How make a form always on top even if the Windows 7 Flip 3D is activated

Question

I'm building an app which needs display a particular form always on top (this is a customer request), so far I'm using the SetWindowPos function with the HWND_TOPMOST value, and that works fine, but when the Windows 7 Flip 3D feature is activated my app doesn't stay in top.

Windows 7 Flip 3D

enter image description here

The question is, how my form can stay on top of all the others windows even if the Windows 7 Flip 3D is activated?

Any hack you do will no doubt end up on [oldnewthing](http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/) as an example of what not to do. — Neil, Feb 06 '12 at 23:29
Why do you want to do that? Do you want to make sure your users test your uninstall program? — David Heffernan, Feb 06 '12 at 23:34
@DavidHeffernan this is a customer request because the application display real time data of an industrial system which must stay always visible to the users. — Salvador, Feb 06 '12 at 23:37
In that case killing things like Flip3D sounds like the way to go. Or running the system in a kiosk mode. — David Heffernan, Feb 06 '12 at 23:44
@DavidHeffernan I offer that options to the customer, but he reject that suggestions. — Salvador, Feb 06 '12 at 23:53

score 19 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 06 '12 at 23:33

I do this some time ago using the DwmSetWindowAttribute function modyfing the DWMWA_FLIP3D_POLICY attribute with the DWMFLIP3D_EXCLUDEABOVE value.

Try this code

uses
  Winapi.DwmApi;

procedure TForm40.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
var
  pvAttribute: Integer;
begin
  pvAttribute:= DWMFLIP3D_EXCLUDEABOVE;
  if DwmCompositionEnabled then
   DwmSetWindowAttribute(Handle, DWMWA_FLIP3D_POLICY, @pvAttribute, Sizeof(Integer));
end;

And this is the result

enter image description here

Raymond Chen will hate you. – EMBarbosa Feb 07 '12 at 20:02 — EMBarbosa, Feb 07 '12 at 20:02

How make a form always on top even if the Windows 7 Flip 3D is activated

1 Answers1