Windows

Sandtree

I guess this could be a Windows issue or it could be some random developer bod but given I've had the same issue over the years with many different systems developed by different random developer teams I am pointing the finger at Windows.

Generally speaking I have three windows open on my main screen at work at the moment with one behind the other - one is Excel and the others are an inhouse built system (one is the search tool and the other is an individual case tool). I need to copy a reference from Excel, put it into the search tool, check details in the case tool that it opens and then go and update Excel (a simplistic explanation but good enough). running a new search tool query opens a second, third, forth etc case window and so I have to close the case window each time. 

Case window is maximised so throw the mouse to the top left corner, X button goes red, Click and a prompt comes up on if I want to save change - yes, no or cancel. Problem is (and as I say I've had this with other applications) whilst the button is red to show the mouse is over it if the button is right in the vey corner then the click registers on the close button for Excel instead which brings up an almost identical prompt about saving etc. As I am auditing not managing the cases I always click no and so yes I have lost my Excel spreadsheet several times.


How is Window's cursor detection so bad that a) I can click on something behind when the window is maximised anyway and b) that the mouseover effect shows but the onclick impacts a different application?

GRRR 

JamoLew

I think the blame lies with the "inhouse built system" rather than with Windows

Spank

You should have posted this in the Techie Stuff board.

Sandtree

JamoLew said:

I think the blame lies with the "inhouse built system" rather than with Windows

The only coding I have done for Windows is using .Net and certainly for that you cannot accidently programme the X button to function like this... I am not convinced you could even intentionally programme it so that a "maximised" window takes up all but the very corners but rollover effects still happen outside of the window.

Spank said:

You should have posted this in the Techie Stuff board.

Its venting... no one here is going to be able to offer a fix

Takmon

Sandtree said:

I guess this could be a Windows issue or it could be some random developer bod but given I've had the same issue over the years with many different systems developed by different random developer teams I am pointing the finger at Windows.

Generally speaking I have three windows open on my main screen at work at the moment with one behind the other - one is Excel and the others are an inhouse built system (one is the search tool and the other is an individual case tool). I need to copy a reference from Excel, put it into the search tool, check details in the case tool that it opens and then go and update Excel (a simplistic explanation but good enough). running a new search tool query opens a second, third, forth etc case window and so I have to close the case window each time. 

Case window is maximised so throw the mouse to the top left corner, X button goes red, Click and a prompt comes up on if I want to save change - yes, no or cancel. Problem is (and as I say I've had this with other applications) whilst the button is red to show the mouse is over it if the button is right in the vey corner then the click registers on the close button for Excel instead which brings up an almost identical prompt about saving etc. As I am auditing not managing the cases I always click no and so yes I have lost my Excel spreadsheet several times.


How is Window's cursor detection so bad that a) I can click on something behind when the window is maximised anyway and b) that the mouseover effect shows but the onclick impacts a different application?

GRRR 

Well excel will bring up a box saying "Microsoft Excel" in the top and then "Want to save your changes to 'file name' ?'" and the options are "Save", "Don't Save" and "Cancel" . But your saying your case window bring up a prompt with "yes, no or cancel".
So i would say they are actually quite different and spending a few seconds just looking at what you are pressing is a good solution to not losing your excel file. A lot of users seem to blindly click options when prompt boxes come up without really knowing what they are pressing and i'm not really sure why they do this.

Sandtree

Takmon said:
Well excel will bring up a box saying "Microsoft Excel" in the top and then "Want to save your changes to 'file name' ?'" and the options are "Save", "Don't Save" and "Cancel" . But your saying your case window bring up a prompt with "yes, no or cancel".

So i would say they are actually quite different and spending a few seconds just looking at what you are pressing is a good solution to not losing your excel file. A lot of users seem to blindly click options when prompt boxes come up without really knowing what they are pressing and i'm not really sure why they do this.

Absolutely, if you read the words it does make it clear however stylistically the are identical and most the words (including button options) are the same so when you are expecting a prompt for one thing and get a near identical prompt for another (given you've a couple of thousand to do) then instinctively you click to the don't save or whatever it exactly says.

Still doesn't explain how a maximized window with a rollover effect results on a button click being registered on a window behind even if the user has to accept some responsibility for the onward issue

DoaM

Sounds like the inhouse app isn't actually going full screen - rather it is resizing to (almost) the screen size. (The equivalent to the old javascript:resizeTo(X,Y); trick). In such a situation it is feasible for the window behind to be just accessible in the manner you describe.

Sandtree

DoaM said:

Sounds like the inhouse app isn't actually going full screen - rather it is resizing to (almost) the screen size. (The equivalent to the old javascript:resizeTo(X,Y); trick). In such a situation it is feasible for the window behind to be just accessible in the manner you describe.

Hmmm ok, so its a bit more interesting.... the whole right edge of the screen causes the click to impact the window behind whereas the left and top edge doesnt. Actually, looking at the logo in the top left corner its as if a tiny bit of its missing... as if the screen has maximised but is somehow 1 or two pixels to the left but the left edge goes onto my 2nd monitor (laptop screen) and clicking the very edge of it doesnt bring focus to the application window.

Who knows what they've done or why but its damned annoying.

DoaM

Look at the Min/Max/Close icons at the top right in the app ... the middle one changes depending on whether the app is maximised or not.

Maximised looks like stacked window; Restore looks like a single big window.

Sandtree

DoaM said:

Look at the Min/Max/Close icons at the top right in the app ... the middle one changes depending on whether the app is maximised or not.

Maximised looks like stacked window; Restore looks like a single big window.

It does cycle between normalised and maximised, in non-maximised it’s the window is very small on the monitor  as I normally use it on my laptop screen for another purpose. 

IvanOpinion

I have seen this behaviour myself.  I just sent my laptop back to tech services and when I got it back it was fixed so I have no idea what they did apart from they said they had to update the registry.  I tried googling and found a few references to this problem such as
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2228665-problems-with-the-x-button-closing-maximised-windows