IBM Support

Excel opens up behind Controller (hidden) - Solved by Registry Key "ForegroundLockTimeout" change

Troubleshooting


Problem

User launches the main Controller client (CCR.EXE). User clicks on any Controller functionality which interacts with Excel. For example: - 'Company - Data Entry - Company Values' - or simply clicking on the 'X' button (on the main menu) The user expects to see a session of Microsoft Excel appear. However, the user cannot see Excel. Instead, Excel is hidden behind the Controller client.

Symptom

Example #1:

User clicks 'Company - Data Entry - Company Values', then chooses their parameters and clicks 'open'.

  • Excel appears on the taskbar (and flashes three times), but is not brought to the foreground.
  • The user has to manually click on the Excel icon (visible on the taskbar) so that they can see Excel:

 

Example #2:

When Excel is triggered/launched (from inside the Controller client) by clicking on the 'X' button...

 

...Excel appears behind the Controller client GUI (i.e. it is hidden).

 

More Symptoms:

Occasionally an Excel-based informational/error message may appear (which was triggered by Controller initiating a process, for example trying to open a Data Entry form for a company that is read-only). Unfortunately this informational/error messages may also be hidden (in the background, behind the main Controller client GUI interface).

  • This is unhelpful because it would be preferred that any errors pop up in front (where the user can immediately see them, and act accordingly).
[{"Product":{"code":"SS9S6B","label":"IBM Cognos Controller"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Component":"Controller","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"10.2.1;10.2.0;10.1.1;10.1;8.5.1;8.5","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB76","label":"Data Platform"}},{"Product":{"code":"SSMRTZ","label":"IBM Cognos Controller on Cloud"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Component":" ","Platform":[{"code":"","label":""}],"Version":"","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB76","label":"Data Platform"}}]

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Document Information

More support for:
IBM Cognos Controller

Software version:
10.2.1, 10.2.0, 10.1.1, 10.1, 8.5.1, 8.5

Operating system(s):
Windows

Document number:
409837

Modified date:
08 May 2025

UID

swg21451353

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