Opening a Hidden Internet Explorer Window without it getting Focus?

Question

I want to open a hidden Internet Explorer window without it stealing focus. I have a Timer object that opens Internet Explorer every 5 minutes to check a website for updates. The problem is every time it checks for updates, it steals focus from the current application in the foreground. Below is how I start the process:

        Process m_Proc = new Process();
        m_Proc.StartInfo.Arguments = String.Format("{0}{1}", "-nomerge ", browserURL);
        m_Proc.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
        m_Proc.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = true;
        m_Proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
        m_Proc.StartInfo.FileName = String.Format("iexplore.exe");
        m_Proc.Start();

It always steals focus, even when it is hidden. I want it to start like nothing is happening, so users can continue to work on what they are doing. Thanks.

Answer 1

Try automating Internet Explorer via its COM interfaces rather than creating a process explicitly. Here's how it can be done. Just don't do ie.Visible = true and it will stay hidden. Call ie.Quit() when done with it.