Pop under dialog boxes kill windows when using citrix?

Dr. Frenchenstein

This is probably not going to get much of a response, but i am tearing my hair out and google is no help.

I use citrix to access our accounting software (Microsoft GP 9.0), if i leave the window while a process is running that causes a dialog box to pop up when it's complete, the dialog box will "pop-under" the GP window. The GP window locks up, and i can't get to dialog box to free it up. left clicking on the window does nothing, right clicking sometimes brings up the GP window, but it's still locked up. Is there some keystroke or trick that i don't know to bring this dialog box to the front, so i can deal with it? It really only happens with citrix applications and it is frustrating as HELL. in the past i've just logged off the box through the citrix neighborhood, and gotten back in. I know that's not the correct solution, but it's all i got.

Djeet

As a clarification, you leave a GP window open, then some action completes and generates a pop-under window that you cannot interact with? Is the pop-under window also being generated by GP, or is it any process?

I assumed you tried Alt-Tabbing? Though that may not work if the hanging window and the pop-under are being generated by the same application. Not sure how this app is being presented by Citrix, but if it's a remote-desktop type deployment and Alt-Tab keystrokes cause you to switch between apps on the local machine Instead of the virtualizaed desktop) there may be a button press, or menu selection via Citrix console that lets you "Send" an "Alt-Tab" to the virtual desktop.

Dr. Frenchenstein

the dialog is generated by the GP window. and the GP window is in my taskbar, so it's not like a remote access situation (where the taskbar item would be the remote window)

Essentially i'm exporting a budget file of about 500 accounts. It runs through the export process and at the end asks me where to save the file in a dialog box. Thats where the hangup is.

Djeet

Sorry. I don't suppose GP has any command line utilities that would allow you to batch the operations you're trying to do and specify silent/userless operation or provide an answer file?

Dr. Frenchenstein

That i have no idea about, i was hoping there was some sort of hotkey or whatever that would bring a dialog box up front to the active window. but i'm guessing no...

darkmayo

Shouldnt you be able to alt tab through the open windows (even the citrix based ones) ... hmm going to test that right now with my citrix client.


yes.. alt tab includes citrix windows that are open as well, so technically the pop under window should be in that list when you alt tab through active windows.

Dr. Frenchenstein

It is not. all i had was GP and Outlook in the alt/tab list. maybe because it's a dialog to excel (which is running a citrix instance of excel)? I logged out of the citrix server and GP could shut down during that process, but the dialog finally became active (and said excel could not be shut down). This seems to be a very strange issue, as nobody seems to have seen this before.

Essee

Unfortunately not all dialog boxes (even for saving/loading, and even within the same program as you're using at the time) open up seperate "windows" to pop up, so that's why it won't show up in Alt-Tab: it's not being considered a seperate window.

Beyond that, I have no experiences with what you're actually working with, and while I've experienced the exact same problem before in other programs, I haven't found any way to actually get to that sneaky window. For example, I've had it happen that somebody tries to send me a file in Skype while I have video chat open, which is "always on top" and happens, at that time, to be in the same area as the dialog wants to pop up if I hit Save. Welp, the other Skype windows immediately become inoperable, and I can't see to click the Save dialog because one of the Skype windows is in the way, so I end up just as stuck as you are (but on something much less important, I'm sure). I barely understand why programs, by default, force you to click only in the save/etc. dialogs and lock you out of everything else (and show you that they're doing so, but do absolutely nothing to the window they want you to use). I guess it's implemented so that you don't change anything while you're trying to save, fine, but at least have the dialog try to pull itself to the front when it whines at you, or SOMETHING, instead of just flashing the windows, dangit. So yeah, not sure what the solution would be, just wanted to you to know that I know what sort of behavior you're talking about and agree that it's totally frustrating!

darkmayo

Dual screens maybe? Does the popup always show up behind the application itself, if it pops up in the same spot maybe have GP open on another window perhaps? Or maybe use the hotkey for minimizing windows after you alt tab to GP, perhaps that will minimize GP but not the pop up...

Djeet

I've seen strange dependency issues w/r/to multiple dialogs within the same app. The only ones I can think of offhand are the inability to close the device manager main window when one of the details/properties windows for a device is still open, or inability to close the Event Log main window when an event properties window is open, and this limitation is common in a lot of MMC plugins. However in both those cases, those issues are well handled by the app (it tells you what's wrong and nothing hangs (or nothing is supposed to)).

I don't have any experience with GP, so I'm not sure if this might be a problem with its office integration (I assume it has some office integration, and that's why an Excel dialog is popping up in response to some action in GP). I think you may have to involve IT to troubleshoot this as it may've not been completely setup right with the streaming profiler (assuming the app is being streamed), or it could need to be updated (either excel or GP or office), or there may be a way to configure Excel on the hosting machine so as to autodismiss this message or not throw a dialog to report it.