TabTip.exe preventing Front Panel Window to restore

[frankwe]

Hey Guys,

I'm currently developing a LabView Application for a Touch Panel PC running Windows 7.

As Text Input is needed sometimes, it would be handy, if the Windows Touch Keyboard "TabTip.exe" opens up, when a string control is pressed.

This is possible using the System Exec VI and it works really great.

But now comes the trouble:

TabTip.exe seems to take the window focus periodically. When I minimize my VI Front Panel to the System taskbar, it is not possible to restore the front panel from the System Taskbar again.

When I quit the TabTip.exe, the VI Front Panel can be restored again. But I cannot guarantee, that the user isn't "minimizing"/hiding the TabTip.exe, since I have more than one String control in the UI of my application.

I attached an example VI to illustrate this irritating behavior.

Does someone know a solution for this issue?

[DesasterMaster]

Hi,

is it an option for you to set the VI Property to "not minimizable" so that it can not be minimized?

Best wishes

Dennis

[siemensPB]

Hey Dennis,

I am working together with the colleague and it's certainly not possible, since the window should be minimizeable.

Thanks for the fast reply tough.

[DesasterMaster]

Ok, so that is not an option.

I have no Touchscreen  for testing, but is it possible to use Alt-Tab to go through the active applications on the TabTip Screen Keyboard?

Kind regards

Dennis

[siemensPB]

Even this does not work. You can reproduce this behavior even without a Touch PC using the VI attached in the first Post. Just start tabtip.exe and then try to minimize and restore the VI. It does not work.

By the way, the System Specs: 64 Bit Windows 7 Enterprise, SP 1; LabView 2014 SP 1 Full Development System;

[DesasterMaster]

Hi,

I just tried it like you described it.

On my system I can minimize your VI and get back to it using Alt-Tab on the Tabtip.exe.

So maybe this is an Windows Issue on your system?

I would reccomend to try a repair of your Windows System.

You could check if a new system behaves the same.

[siemensPB]

Hey,

ok this works for our use case.

But never the less: An LabVIEW application should always remain restorable if minimized. Even without Alt+Tab.

Thanks for the Help Tenshinhan.

[DesasterMaster]

Hi,

I totally agree, an LabVIEW Application should always remain restorable when minimized.

I suggested the Alt-Tab as a keyboard solution but I also tested your VI on my onw and a second machine and I could restore it on both machines by clicking the VI in the task bar.

So I would strongly recomment to check the behavior on a second machine by yourself and check your Windows Installation.

Best regards

Dennis

[Nanthakumar]

When I right click on the VI from taskbar and choose "Restore" option it is restoring the VI. But when we directly click on the VI it is not.