Steal focus as SetForegroundWindow can't do it

Question

I know this sounds evil but my intention is not this at all.

A user has clicked "delay shot" and a countdown starts, during that time they go focus another application, then after countdown user expects my app to take back focus.

SetForegroundWindow fails when it runs from appliction with PID X while application with PID Y is focused.

This worked to bring my window forward, but it doesn't get focus:

SetWindowPos(hwnd, HWND_TOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOSIZE | SWP_NOMOVE);

It sets the window to be always on top. However focus is not put into my window. And then setting it back to HWND_NOTOPMOST leaves it there, even though its not top most, but it still doesnt have focus. Running SetForegroundWindow won't do the trick after these calls to SetWindowPos Is there anyway to steal focus?

I have tried a combination of:

• SwitchToThisWindow
• SetWindowPos
• ShowWindow
• SetForegroundWindow

But can't seem to figure it out.

Another reason I think this has to be possible is because Mac OSX allows it with NSApplication activateIgnoringOtherApps: and Linux's allow it too. I'd like to get this cross platform.

As a last resort I was going to use the HWND_TOPMOST method, then GetWindowRect then SetCursorPos and send single click to my window at pos 0,0, I really don't want to though as there might be something at 0,0 and it shouldn't be auto clicked on.

Answer 1

This always works, no matter what app is in foreground (like Task Manager, etc.):

AllocConsole(); 
auto hWndConsole = GetConsoleWindow();
SetWindowPos(hWndConsole, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOZORDER);
FreeConsole();
SetForegroundWindow(hWnd);