Focus after exiting Program

[Bassman002]

HI:)

I have a script with a lot of AHK Shortcuts started in autostart DIR.

Sometimes starting programs with Shortcuts and exit the programs the script refuses to work.

After clicking on the desktop iot works again.

Why? What's in Focus after exit a program?

Does it only work if a program or the desktop is in focus?

Is there a special command to avoid this problem?

Thanks;)
Bassman.

[kunkel321]

Hi there, I was having trouble understanding your question, so I pasted it into ChatGPT. The response is below. Has ChatGPT correctly understood your question?

Bassman has an AutoHotkey script that uses various shortcuts, which is set to run automatically when the computer starts (likely placed in the startup directory). They're experiencing an issue where the script stops working when they start some programs using these shortcuts and then exit those programs. However, if they click on the desktop, the script starts working again.

The core issues seem to be related to window focus and how AutoHotkey handles it:

Focus Issues: After a program is closed, it's possible that no window is in focus, or a different window takes focus that may not be covered by the script's context sensitivity (if it has any). AutoHotkey scripts can behave differently based on which window or application is in focus.

Focus on Desktop: When Bassman clicks on the desktop, they are effectively resetting the focus to the desktop, which likely is covered by the script (or has no conflicting focus-sensitive settings), allowing the shortcuts to work again.

Window Focus After Program Exit: If the script relies on specific windows being in focus to function properly, and those conditions aren't met after exiting other programs, the script won’t respond as expected.

To address this issue, Bassman might want to ensure that their script does not rely heavily on the focus unless necessary. They can add commands to ensure that focus is set appropriately or use more general hotkeys that work regardless of which window is in focus. Here are a few strategies:

Use #IfWinActive/#IfWinExist directives: These can help ensure that the script only reacts when certain windows are active or exist, but they should check that these conditions are not overly restrictive.

Reset Focus: Add a command to set focus to a specific window or back to the desktop when needed. This can be done using commands like WinActivate, WinWaitActive, etc., to bring focus to a specific window.

General Hotkeys: Avoid using window-specific hotkeys if the script is meant to be used globally. This can reduce the dependency on the active window and increase the reliability of the script.

Here’s an example of a script modification to force focus to the desktop, which might help:

Code: Select all

; Force focus to desktop
^+d::WinMinimizeAll

This script uses a hotkey (Control + Shift + D) to minimize all windows, effectively putting focus on the desktop. This is just a workaround, and they might want to further diagnose the issue to see which windows are gaining focus after the programs are closed, possibly using window spy tools that come with AutoHotkey.

[Bassman002]

HI:)

@kunkel321

Yes, thank you, correctly understood:)

I have a few #IfWinActive Commands, so I have to insert some "WinActivate", to activate Desktop or a specific Background Program....

Maybe it helps, I'm trying out!

Thanks;)
Bassman.

[Bassman002]

HI:)

OK:)

Just WinActivate without parameters solves the problem!

Thank you for pointing in the right direction;)

Bassman.