PR# 19578 EiffelStudio pulls up Active Windows window

Problem Report Summary
Submitter: rwschlatter
Category: EiffelStudio
Priority: Medium
Date: 2019/08/31
Class: Bug
Severity: Non-critical
Number: 19578
Release: 19.05
Confidential: No
Status: Open
Responsible:
Environment: win 8.1 pro
Synopsis: EiffelStudio pulls up Active Windows window

Description
I have the main project window open, and in the background a second New Window hanging around.

I intend to customize my toolbar and click the miniature down button.

Problem: out of the blue the Active Windows window shows up.

I can click and move it around, but on button-up it will disappear. 

It seems to be fully functional: i can get the background window to appear as expected and Active Windows will close.

Fun fact: after making having made that background selection, this sudden appearance does not happen any longer!

Further testing reveals: 
Initially clicking on the Active Windows icon displays the window as expected. If I click somewhere into the main project window it becomes the topmost window and the Active Windows lingers somewhere in the background. When I then click the customize icon toolbar as described above, then it reappears without any obvious reason.
To Reproduce

										
Problem Report Interactions
From:rwschlatter    Date:2019/09/07    Status: Open    Download   
I have re-read the page https://www.eiffel.org/doc/eiffelstudio/Customizing_the_tools_layout_and_toolbars at section on "Floating a pane", and crosschecked my Preferences section after that.

My conclusion as of this writing:

Preferences settings "interface.development_window.undocked_window_lower_than_main_window" had been set my me marked / true some time far back. As such it did allow the floating window go out of sight. 

Request: Please review the functionality of "going out of sight" (aka losing focus?). 

Reason: Just moving an opened floating window into a better location by click-and-draging its title area will make it disappear at button-up, leaving me unable to do intended work. It's very vulnerable to disappear when one accidentially clicks outside of its window area. Also there seems a problem to get it back. It seems that the View>Tools>xyz (or keyboard shortcut) does not trigger it to re-appear once opened. 

Note: I don't know if this a general problem or one of the Windows implemen
....
Output truncated, Click download to get the full message

From:rwschlatter    Date:2019/09/05    Status: Open    Download   
Adding this comment:

I have the impression that this my problem is mainly a documentation issue.  It concerns obviously all tool windows that can be open thru the View>Toos menu of EiffelStudio.

My newest understanding is that after opening a tool one is expected to place it into a Layout pane and use it from there, not as a standalone floating window.

But I am still baffeled that the Active Windows window at times opens as a floating window under Windows itself. I have not found a way to get the other tools to appear in a standalone window. Did I miss a Preferences setting, or have I maybe altered that setting by mistake?

From:rwschlatter    Date:2019/08/31    Download   
Attachments for problem report #19578