Click in inactive QGIS window triggers actions!

[qgib]

Author Name: Loren Amelang (@LorenAmelang) Original Redmine Issue: 19491 Affected QGIS version: 3.2 Redmine category:gui

---

When QGIS is not the topmost window, clicking in visible parts of it to bring it forward should not pan the map view! Or make menu choices, or take any other actions!

I've genuinely tried to stop doing this, but it just keeps wasting my time. The map pane of QGIS is the largest area of the screen, and most likely to be visible under a bunch of other windows. If you click there hoping to bring QGIS to the front (at least in Windows 10), your map view jumps seriously away from your intended area. If you're clicking in the very bottom corner, you are left with only one-fourth of your area visible.

I typically find the bottom of the window peeking out, but I just checked and all other parts of the QGIS interface I tried are fully active while it is in the background. I'm not as likely to click on a visible button or menu as on whitespace, but the consequences could be worse.

I know there are apps that consider this normal, but I much prefer the ones that take no action on a click when the main window is not the topmost window. If you'd rather consider this a feature request, I'll accept that, but I feel it is more important than that.

[qgib]

Author Name: Giovanni Manghi (@gioman)

---

Cannot replicate it here, both Windows and Linux.

---

• status_id was changed from Open to Feedback

[qgib]

Author Name: Loren Amelang (@LorenAmelang)

---

Giovanni,

I just installed QGIS 3.2.1 via OSGeo4W, and it still happens every time. Do you have access to Windows 10 "Creators Update" (1709)? A system that uses Windows screen scaling? A system that responds to touch?

Actually I think the Microsoft Surface Book has totally destroyed the concept of Z-order. Programs that should open on top often open at the bottom of the stack, or open visible but obviously inactive, or open on top and visually active but ignoring input until you explicitly click in them. Perhaps something to do with their attempt to honor touch, pen, and mouse input simultaneously...

But this is the first time I've been conscious of a program thinking it has focus when it is in the background. Doesn't seem to matter how deep QGIS is, or who is in front of it, or whether mouse, pen, or touch - it accepts and acts on any input into visible bits of the window.

[qgib]

Author Name: Giovanni Manghi (@gioman)

---

Loren Amelang wrote:

Giovanni,

I just installed QGIS 3.2.1 via OSGeo4W, and it still happens every time. Do you have access to Windows 10 "Creators Update" (1709)? A system that uses Windows screen scaling? A system that responds to touch?

Actually I think the Microsoft Surface Book has totally destroyed the concept of Z-order. Programs that should open on top often open at the bottom of the stack, or open visible but obviously inactive, or open on top and visually active but ignoring input until you explicitly click in them. Perhaps something to do with their attempt to honor touch, pen, and mouse input simultaneously...

But this is the first time I've been conscious of a program thinking it has focus when it is in the background. Doesn't seem to matter how deep QGIS is, or who is in front of it, or whether mouse, pen, or touch - it accepts and acts on any input into visible bits of the window.

I don't have access to MS Surface hardware, if this is what you mean. Is this issue only limited to such hardware?

[qgib]

Author Name: Loren Amelang (@LorenAmelang)

---

I really have no idea if it is specifically Surface hardware, or just some of the scaling, pen, touch, and other odd features it combines. Is there some way to poll QGIS users whether anyone else is using any of these? Can you search reports by "Operating System"? Maybe add a "Hardware" field to the form?

[qgib]

Author Name: Giovanni Manghi (@gioman)

---

Loren Amelang wrote:

I really have no idea if it is specifically Surface hardware, or just some of the scaling, pen, touch, and other odd features it combines. Is there some way to poll QGIS users whether anyone else is using any of these?

Can't you just test on a "normal" piece of hardware first? Thanks.

[qgib]

Author Name: Loren Amelang (@LorenAmelang)

---

Giovanni,

Sorry, no, I don't own anything else remotely capable of running QGIS3. And I have no access to any machines anywhere else. Wish I could help...

[qgib]

Author Name: Giovanni Manghi (@gioman)

---

Loren Amelang wrote:

Giovanni,

Sorry, no, I don't own anything else remotely capable of running QGIS3. And I have no access to any machines anywhere else. Wish I could help...

I'm afraid probably most of devs and testers don't have a surface hardware.

---

• priority_id was changed from Normal to Low
• status_id was changed from Feedback to Open

[AlisterH]

This is not specific to "surface" hardware; I can replicate on a normal Windows machine. But it seems to be normal behaviour. Do you really have other programs that don't behave like this? Which ones?

[LorenAmelang]

@AlisterH Seems like most third-party apps now remain fully active when not in front. Excel still ignores the click location that brings it to the front (but it also has problems with scrolling whichever window has the mouse currently over it, so not a good example of proper behavior). Windows explorer ignores background clicks on classic menus, but responds to background clicks on file entries.

I guess my concern is a feature request. My use of QGIS is often complex and tricky, often involves swapping around among several windows that each need to be big enough to show landmarks surrounding the point of interest, and a random click in the wrong spot can really mess up that environment.

I suppose the modern solution is more and larger screens... I can see that if the whole QGIS window was visible despite being not the current topmost app, responding to a first click would be desirable. But for those of us with limited screen area and mostly hidden windows, a choice to ignore background clicks would be nice.