'Focus Window cannot be closed' - Oh yes

ChrisHaines · Post by **ChrisHaines** » 13 Jan 2012 15:52

It doesn't worry me, so I'm not looking for a fix, but contrary to the rubric in the manuals, my particular copy of v.4 (recently purchased after several happy years of v.3 usage) allows me to close the Focus Window very easily: I just right-click on the Focus symbol in the navigation bar and then click 'Close Window', which is not greyed-out in my copy of the program. Less convenient is the associated fact that opening a Project gives just a full Records Window, from which one then has to select an individual to open his/her Focus Window to get started. With an upgrade to v.5 imminent, I'm hoping that this will get rid of the glitch, but I'd be interested to know if others have encountered this peculiarity.
Chris

ID:5799

johnmorrisoniom · Post by **johnmorrisoniom** » 13 Jan 2012 16:20

The Focus window can be closed, it is only the records window that can't.
It also sounds like you have changed your prefernces.
Go to [Tools][Preferences] choose the [Startup] Tab and untick the middle option (Display the records window, instead of Focus window, at startup)

Post by **tatewise** » 13 Jan 2012 16:41

A number of points spring to mind, because you should NOT be able to Close the Focus window.

Have you downloaded and installed the free upgrade to FH V4.1.3?

Have you changed the Tools > Preferences > Startup to display the Records window?

Have you converted from standalone GEDCOM to Project structure?

ChrisHaines · Post by **ChrisHaines** » 13 Jan 2012 17:23

The 2nd bit of my original title should of course have read 'Oh yes it can!' but it was truncated.
Many thanks to John for the advice to check my Startup Preferences. I have corrected the settings and my Project now opens to my File Root Focus Window. This must have been something that was influenced by my v.3 database settings, which I used to define the default settings in v.4, as I didn't change any preferences manually. So that has dealt with my only significant problem.
The manual says in several places that one cannot close the Focus Window in the way you can close any others (e.g. Chapter 1 p.4 in the 'Getting the most from...' manual says 'this includes the Close Window menu command (greyed for the Focus Window which cannot be closed)'. My navigation bar seems to allow me the option of closing both the Focus and the Record windows (but I'm not going to do so, because that would be silly[grin]).
Thanks for the suggestions, Tony - I confirm I have the 4.1.3 update.
Chris

Post by **tatewise** » 13 Jan 2012 18:07

If your Startup option is to open the Focus window, then you can close the Records window, but NOT the Focus window.

If your Startup option is to open the Records window, then you can close the Focus window, but NOT the Records window.

ChrisHaines · Post by **ChrisHaines** » 13 Jan 2012 21:35

Curiouser and Curiouser.
When I posted my first message I unknowingly had my Startup preference set to Record Window, but I was able to close both the Focus Window and the Record Window. On John & Tony's advice, I corrected my Startup preference to the Focus Window, but I was still able to close either the Focus Window or the Record Window. On reading Tony's message about the correlation between the Startup preference and the veto on closing the matching Window, I decided to try to close both, but Windows then threw a tantrum and decided that it had encountered a fatal problem and closed FH. On restarting FH it is now behaving exactly as Tony says it should!
I'm sure there's a logical explanation somewhere, but the important thing is that I now know where I am with it...
Thanks to you both for your helpful suggestions.
Chris

Family Historian User Group