Focus visualization on XP

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Carlo Folini - 25 Jul 2006 16:53 GMT

With vs2005 I created a simple form.
New Project->Windows application(c#)->added a button on it-> set
FlatStyle="System"

Running this simple program on windows 2003 the button is selected and I see
the dotted line around the button.
The same program under windows xp pro (italian) selects the button but no
dotted line show that the button is selected.

Either w2k3 and xp has the "windows xp style" appearance activated, in fact
the visual appearance is the same (rounded buttons).

Any idea on why this different behavior?

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Carlo Folini

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Linda Liu [MSFT] - 26 Jul 2006 07:31 GMT

Hi Carlo,

Thank you for posting.

In fact, if the button's FlatStyle is set to System, the appearance of the
button is determined by the user's operating system.

I have performed a test on Windows 2003. I didn't see the phenomenon you
said on Windows 2003 when the button is selected. It's not a dotted line
around the button but a thick sold line.

By the way, I couldn't activate the "Windows XP style" on Windows 2003.
Right click the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu. In
the Display Properties window, select Appearance tab. In the Windows and
buttons combobox, there's only Windows Classic style option. Could you tell
me how you activate the "Windows XP style" on Windows 2003?

I also performed a test on Windows XP. The "Windows XP style" is activated
by default. When the program is running on Windows XP, I saw the line
around the button is a thick solid line as well.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Linda Liu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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Carlo Folini - 26 Jul 2006 08:33 GMT

Hi Linda,
to enable xp style on w2k3 I think you have only to start the "Themes"
service (is turned off by default).

Take a look at the image
http://aspspider.biz/folini/xpbutton.jpg
it shows my winform with the xp button on it with the dotted line.

It's strange that you didn't see the dotted line with xp.
Also if you use the tab key on the winform the dotted line didn't show up?

Signature

Carlo Folini

> Hi Carlo,
>
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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Carlo Folini - 26 Jul 2006 09:20 GMT

Hi Linda,
I also tried disabling visual style in windows xp with same behavior.
On W2k3 the button is selected and shows the dotted line, in xp the button
is selected but no dotted line appears.

Signature

Carlo Folini

> Hi Linda,
> to enable xp style on w2k3 I think you have only to start the "Themes"
[quoted text clipped - 53 lines]
> >
> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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Linda Liu [MSFT] - 26 Jul 2006 11:17 GMT

Hi Carlo,

Thanks for your quick response and telling me how to activate Windows XP
style on Windows 2003.

I performed series tests and the result is that whether on Windows XP or
Windows 2003, whether I activate Windows Classic style or Windows XP
style, and whether the button's FlatStyle is Sytem or Standard, when I use
tab key to select the button, there's a dotted line around it; however,
when I click the button, there's no dotted line around it.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Linda Liu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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Carlo Folini - 26 Jul 2006 12:56 GMT

Hi Linda,
my problem is that, when the winform starts, in w2k3 case there's the dotted
line but not in xp.
Trying to setFocus on the button didn't change the visulization. It seems
that in XP when the focus is given from a SetFocus call there's no visual
appearance.
Could you investigate this behavior further?

Signature

Carlo Folini

> Hi Carlo,
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> Linda Liu
> Microsoft Online Community Support

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Linda Liu [MSFT] - 27 Jul 2006 10:34 GMT

Hi Carlo,

Thanks for your response.

In my test on Windows 2003, when the program starts, the button gets focus
but there's no dotted line around the button. Only after I press tab key to
select the button, the dotted line appears around the button.

Do you mean that you call SetFocus win32 function to get the button focused
when the program starts? If so, would you send me the sample code or
project for research?

To get my actual emial address, please remove the online from my displayed
email address.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Linda Liu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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Linda Liu [MSFT] - 31 Jul 2006 12:20 GMT

Hi Carlo,

I have run your sample program on both w2k3 and xp. I am sorry to tell you
that I didn't see the dotted line around the button when the program starts
running on both w2k3 and xp.

Only after I pressed Tab when the program was running, the button showed a
dotted line around it.

I think you may have a try running your program on another computer
installed w2k3 to see whether you could see the dotted line around the
button on that computer.

Sincerely,
Linda Liu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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Carlo Folini - 16 Aug 2006 08:45 GMT

The 'problem' was that on the "display properties"->Appearance->Effects button
there's the option "Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I
press the Alt key" that has also the meaning of handling input focus
indicators, as the help correctly states!....

"Specifies whether to suppress the drawing of keyboard shortcuts (the
underlined characters in menus and controls) and input focus indicators (the
dotted rectangles around objects), until you actually start using the
keyboard to navigate in Windows, generally with the ALT, TAB, or arrow
keys."
Maybe a different option text would save some time to someone (at least in
my case!)

Signature

Carlo Folini

> Hi Carlo,
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> Linda Liu
> Microsoft Online Community Support

Reply to this Message

Linda Liu [MSFT] - 21 Aug 2006 08:53 GMT

Hi Carlo,

Sorry for the delayed reply. I am busy with other posts for these days.

I understand your feeling. I also think the statement "Hide underlined
letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key" is a little
misleading.

If you think it is necessary, you may go to the following link to summit a
comment.

https://support.microsoft.com/common/survey.aspx?scid=sw;en;1214&showpage=1&
WS=Wish&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.microsoft.com%2fireland%2fcontact%2f

Thank you for your support for Microsoft again!

Sincerely,
Linda Liu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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