# Setting focus manually **URL:** \ **Category:** General JUCE discussion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2006, 10:37am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824 "2006-05-02T10:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kunitoki](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/kunitoki/32/15_2.png) [@kunitoki](https://forum.juce.com/u/kunitoki)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:37am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/1 "2006-05-02T10:37:22Z")
i’m traversing the juce tree, for finding a function in the gui components. i need to manually set focus to my own component, before running a modal loop on it. if i can’t give focus, subsequent keypresses aren’t dispatched to that component until the user manually click on it. i see there is the Component::setFocusOrder, or i have to call setWantsKeyboardFocus(true) for that component (but what if other components steal the focus). how can i turnaround a lack of a Component::setFocus() ? ---
**Author:** ![kunitoki](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/kunitoki/32/15_2.png) [@kunitoki](https://forum.juce.com/u/kunitoki)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/2 "2006-05-02T10:48:07Z")
doh… i answered myself… i didn’t noticed toFront() with shouldAlsoGainFocus boolean… maybe is the correct answer ? ---
**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:26am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/3 "2006-05-02T11:26:42Z")
There’s also grabKeyboardFocus(), if you don’t want to change the z-order of the comp. ---
**Author:** ![kunitoki](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/kunitoki/32/15_2.png) [@kunitoki](https://forum.juce.com/u/kunitoki)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/4 "2006-05-02T13:24:32Z")
oh yes, i see that and fixed all my problems… thanx ---
**Author:** ![kirankumarr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kirankumarr](https://forum.juce.com/u/kirankumarr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/5 "2010-09-22T17:34:02Z")
Hi, I want to set the focus to a given control in a dialog box, on startup. I tried using m\_ptMacroList-\>setWantsKeyBoardFocus(true). Also tried using m\_ptMacroList-\>toFront(true), didnt work either. I also tried using m\_ptMacroList-\>grabKeyboardFocus() to set the focus to this control, during dialog startup. I am using these calls in the constructor of the dialog after addAndMakeVisible. m\_ptMacroList is a pointer to Juce TableListBox class. Thanks, Kiran ---
**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/6 "2010-09-22T17:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I am using these calls in the constructor of the dialog after addAndMakeVisible. Eek! It’s not a good idea to add your component to another one while you’re in the middle of constructing it! And it’s obviously impossible for a component to have the focus unless it’s actually on-screen and visible - you’ll have to call grabFocus() after it has been fully created and added to some kind of real, visible window. ---
**Author:** ![kirankumarr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kirankumarr](https://forum.juce.com/u/kirankumarr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/7 "2010-09-22T18:08:34Z")
Thanks for a quick reply. Where do you suggest me to use the grabFocus() call, incase if I need my control to be highlighted once the dialog pops up. ---
**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/8 "2010-09-22T19:44:36Z")
You’d need to call it after the dialog is actually visible. A better way to do it might just be to make sure that your comp will be the first to get the focus by default - have a look at Component::setExplicitFocusOrder and Component::setFocusContainer ---
**Author:** ![kirankumarr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kirankumarr](https://forum.juce.com/u/kirankumarr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/9 "2010-09-28T16:57:24Z")
Thanks for the help. ---
**Author:** ![KimBP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@KimBP](https://forum.juce.com/u/KimBP)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/10 "2010-11-01T19:34:23Z")
Well I’m also a bit confused on this and can’t find any examples. I have a component being created in a showModalDialg() call. In the constructor of the component I add 2 buttons and yet two complex components both consisting of a combobox and two text editors. In the end I want focus to be at one of the combobox components while the dialog is shown but so far I haven’t been able to give it to even one of the buttons. You say grabKeyboardFocus shouldn’t be called in the constructors but where then? I’ve tried resized() without luck. I have even tried to add visibilityChanged() calling it if isVisible() is true. What other possibilities do I have? While first having clicked at any of the components it works fine TABing around between all 8 subcomponents I might have to add that I’m working at Ubuntu. Consider trying it at Windows too see if it is different there ---
**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 10:02am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/setting-focus-manually/824/11 "2017-05-12T10:02:23Z")