Form sometimes doesn't open to foreground.

[MartynE]

I have asked this question on an other forum so I will just copy/paste it since not much has changed since then :



Okay I'll do my best to best describe this shady problem.
We work with Access 2003 and on like 5 out of the 30 machines this problem occurs. When you open a form it sometimes does not open to the foreground, when u alt-tab out of it and go back or just press the windows key en then back on access it seems to refresh the page and showing the one that you have opened.
The weird thing about this is that it seems completely random at which forms and at what time it happens. I have encountered this problem on my own machine maybe 2-3 times in 3 months. The 2 other machines encounter this problem daily.
I have noticed that when I changed the Windows scheme to Classic view the problem occurred a lot less then before.
We first thought it had something to do with the speed, but since we moved our database to SQL Server and our application runs very smoothly this problem was still there.
I've searched far and wide through every corner of the internet no solution was found.
If someone has any idea just shout it out I'm open to try out anything.
Thanks in advance.

 

[missinglinq]

Is this database split into a Front End/Back End configuration, as it has to be in a Multi-user environment, with the Back End, with all Tables, on the server, and a copy of the Front End, with everything except the Tables, on each user's PC?

Linq ;0)>

 

[MartynE]

- Database is split in front and backend
- Multi-user environment yes
- Front end and everything else is on each users pc and backend is stored on the SQL server

 

[MartynE]

Missingling do you think database design has something to do with it?

 

[missinglinq]

We frequently hear about multi-user apps that are not split, or are split but with both components still shared over a server, and the list of odd behavior this can cause would stretch from my house to yours! But your app is, per Post #3, set up appropriately so we can rule that out as the cause, here.

Are these Forms being opened in the same order by all users, with each Form left opened when moving on to the next? Some data entry environments are set up that way, and you would not expect the errant behavior you're experiencing to arise in this case.

But if your situation is more like the norm, with no real rhyme or reason as to the order the Forms are being opened in, it may have to do with the Popup Property of some Forms being set to Yes.

For instance, with the following scenario

• FormA has Popup set to Yes
• FormB has Popup set to Yes
• FormC has Popup set to No
• FormD has Popup set to No

If a user opens FormA, then opens FormB, the latter (FormB) will be on top.

If a user opens FormD, then opens FormC, the latter (FormC) will be on top, and vice versa.

But if a user opens FormA, then opens FormC, the latter (FormC) will be beneath FormA, because its Popup (FormA's) is set to Yes and FormC's is set to No.

Also note, that if you have Forms being opened from other Forms, using

DoCmd.OpenForm

the WindowMode argument can also make it open with Popup set to Yes, when it might not open that way if opened independently.

If WindowMode is set to acDialog, the Form's PopUp Property (as well as Modal Property) is set to Yes.

With WindowMode set to acWindowNormal (the Default) the Form is opened guided by the opening Properties as set by the developer for that Form.

Linq ;0)>

 

[MartynE]

I'm gonna look into this tomorrow, thanks for helping me!

 

[missinglinq]

Glad to help!

Let us know how it turns out!

Linq ;0)>