Kiosk: how to prevent an application from being minimized? (WinXP)
843810May 22 2008 — edited May 23 2008Hi,
I have a desktop application that runs full screen, using opengl, for a turnkey kiosk on Windows XP. I'm having this strange problem with the app minimizing itself as soon as it launches. Here's the scenario:
1. boot
2. auto login
3. app launches
4. app minimizes itself to the taskbar
5. developer gnashes teeth
When the app is re-maximized, it runs fine and doesn't do this again.
When it's launches normally (not from the startup folder) it behaves fine.
When you just log out and log in, it behaves fine - this is only exhibited on first boot.
This wouldn't be a big problem but the app is for a turnkey museum kiosk with no mouse or keyboard, so it needs to launch and run smoothly without any user interaction.
The issue's described well by another developer here:
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=Integrate;action=display;num=1156614434
(I'm using Processing).
This behavior doesn't repeat with other applications, only with fullscreen, opengl java applications that I make in Processing.
I've tried the workaround in the above thread (running an external window control app as a subprocess in response to the focusLost() event, which works but not reliably for me.
Is this behavior something that has to do with Java? Has anyone else seen this before? How do you normally go about making kiosk-type applications in java?
thanks for any suggestions ...
--ben