Outlook window getting the keyboard focus instead of user created Form Window during Outlook Startup

Question

This MAPILogonComplete method involves creating a Form Window to show "What's New" of a certain Addin version (DisplayWhatsNewDialog() in the code):
private void _outlook_MAPILogonComplete() {
_logger.Info("_outlook_MAPILogonComplete");
try
if (_timerForm != null)
_timerForm.Timer.Stop();
_timerForm.Timer.Dispose();
catch (Exception ex2)
_logger.Error(ex2.Message, ex2);
try
if (Globals.BJNSettings.showWhatsNew)
Globals.BJNSettings.showWhatsNew = false;
UIHelper.DisplayWhatsNewDialog(false);
Ol.Inspector insp = null;
if (_inspectors.Count > 0)
for (int i = _inspectors.Count; i >= 1; i--)
insp = _inspectors[i];
WrapInspector(insp);
insp = null;
Ol.Explorer expl = null;
if (_explorers.Count > 0)
for (int i = _explorers.Count; i >= 1; i--)
expl = _explorers[i];
WrapExplorer(expl);
expl = null;
GetAddinsList();
Thread logSystemInfoThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(LogSystemInformation));
logSystemInfoThread.TrySetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
logSystemInfoThread.IsBackground = true;
logSystemInfoThread.Start();
try
Ol.NameSpace ns = _outlook.GetNamespace("MAPI");
_calFolder = ns.GetDefaultFolder(Ol.OlDefaultFolders.olFolderCalendar) as Ol.Folder;
_calFolder.BeforeItemMove += new Ol.MAPIFolderEvents_12_BeforeItemMoveEventHandler(_calFolder_BeforeItemMove);
_delFolder = ns.GetDefaultFolder(Ol.OlDefaultFolders.olFolderDeletedItems) as Ol.Folder;
Marshal.ReleaseComObject(ns);
ns = null;
catch (Exception ex)
_logger.Error(ex.Message, ex);
UIHelper.WriteDoNotDisableKeyToRegistry();
Globals.AppointmentsToProcess = new List<string>();
_timerForm.ProcessTimer.Interval = 3000;
_timerForm.ProcessTimer.Start();
catch (Exception ex)
_logger.Error(ex.Message, ex);
DisplayWhatsNewDialog() has this signature:
public static void DisplayWhatsNewDialog(bool modal)
try
string defaultWhatsNewFile = Globals.BJN_APP_BASE_DIRECTORY + "WhatsNew.txt";
string localISOLanguageName = Languages.GetTwoLetterISOLanguageName();
string localizedWhatsNewFile = Languages.GetInstalledLocalizedFilePath(localISOLanguageName, "WhatsNew.txt");
if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(localizedWhatsNewFile))
localizedWhatsNewFile = defaultWhatsNewFile;
if (File.Exists(localizedWhatsNewFile))
BJNWhatsNew whatsNew = new BJNWhatsNew(localizedWhatsNewFile);
if (modal)
whatsNew.ShowDialog();
whatsNew.Dispose();
else
whatsNew.TopMost = true;
whatsNew.Show();
whatsNew = null;
catch (Exception ex)
_logger.Error(ex.Message, ex);
The problem is if the Window is made modal, it blocks the Outlook to launch and also goes back of the Outlook loading window (Whats New window will not be having keyboard focus). And if the Window is made non-modal (passing false to DisplayWhatsNewDialog()),
Outlook launches properly and What's New window comes at the top but will not be having keyboard focus; instead the launched Outlook window will be having the keyboard focus. May anyone please suggest a way to make the What's New window to be always having
the keyboard focus? Structure of form window class BJNWhatsNew is given below:
public partial class BJNWhatsNew : Form
private static ILog _logger = LogManager.GetLogger(typeof(BJNWhatsNew));
public BJNWhatsNew(string whatsNewTextFileName)
InitializeComponent();
InitLabels();
InitEventHandlers();
InitWhatsNew(whatsNewTextFileName);
private void InitLabels()
try
this.Text = Properties.Resources.bjn_version_info_caption;
this.buttonClose.Text = Properties.Resources.ok_hotkey;
this.labelBJNAddin.Text = Properties.Resources.bjn_version_ol_addin;
this.labelVersion.Text = String.Format(Properties.Resources.version_format, Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetName().Version.ToString(3));
Assembly assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
FileInfo fileInfo = new FileInfo(assembly.Location);
DateTime buildDate = fileInfo.LastWriteTime;
string formatString = "d MMM, yyyy";
this.labelReleaseDate.Text = String.Format(Properties.Resources.bjn_version_release_date, buildDate.ToString(formatString));
catch (Exception ex)
_logger.Error(ex.Message, ex);
private void InitEventHandlers()
this.buttonClose.Click += new EventHandler(buttonClose_Click);
private void InitWhatsNew(string whatsNewTextFileName)
try
if (File.Exists(whatsNewTextFileName))
StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(whatsNewTextFileName);
string whatsNew = sr.ReadToEnd();
sr.Close();
this.richTextBox1.Text = whatsNew;
this.richTextBox1.SelectionLength = 0;
this.buttonClose.Select();
this.buttonClose.Focus();
catch (Exception ex)
_logger.Error(ex.Message, ex);
void buttonClose_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
this.Close();

Answer 1

Hello Prasad,
The ShowDialog method will block the current thread. If you want to continue working with Outlook objects you need to use the Show method instead. The key fact is that both methods (Show and ShowDialog) accepts an instance of the IWin32Window interface
which allows to specify the parent window handle. Specifying the parent window handle (Outlook Explorer window) to the Show method you can make your window shown on top of Outlook all the time.
To get the HWND of an Outlook explorer  object (e.g. Application.ActiveExplorer), cast it to IOleWindow and call IOleWindow.GetWindow(). Also you may find the
How to get the IWin32Window for Outlook
article helpful.