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Practical Visual BasicForms
Applies to  VB4+ 

Creating a Topmost Window

Code

A topmost window remains above other windows even when it is inactive. The SetTopmost procedure turns a form into a topmost window or returns a topmost form to normal:

SetTopmost requires these API declarations (available in Win32.tlb):

Usage

To create a topmost window, call SetTopmost with True as the second argument:

SetTopmost frmSplash, True

To return a topmost window to normal, use False instead:

SetTopmost frmSplash, False

If you want a form to float immediately when it loads, call SetTopmost in the Form_Load event:

Private Sub Form_Load()
    SetTopmost Me, True
End Sub

Note that Visual Basic has a rather annoying bug: If you minimize the IDE while your program is running, topmost forms don't float anymore.

Example

The following event procedure illustrates how you might implement an "Always on Top" menu command:

Private Sub mnuAlwaysOnTop_Click()
    Static Topmost As Boolean
    Topmost = Not Topmost
    SetTopmost Me, Topmost
    mnuAlwaysOnTop.Checked = Topmost
End Sub

See Also

Microsoft Knowledge Base

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