How to create "No Activate" form in Firemonkey

Question

It is possible using NSPanel with NSNonactivatingPanelMask flag. The NSView of fmx form should become child of NSPanel. I have written a helper class which works for both Windows and Mac platforms (Works on XE4):

unit NoActivateForm;

interface

uses Fmx.Forms, Fmx.Types
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    , Macapi.AppKit
{$ENDIF}
    ;

type TNoActivateForm = class
private
    form: TForm;
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    panel: NSPanel;
    timer: TTimer;  // for simulating mouse hover event
{$ENDIF}
    procedure SetPosition(const x, y: Integer);
    procedure GetPosition(var x, y: Integer);
    procedure SetDimensions(const width, height: Integer);
    procedure SetLeft(const Value: Integer);
    procedure SetTop(const Value: Integer);
    procedure SetHeight(const Value: Integer);
    procedure SetWidth(const Value: Integer);
    procedure SetVisible(const Value: Boolean);
    function GetLeft: Integer;
    function GetTop: Integer;
    function GetHeight: Integer;
    function GetWidth: Integer;
    function GetVisible: Boolean;
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    procedure OnTimer(Sender: TObject);
{$ENDIF}
public
    constructor Create(AForm: TForm);
    destructor Destroy; override;
    property Left: Integer read GetLeft write SetLeft;
    property Top: Integer read GetTop write SetTop;
    property Height: Integer read GetHeight write SetHeight;
    property Width: Integer read GetWidth write SetWidth;
    property Visible: Boolean read GetVisible write SetVisible;
end;

implementation
uses
    Classes, System.Types
{$IFDEF MSWINDOWS}
    , Winapi.Windows;
{$ELSE}
    , Macapi.CocoaTypes, FMX.Platform.Mac, Macapi.CoreGraphics, Macapi.CoreFoundation;
{$ENDIF}

constructor TNoActivateForm.Create(AForm: TForm);
{$IFDEF POSIX}
var
    rect: NSRect;
    bounds: CGRect;
    window: NSWindow;
    style: integer;
    panelCount: integer;
begin
    form := AForm;
    form.Visible := false;
    bounds := CGDisplayBounds(CGMainDisplayID);
    rect := MakeNSRect(form.Left, bounds.size.height - form.Top - form.Height,
        form.ClientWidth, form.ClientHeight);
    style := NSNonactivatingPanelMask;
    style := style or NSHUDWindowMask;
    panel := TNSPanel.Wrap(
        TNSPanel.Alloc.initWithContentRect(rect, style, NSBackingStoreBuffered,
        true));
    panel.setFloatingPanel(true);
    //panel.setHasShadow(false); optional
    window := WindowHandleToPlatform(form.Handle).Wnd;

    panel.setContentView(TNSView.Wrap(window.contentView));
    TNSView.Wrap(window.contentView).retain;

    timer := TTimer.Create(form.Owner);
    timer.OnTimer := OnTimer;
    timer.Interval := 50;
end;
{$ELSE}
var hWin: HWND;
begin
    form := AForm;
    form.TopMost := true;
    hWin := FindWindow(PWideChar('FM' + form.ClassName), PWideChar(form.Caption));
    if hWin <> 0 then
        SetWindowLong(hWin, GWL_EXSTYLE,
            GetWindowLong(hWin, GWL_EXSTYLE) or WS_EX_NOACTIVATE);
end;
{$ENDIF}

destructor TNoActivateForm.Destroy;
{$IFDEF POSIX}
begin
    panel.release;
end;
{$ELSE}
begin
end;
{$ENDIF}

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetPosition(const x, y: Integer);
{$IFDEF POSIX}
var point: NSPoint;
    screen: CGRect;
begin
    screen := CGDisplayBounds(CGMainDisplayID);
    point.x := x;
    point.y := round(screen.size.height) - y - form.height;
    panel.setFrameOrigin(point);
end;
{$ELSE}
begin
    form.Left := x;
    form.Top := y;
end;
{$ENDIF}

procedure TNoActivateForm.GetPosition(var x, y: Integer);
{$IFDEF POSIX}
var screen: CGRect;
begin
    screen := CGDisplayBounds(CGMainDisplayID);
    x := round(panel.frame.origin.x);
    y := round(screen.size.height - panel.frame.origin.y - panel.frame.size.height);
end;
{$ELSE}
begin
    x := form.Left;
    y := form.Top;
end;
{$ENDIF}

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetDimensions(const width, height: Integer);
{$IFDEF POSIX}
var size: NSSize;
begin
    size.width := width;
    size.height := height;
    panel.setContentSize(size);
end;
{$ELSE}
begin
    form.width := width;
    form.height := height;
end;
{$ENDIF}

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetLeft(const Value: Integer);
begin
    SetPosition(Value, Top);
end;

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetTop(const Value: Integer);
begin
    SetPosition(Left, Value);
end;

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetHeight(const Value: Integer);
begin
    SetDimensions(Width, Value);
end;

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetWidth(const Value: Integer);
begin
    SetDimensions(Value, Height);
end;

procedure TNoActivateForm.SetVisible(const Value: Boolean);
begin
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    panel.setIsVisible(Value);
{$ELSE}
    form.visible := Value;
{$ENDIF}
end;

function TNoActivateForm.GetLeft: Integer;
var x, y: Integer;
begin
    GetPosition(x, y);
    result := x;
end;

function TNoActivateForm.GetTop: Integer;
var x, y: Integer;
begin
    GetPosition(x, y);
    result := y;
end;

function TNoActivateForm.GetHeight: Integer;
begin
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    result := round(panel.frame.size.height);
{$ELSE}
    result := form.Height;
{$ENDIF}
end;

function TNoActivateForm.GetWidth: Integer;
begin
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    result := round(panel.frame.size.width);
{$ELSE}
    result := form.Width;
{$ENDIF}
end;

function TNoActivateForm.GetVisible: Boolean;
begin
{$IFDEF POSIX}
    result := panel.isVisible();
{$ELSE}
    result := form.visible;
{$ENDIF}
end;

{$IFDEF POSIX}
procedure TNoActivateForm.OnTimer(Sender: TObject);
var event: CGEventRef;
    point: CGPoint;
    form_rect: TRectF;
    client_point, mouse_loc: TPointF;
    shift: TShiftState;
begin
    event := CGEventCreate(nil);
    point := CGEventGetLocation(event);
    CFRelease(event);
    mouse_loc.SetLocation(point.x, point.y);
    if Visible = true then
    begin
        form_rect := RectF(0, 0, form.Width, form.Height);
        client_point.X := mouse_loc.X - Left;
        client_point.Y := mouse_loc.y - Top;
        if PtInRect(form_rect, client_point) then
            form.MouseMove(shift, client_point.x, client_point.y)
        else
            form.MouseLeave();
    end;
end;
{$ENDIF}

end.

Usage of above unit:

TNoActivateForm *naKeyboard; // global scope    
void __fastcall TfrmKeyboard::TfrmKeyboard(TObject *Sender)
{
    naKeyboard = new TNoActivateForm(frmKeyboard); // frmKeyboard is a normal fmx form
    naKeyboard->Visible = true;
}

If frmKeyboard is your Main Form then do not put above code in form constructor, It is recommended to put it in OnShow.

Note: WindowHandleToPlatform doesn't seem to exist in XE3 so that line can be replaced with

window := NSWindow(NSWindowFromObjC(FmxHandleToObjC(Form.Handle)));

You can turn off the forms mouse handling to prevent it being focused. Assuming your form is called myform:

uses fmx.platform.mac, macapi.appkit;
.
.
Var nswin:nswindow;
.
.  
NSWin:= NSWindow(NSWindowFromObjC(FmxHandleToObjC(myform.Handle))); { get the NSWindow }
NSWin.setIgnoresMouseEvents(true);                                 { ignore mouse events }
NSWin.setAcceptsMouseMovedEvents(false);

There is a slight problem in that it doesn't stop a right mouse click. If that's a problem, you will have to respond to the mousedown event in the form and call the main forms mousedown so it doesn't lose the mouse event. Since the right mouse down will then capture the mouse events, you also then need to respond to mouse move and mouse up events too - forwarding them to your main form. Although it captures the mouse on right click, it will still not focus the form.

Dave Peters DP Software