Windows+Python: Why is the first opened window not shown active?

[Tim Golden]

On 18/12/2013 06:35, asmwarrior wrote:
>  1. start a Python command line prompt(this is usually to hit the Start
>     Menu->Python 2.7->Python(command line).
>  2.
> 
>     type the following text, and hit Enter key.
> 
>     |import ctypes|
> 
>  3.
> 
>     type the following text, and hit Enter key.
> 
>     |ctypes.windll.user32.MessageBoxA(0, "Your text", "Your title", 1)|
> 
>  4. You will see a message box opened, but this message box window is
>     not activated.
>  5. Use the mouse to click on the icon of the message box in task bar to
>     activate the message box
>  6. Close the message box
>  7.
> 
>     type the text again in the Python prompt shell
> 
>     |ctypes.windll.user32.MessageBoxA(0, "Your text", "Your title", 1)|
> 
>  8. Now, the message box is showed activated (the expected behavior) 


This isn't related to Python specifically: ctypes is just handing the
values you pass straight on to the underlying DLL (here: user32.dll).

If you check the MSDN page for the MessageBox function:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms645505(v=vs.85).aspx

you can see there's a MB_SETFOREGROUND flag with value 0x00010000L which
seems to do what you want.

Why the Message box is activated the second time when it isn't the
first, I have no idea. But it's Windows which is deciding what to do
there, not Python.

TJG