DWORD
>> Value Data: 00030d40
>> The default value is 0x00030D40 (200000)
>> This value is the time in milliseconds before Windows XP allows an
>> application to steal the focus from the foreground application. To
>> convert 200000 to seconds, divide it by 1000 (200 seconds).
>>
>> This is how it's supposed to work...
>>
>> Focus
>> [[Enables to user to "prevent applications from stealing focus" from the
>> window you are working in. Instead, their taskbar icon will flash to
>> indicate that the application is trying to get your attention.]]
>>
>> [[When an application needs your attention-or when it simply wants to
>> annoy you-it steals the focus from the application in which you're
>> currently working. This leads to frustration as you flip back and forth
>> between windows. The settings in the Focus category prevent that
>> scenario by causing applications to flash their taskbar buttons to get
>> your attention rather than stealing focus from the application in the
>> foreground.]]
>>
>> --
>> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>>
>> Wes
>> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>>
>> In news:9282343D-F183-4A3F-8611-239697993318@microsoft.com,
>> Byron C. <Byron C.@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
>>> greetings,
>>>
>>> I just got TweakUI for XP specifically for the "General > Focus" items.
>>> When I select the setting "Prevent applications from stealing focus"
>>> then click "Apply" and "OK" (just for good measure) everything works as
>>> expected fo rthe whole session until I log out or shut down. The next
>>> day when I log in this setting is no longer effective. When I go back
>>> into TweakUI, it is unchecked. I have to do it again.
>>>
>>> Other settings, like the animation in IE, do stick across sessions. Why
>>> doesn't this one?
>>>
>>> I notice that it says it is a "per-user" setting. I am in a domain
>>> environment. Would that have anything to do with it?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any help.