idea Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:36:37 GMT

Well, I'm not versed in the proper terminology for this, but I hate it when I open ArcGIS Pro and start it loading up and then I switch to another app to do work in the mean time. Routinely, it will reactivate ArcGIS Pro, what seems like multiple times. If I switch from ArcGIS Pro to another app while it is loading, it should keep loading in the background and not reactivate itself.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

KoryKramer — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:46:01 GMT

Thank you for submitting this @NathanHeickLACSD

Hmm, I just tried on 2.7.3. I opened Pro and then started working in Word.

When Pro is ready, it flashes orange and then stays orange, but it doesn't interrupt what I'm doing.

That is on a Windows 10 machine.

What version of Pro and what OS are you on, and do you see this happening with any application in particular?

Thanks for any additional details that you and @AnandMoka might be able to provide.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:58:00 GMT

Windows 10 Enterprise and ArcGIS Pro 2.7.3. I have noticed it in one other application called WinCan, but I use it much less. It doesn't happen in any other applications on my computer. I am using Citrix to remote into my machine. It takes much longer to open up the symbology pane through Citrix versus in the office. Also, our WAB app is much snappier in the office versus through Citrix.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

KoryKramer — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:03:26 GMT

Sorry, I meant what application are you using when Pro interrupts you by opening up "on top of it"?

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:05:58 GMT

Right now, I just tried Excel. When ArcGIS Pro gets to its start screen, it reactivates.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:07:53 GMT

Definitely no orange. I've seen that on Teams, but not ArcGIS Pro.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

KoryKramer — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:08:07 GMT

OK, I don't see that when using Excel or Word. I wonder if it is specific to working through Citrix.

@AnandMoka since you voted on the idea, can you let us know under what circumstances you are experiencing this behavior?

Thanks

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Tue, 04 May 2021 23:22:24 GMT

Next time I go into work, I will test it.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

Luke_Pinner — Wed, 05 May 2021 08:58:19 GMT

It's called "focus stealing" and it's very annoying.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Thu, 13 May 2021 16:01:03 GMT

I'm in the office this week and I am still seeing focus stealing when connected directly to my machine. This time it was with Wing IDE. I haven't found an app it doesn't steal focus from. For example, it just stole it twice from Google Chrome after launching ArcGIS Pro and trying to finish this sentence.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

ErinCovill1 — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 14:32:18 GMT

Has anyone found a solution to this issue? I am experiencing this as well. Thanks!

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

DougFenske — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:53 GMT

I've always noticed this, too, ever since I started using Pro 4 or 5 years ago. I would LOVE to see this changed so it opens in the background instead of stealing the focus of my Windows session. I'm currently using Windows 10 and Pro 2.9. Please, @KoryKramer , can you try to help get this changed? I've had it happening while I was using a physical tower and now that I'm remoted in to a virtual desktop. Thank you to all of you for posting about this!

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

KoryKramer — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:06:00 GMT

Hi @DougFenske you can see in the comments that I tried to reproduce this when the idea was initially submitted and asked for reproducible steps. Unfortunately, I do not see this behavior, and while we can all agree that it is frustrating for those who are experiencing it, I don't think that this is actionable at this time as an idea.

If you have an environment/steps to reproduce focus stealing, it would be great if you could report a bug to Technical Support: https://support.esri.com/en/contact-tech-support That would be the best route to creating action around this at this point.

Thank you!

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

DougFenske — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:09:00 GMT

Thanks @KoryKramer for your quick response!

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 18:01:11 GMT

If we have to submit a bug to Technical Support, then that's what we will have to do. I just tested it once more. It was not consistent. It stole the focus from Google Chrome 1 out of 2 times. It did not steal the focus from Outlook or Teams. It definitely is better than when I created this idea, but it's very hard to see a pattern.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

BillyBuerger — Wed, 25 May 2022 20:44:50 GMT

I can confirm this as well. This is an ArcPro issue, not any other application. Here are the steps I performed...

1) Open ArcGIS Pro. This can sometimes take a few moments.

2) Switch to another application and start typing.

3) When Pro is finished opening, it will steal focus and my typing now is sent to Pro.

4) Open a project in Pro. This again can take a few moments.

5) Switch back to my other application and start typing.

6) When pro is finished opening the project, it steals focus again and my typing is now sent to Pro.

This happened with things like Firefox, Outlook and Remote Desktop. I was using RDP one time and it was annoying that it kept interrupting me in the middle of typing my password twice. But worse, that means my password was being typed into Pro which is a security risk. This is something that really needs to be addressed. Stealing focus should only be for critical things. Not just while opening an application. You're not that important.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

DougFenske — Thu, 26 May 2022 01:18:24 GMT

Thank you so much, @BillyBuerger , for writing that great description of this problem. I have submitted a bug report for this per @KoryKramer 's recommendation above on 03-22-2022.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

NathanHeickLACSD — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:18:03 GMT

I think the point is that some people experience this issue and others don't. Reproducing it is as simple as opening ArcGIS Pro and switching to another application while it loads, but you have to do it on certain machines. Since we don't know what is different about our machines, we can't provide steps to reproduce the problem on an arbitrary machine.

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

DougFenske — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 17:08:43 GMT

Sara from Esri Support Services has now logged "BUG-000151047: ArcGIS Pro steals the cursor from another application when it is opened".

Re: Do Not Activate ArcGIS Pro Window While Loading if User has Switched Applications

BradleyThompson1 — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 18:01:43 GMT

Hi all,

The defect above has been placed in a 'Need Info' status as, despite our best efforts, we've been unsuccessful reproducing this in-house on a gamut of different machines, either physical or virtual.

I'm working with the analyst who submitted the defect, Sara, to pose these questions to the end user this case was originally-logged against (if that particular user is on this thread, please do answer the questions to the best of your ability when she reaches out to acquire answers for them; don't hesitate to corroborate your answers here as well, but don't consider this valid in lieu of re-engaging Sara on your Support ticket). That being said, figured we'd do a bit of crowdsourcing to try and determine if any similarities begin to appear between affected parties.

To all affected parties, could you please answer these series of questions to the best of your ability and respond to this thread with them?

Are you using Pro on a physical machine, a VM, or either a physical/VM through RDP?
- What version of Pro are you using & encountering this problem with?
Is this machine being used in a multi-monitor setup? If so:
- How many monitors?
- Does focus shift when Pro opens on your Main monitor (it should open there by default) and you're working within an application on a secondary/tertiary monitor; when Pro opens on your Main monitor and you're working within an application also on the Main monitor; or both?
Does this issue only occur while Pro is launching in Full Screen mode, in Windowed mode, or both modes?
Does this issue only occur while you're launching Pro standalone (i.e. searching for ArcGIS Pro in Start & launching it/double-clicking on the 'ArcGIS Pro' shortcut on your Desktop or Task Bar), when you're launching Pro via Opening a Project/aprx file, or both?
Do you have any custom configurations or admin settings that load while ArcGIS Pro is launching? If so, do any of these configurations modify the Home page that displays after Pro launches?
- For reference, Manage Application Settings: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/application-setting-management.htm
Do you have any custom Add-Ins installed?
Are there any observations you've made that don't fall into any of the questions above? If so, please include them.

We'd be elated to get to the bottom of this one, but please do understand that the only reason we're kicking this back to information-gathering for now is out of necessity. Had this been caught on any of the test machines we took a stab at repro on, we'd have moved forward on this problem.