How to set foreground Window from Powershell event subscriber action

Question

I have a FileSystemWatcher instance running in the background of my PoSh session watching for changes to text files. A PoSh event subscriber is attached to this event and, when fired, it launches a console program by calling Start-Process. This program steals de focus from the current foreground window (my PoSh console). Calling SetForegroundWindow from the PoSh event subscriber to return the focus to my PoSh console doesn't work. SwitchToThisWindow does work most of the time, but according to the MSDN docs, it shoulnd't be used.

Can I prevent Start-Process from stealing the focus in this situation or set it back from the event subscriber to the window that had it before this event is fired?

Have you tried `SetForegroundWindow` again? – stej Apr 06 '10 at 20:56 — stej, Apr 06 '10 at 20:56

stej · Answer 1 · 2010-04-01T18:51:30.160

For me SetForegroundWindow works well. Check this code:

Add-Type @"
  using System;
  using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
  public class Tricks {
     [DllImport("user32.dll")]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
     public static extern bool SetForegroundWindow(IntPtr hWnd);
  }
"@
sleep -sec 2
$h = (Get-Process firefox).MainWindowHandle
[void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)
sleep -sec 2
$h = (Get-Process -id $pid).MainWindowHandle
[void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)

But note that if you host PowerShell or use e.g. Console (http://sourceforge.net/projects/console/) then MainWindowHandle is the handle of your host program. So instead of (Get-Process -id $pid).MainWindowHandle you would need [tricks]::SetForegroundWindow((Get-Process console).MainWindowHandle).

Example with timer event:

$timer = New-Object Timers.Timer
$timer.Interval = 5000
$h = (Get-Process -id $pid).MainWindowHandle
$action = { 
    notepad; 
    sleep -sec 1;  # wait until the program starts (very simple approach)
    [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h) }
Register-ObjectEvent $timer Elapsed -Action $action
$timer.Start()

Otherwise if you run process that has its window hidden, it could solve your problem.

$ps = new-object system.diagnostics.processstartinfo 'notepad'
$ps.windowStyle = 'hidden'
[system.diagnostics.process]::Start($ps)

Example taken and altered from documentation on msdn about Process class

I'd need to return focus to the previous process as soon as the new ps console process steals it, but not by waiting an arbitrary predefined number of seconds for the new window to be drawn. — guillermooo, Apr 07 '10 at 10:47
The I guess it is not possible without waiting. Consider that you run the process but the window appears after some time and *then* it will catch the focus. You need to determine when to get the focus back. What process do you execute? — stej, Apr 07 '10 at 11:42
@stej im facing this error: `Cannot convert argument "hWnd", with value: "", for "SetForegroundWindow" to type "System.IntPtr"` — Dee, Jul 19 '23 at 11:03
hWnd is "" becoz of no -passthru, it runs now but can't steal focus :( — Dee, Jul 19 '23 at 11:16

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 14 '14 at 04:31

1

It sounds like it didnt work because you set focus, before you lost focus.

Have you tried setting focus through a job? It runs in the background while you use the console.

Something like this might work, it keeps your focus for 10 seconds after the event

Start-Job -ScriptBlock {
    1..100 | %{
        sleep -Milliseconds 100
        #Set focus back
    }
}

If you mix in GetForegroundWindow, you can wait till you lose focus, then grab it back

http://www.leeholmes.com/blog/MorePInvokeInPowerShell.aspx

edited Jan 14 '14 at 04:31

answered Aug 05 '10 at 19:27

mrwaim

1,841
3
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I think the answer is using `CreateProcess`, `STARTUP_INFO`, `dwFlags` and `wShowWindow` as they are meant to. This will involve embedding a C# class in the powershell script to do the API call, since .NET's `Process` class doesn't seem to expose `dwFlags` and `wShowWindow`, or at least not all of their valid values. – guillermooo Aug 05 '10 at 23:17

Graham Gold · Answer 3 · 2016-04-13T04:09:28.857

Taking my cue from @stej answer above when I found this question because I was trying to do the same thing, I expanded to produce this code, which will bring the script back into focus whether being run in the ISE, console window, or via cmd prompt (through a batch file).

#bring script back into focus
Add-Type @"
  using System;
  using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
  public class Tricks {
     [DllImport("user32.dll")]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
     public static extern bool SetForegroundWindow(IntPtr hWnd);
  }
"@

$parent = Get-Process -id ((gwmi win32_process -Filter "processid='$pid'").parentprocessid)
If ($parent.Name -eq "cmd") {# Being run by via cmd prompt (batch file)
    $h = (Get-Process cmd).MainWindowHandle
    [void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)
    }
    else{# being run in powershell ISE or console
          $h = (Get-Process -id $pid).MainWindowHandle
          [void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)
    }

Or to re-use more readily, save the following as a .psm1 file in your module directory - from PS v3 onwards, you don't have to import it, calling a function in a module in your module directory imports it.

To import manually, Import-Module .\Getfocus.psm1 (Assuming it's in your current path).

Function Get-Focus{
#bring script back into focus
Add-Type @"
  using System;
  using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
  public class Tricks {
     [DllImport("user32.dll")]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
     public static extern bool SetForegroundWindow(IntPtr hWnd);
  }
"@

$parent = Get-Process -id ((gwmi win32_process -Filter "processid='$pid'").parentprocessid)
If ($parent.Name -eq "cmd") {# Being run by via cmd prompt (batch file)
    $h = (Get-Process cmd).MainWindowHandle
    [void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)
    }
    else{# being run in powershell ISE or console
          $h = (Get-Process -id $pid).MainWindowHandle
          [void] [Tricks]::SetForegroundWindow($h)
    }
} 

Export-ModuleMember -Function Get-Focus

How to set foreground Window from Powershell event subscriber action

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