Application window to be activated every 3 minutes - vbscript

I have multiple windows on the screen and I want one of these windows to be activated every 3 minutes with a VBScript.
Here's what I've tried:
objShell.AppActivate "Program Name"
but I was unsuccessful.

You cannot do this. Only a newly started script can change the foreground window (within two seconds) or the script is the foreground window (ie it has a UI).
Programs cannot mess with users' windows unless the user is working in that program.

Related

Black out the screen during a Windows 10 restart up to a certain point in time

Is there a way to temporarily disable the display during a Windows 10 PC restart?
Background: we have a software, which is set to start up automatically after a PC restart. Upon startup (after Windows has booted) this software starts in a console window and then opens a WPF screen, which is displayed fullscreen and always resides in front of everything else. I would like to black out the screen ideally as early as possible during the Windows startup up to the point in time when our software WPF window is set and ready on the screen. This way the console window (as well as the desktop showing for a short period of time) would be hidden from the user.
In an ideal world I would hide the fact that Windows is running on the PC from the user, but I assume this is not possible over a restart...
Is this possible with the help of registry settings/command line tools/batch file commands or similar?

windows Cmd freezes and I have to click on window to coninue

I have a ruby script that displays it's progress via the cmd and completes in about 10 minutes. In the last few weeks the cmd seems to freeze and after 10 minutes when I click on the cmd window it then completes the script.
I have searched on forums and suggestions include: disable QuickEdit Mode & Insert Mode which I have done but this has not fixed the problem.
The platform is an azure windows server 2016 VM.
Could this problem be due to a recent windows update?
Thanks
If you are using the usual Windows Command Window, Ruby has no way of knowing that you have clicked into the Window, so it is unlikely that it is related to the code. However, Windows does block a command to write to the command window on certain circumstances, and if this happens, Ruby waits on, say, STDOUT.puts, until it is allowed to continue. Of course this applies not only to Ruby, but to any application writing to the command console.
The most typical situation, in which this occurs, is, if you (maybe accidentally) select with the mouse something in the console Window. The script running in the console is blocked. By clicking with the mouse inside the window, the selection is cancelled, and the program continues to run.

Setting foreground window with Windows scheduled task

I build a fullscreen GUI application for Windows (using LabVIEW but the language should not matter much) that should start with Windows.
I want it to be fullscreen (hiding the Windows taskbar), so I set the window bounds to the screen's resolution.
When I manually launch the exe from explorer, the window hides correctly the taskbar.
But when I launch it from a scheduled task at Windows logon, it is behind the taskbar, until I click on the application. Same thing when I run the scheduled task manuallay in the task scheduler.
I tried the Win32 API function SetForegroundWindow but without success. Maybe the conditions are not met but I do not understand why, there is no other visible window.
How could I force the fullscreen of the app when it auto-starts?
If this is impossible from the application itself, an external solution to the application's code might be ok (e.g. some script running with the scheduled task), but I don't see one either.
Hey so I was having the same trouble when I scheduled a full screen application to run at login. the way I got around this was by creating a mouse click macro and scheduling it at user login with the app (had to set a 10 second delay to allow for the app to load).
It's a bit dodgy but it got it done for me

How to prevent my application from causing Windows 8 to switch away from Start screen?

My application is causing the following strange behavior on Windows 8:
Conditions:
My native WinAPI application is started automatically upon Windows 8 startup.
Windows remains at the Start screen immediately upon startup.
When my application creates a window, Windows switches to desktop away from the Start screen. The window created is toolbar window, it does not steal the user focus, used as status display.
This only happens when the window is being created not immediately after the startup, but some seconds later.
My question: How can I prevent Windows switching to desktop when my window appears?
Well, you can manage start up applications. Turn it off for your application. And it should work.

Autoit anti-idle script after screen lock

I'm trying to make an simple anti-idle script (that moves the mouse or whatever) to prevent an application from stopping.
How can I keep it running after screen lock ?
It seems like this is explained in the Autoit faq :
http://www.autoitscript.com/wiki/FAQ#Why_doesn.27t_my_script_work_on_a_locked_workstation.3F
On locked station any window will never be active (active is only dialog with text "Press Ctrl+Alt+Del") In Windows locked state applications runs hidden (behind that visible dialog) and haven't focus and active status.
So generally don't use Send() MouseClick() WinActivate() WinWaitActive() WinActive() etc.
Instead use ControlSend() ControlSetText() ControlClick() WinWait() WinExists() WinMenuSelectItem() etc. This way you may have your script resistive against another active windows. It's possible to run such script from scheduler on locked Windows station.
You can't automate anything after your screen is locked. User input is simply ignored. A much easier way would be to prevent your screen from locking, for example, by moving the mouse randomly every 30 seconds.

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