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Issue with controlling Windows Media Center

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zuiko
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:09 pm

Issue with controlling Windows Media Center

Post by zuiko »

I am trying to make a button that switches back and forth between two applications (closing the one that is active and launching the other) and it mostly works, however Windows Media Center does not always start up with focus. Sometimes (randomly) the taskbar is given focus after startup instead of the media center window. I tried adding find window then bring to front to the end of the macro that invokes Windows Media Center but it doesn't seem to do anything in this case. I also tried restore window, setting the startup to maximized, setting WMC to always on top and none of it has any effect. Any ideas?
kingtd
Plugin Developer
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:39 am

Re: Issue with controlling Windows Media Center

Post by kingtd »

I do a lot of work with Windows Media Center, and it's probably one of the least friendly programs to try to control as part of your automation system. :\

I've had exactly the problem you describe - sometimes the taskbar appears across the bottom for no reason. It will go away for weeks at a time, and then something will cause it to start happening again. Using visualizations, especially 3rd-party such as Morphyre seems to make it happen more often. It will also periodically switch the machine from Aero to Windows basic if the machine has been on for more than a week or so without a reboot.

The most reliable method for getting it to come to the top properly seems to be sending it the WMC attention key (AKA the green button):

(Left Windows Key) + Alt + Enter

You can send this key multiple times and it will eventually go full screen focused, but it may also return to the main WMC menu if you send too many. Too many will be different depending on the current state of the application, but that's just one of the myriad of little pains-in-the-ass that are WMC.

~K
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