SetFrontWindow

SetFrontWindow is a function name used in various windowing libraries to designate a specific window as the frontmost, or foreground, window. Implementations typically attempt to raise the target window above others and give it input focus so that keyboard and mouse events are directed to it.

The exact signature and effect differ by platform. In many GUI toolkits, it takes a reference such as a window handle or identifier and may include flags that control activation or visibility. On Windows-like environments, similar behavior is achieved by OS-level focus calls; on macOS it corresponds to making a window key and ordering it front. In X11 or Wayland-based systems, focus and stacking commands or compositor directives may be used instead. Because there is no universal standard, SetFrontWindow often serves as a wrapper or alias in toolkit-specific APIs rather than a portable API.

Usage and behavior: calling SetFrontWindow usually brings the window to the foreground, restores it if minimized, and transfers input focus to it. Some implementations defer action or fail under security policies that prevent an application from stealing focus, requiring user interaction or explicit permission.

Limitations and compatibility: OS focus-stealing restrictions vary by platform; some environments require the active application to initiate the request, and the target window may be in another process. The function may fail if the window is not visible, belongs to another user, or if the caller lacks ownership.

See also: SetForegroundWindow, Raise, ShowWindow, MakeKeyAndOrderFront, Focus. History: The name SetFrontWindow is not a standardized, cross-platform API; it appears in multiple toolkits as a convenience wrapper around platform-specific focus and z-order operations.