Feature: Improved behavior when dragging items from an unfocused Files window

src/Files.App/App.xaml.cs

@@ -157,6 +157,8 @@ async Task ActivateAsync()
 				}
 
 				await AppLifecycleHelper.InitializeAppComponentsAsync();
+
+				MainWindow.Instance.HookWindowMessageReceivedEvent();
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -196,6 +198,9 @@ private void Window_Activated(object sender, WindowActivatedEventArgs args)
 		/// </remarks>
 		private async void Window_Closed(object sender, WindowEventArgs args)
 		{
+			// Unhook events for the window
+			MainWindow.Instance.UnhookWindowMessageReceivedEvent();
+
 			// Save application state and stop any background activity
 			IUserSettingsService userSettingsService = Ioc.Default.GetRequiredService<IUserSettingsService>();
 			StatusCenterViewModel statusCenterViewModel = Ioc.Default.GetRequiredService<StatusCenterViewModel>();

src/Files.App/Helpers/Win32/Win32Helper.WindowManagement.cs

@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 using Microsoft.UI.Input;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
 using System.Reflection;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using Windows.Win32;
 using Windows.Win32.UI.WindowsAndMessaging;
+using static Vanara.PInvoke.User32;
 
 namespace Files.App.Helpers
 {
@@ -58,5 +60,16 @@ public static void ChangeCursor(this UIElement uiElement, InputCursor cursor)
 				[cursor]
 			);
 		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Force window to stay at bottom of other upper windows.
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <param name="lParam">The lParam of the message.</param>
+		public static void ForceWindowPosition(nint lParam)
+		{
+			var windowPos = Marshal.PtrToStructure<WINDOWPOS>(lParam);
+			windowPos.flags |= SetWindowPosFlags.SWP_NOZORDER;
+			Marshal.StructureToPtr(windowPos, lParam, false);
+		}
 	}
 }

src/Files.App/MainWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WinUIEx.WindowEx
 		public static MainWindow Instance => _Instance ??= new();
 
 		public nint WindowHandle { get; }
+		private bool CanWindowToFront { get; set; } = true;
 
 		public MainWindow()
 		{
@@ -339,5 +340,38 @@ x.tabItem.NavigationParameter.NavigationParameter is PaneNavigationArguments pan
 				}
 			}
 		}
+
+		public bool SetCanWindowToFront(bool canWindowToFront)
+		{
+			if (CanWindowToFront != canWindowToFront)
+			{
+				CanWindowToFront = canWindowToFront;
+				return true;
+			}
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		public void HookWindowMessageReceivedEvent()
+		{
+			WinUIEx.WindowManager.Get(this).WindowMessageReceived += WindowManager_WindowMessageReceived;
+		}
+
+		public void UnhookWindowMessageReceivedEvent()
+		{
+			WinUIEx.WindowManager.Get(this).WindowMessageReceived -= WindowManager_WindowMessageReceived;
+		}
+
+		private const int WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING = 0x0046;
+		private void WindowManager_WindowMessageReceived(object? sender, WinUIEx.Messaging.WindowMessageEventArgs e)
+		{
+			if (!CanWindowToFront)
+			{
+				if (e.Message.MessageId == WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING)
+				{
+					Win32Helper.ForceWindowPosition(e.Message.LParam);
+					e.Handled = true;
+				}
+			}
+		}
 	}
 }

src/Files.App/Views/Layouts/BaseLayoutPage.cs

@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ public abstract class BaseLayoutPage : Page, IBaseLayoutPage, INotifyPropertyCha
 		private CancellationTokenSource? groupingCancellationToken;
 
 		private bool shiftPressed;
+		private bool itemDragging;
 
 		private ListedItem? dragOverItem = null;
 		private ListedItem? hoveredItem = null;
@@ -1012,13 +1013,23 @@ protected virtual void FileList_DragItemsStarting(object sender, DragItemsStarti
 					var storageItemList = orderedItems.Where(x => !(x.IsHiddenItem && x.IsLinkItem && x.IsRecycleBinItem && x.IsShortcut)).Select(x => VirtualStorageItem.FromListedItem(x));
 					e.Data.SetStorageItems(storageItemList, false);
 				}
+
+				MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(false);
+				itemDragging = true;
 			}
 			catch (Exception)
 			{
 				e.Cancel = true;
 			}
 		}
 
+		protected virtual void FileList_DragItemsCompleted(ListViewBase sender, DragItemsCompletedEventArgs args)
+		{
+			itemDragging = false;
+			MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true);
+			// No need to bring the window to the front
+		}
+
 		private void Item_DragLeave(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
 		{
 			var item = GetItemFromElement(sender);
@@ -1147,13 +1158,19 @@ protected void FileList_ContainerContentChanging(ListViewBase sender, ContainerC
 		{
 			RefreshContainer(args.ItemContainer, args.InRecycleQueue);
 			RefreshItem(args.ItemContainer, args.Item, args.InRecycleQueue, args);
+
+			itemDragging = false;
+			MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true);
+			// No need to bring the window to the front
 		}
 
 		private void RefreshContainer(SelectorItem container, bool inRecycleQueue)
 		{
 			container.PointerPressed -= FileListItem_PointerPressed;
 			container.PointerEntered -= FileListItem_PointerEntered;
 			container.PointerExited -= FileListItem_PointerExited;
+			container.Tapped -= FileListItem_Tapped;
+			container.DoubleTapped -= FileListItem_DoubleTapped;
 			container.RightTapped -= FileListItem_RightTapped;
 
 			if (inRecycleQueue)
@@ -1163,12 +1180,11 @@ private void RefreshContainer(SelectorItem container, bool inRecycleQueue)
 			else
 			{
 				container.PointerPressed += FileListItem_PointerPressed;
+				container.PointerEntered += FileListItem_PointerEntered;
+				container.PointerExited += FileListItem_PointerExited;
+				container.Tapped += FileListItem_Tapped;
+				container.DoubleTapped += FileListItem_DoubleTapped;
 				container.RightTapped += FileListItem_RightTapped;
-				if (UserSettingsService.FoldersSettingsService.SelectFilesOnHover)
-				{
-					container.PointerEntered += FileListItem_PointerEntered;
-					container.PointerExited += FileListItem_PointerExited;
-				}
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -1200,6 +1216,15 @@ private void RefreshItem(SelectorItem container, object item, bool inRecycleQueu
 
 		protected internal void FileListItem_PointerPressed(object sender, PointerRoutedEventArgs e)
 		{
+			if (!itemDragging)
+			{
+				// No need to bring the window to the front again
+				if (MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true))
+				{
+					Win32Helper.BringToForegroundEx(new(MainWindow.Instance.WindowHandle));
+				}
+			}
+
 			if (sender is not SelectorItem selectorItem)
 				return;
 
@@ -1225,6 +1250,9 @@ protected internal void FileListItem_PointerPressed(object sender, PointerRouted
 
 		protected internal void FileListItem_PointerEntered(object sender, PointerRoutedEventArgs e)
 		{
+			if (sender is SelectorItem selectorItem && selectorItem.IsSelected)
+				MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(false);
+
 			if (!UserSettingsService.FoldersSettingsService.SelectFilesOnHover)
 				return;
 
@@ -1271,15 +1299,52 @@ selectedItems is not null &&
 
 		protected internal void FileListItem_PointerExited(object sender, PointerRoutedEventArgs e)
 		{
+			if (!itemDragging)
+				MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true);
+				// No need to bring the window to the front
+
 			if (!UserSettingsService.FoldersSettingsService.SelectFilesOnHover)
 				return;
 
 			hoverTimer.Stop();
 			hoveredItem = null;
 		}
 
+		protected void FileListItem_Tapped(object sender, TappedRoutedEventArgs e)
+		{
+			if (!itemDragging)
+			{
+				// No need to bring the window to the front again
+				if (MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true))
+				{
+					Win32Helper.BringToForegroundEx(new(MainWindow.Instance.WindowHandle));
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		protected void FileListItem_DoubleTapped(object sender, DoubleTappedRoutedEventArgs e)
+		{
+			if (!itemDragging)
+			{
+				// No need to bring the window to the front again
+				if (MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true))
+				{
+					Win32Helper.BringToForegroundEx(new(MainWindow.Instance.WindowHandle));
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
 		protected void FileListItem_RightTapped(object sender, RightTappedRoutedEventArgs e)
 		{
+			if (!itemDragging)
+			{
+				// No need to bring the window to the front again
+				if (MainWindow.Instance.SetCanWindowToFront(true))
+				{
+					Win32Helper.BringToForegroundEx(new(MainWindow.Instance.WindowHandle));
+				}
+			}
+
 			var rightClickedItem = GetItemFromElement(sender);
 
 			if (rightClickedItem is not null && !((SelectorItem)sender).IsSelected)

src/Files.App/Views/Layouts/ColumnLayoutPage.xaml

@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@
 					CanDragItems="{x:Bind AllowItemDrag, Mode=OneWay}"
 					ContainerContentChanging="FileList_ContainerContentChanging"
 					DoubleTapped="FileList_DoubleTapped"
+					DragItemsCompleted="FileList_DragItemsCompleted"
 					DragItemsStarting="FileList_DragItemsStarting"
 					DragOver="ItemsLayout_DragOver"
 					Drop="ItemsLayout_Drop"

src/Files.App/Views/Layouts/DetailsLayoutPage.xaml

@@ -229,6 +229,7 @@
 					CanDragItems="{x:Bind AllowItemDrag, Mode=OneWay}"
 					ContainerContentChanging="FileList_ContainerContentChanging"
 					DoubleTapped="FileList_DoubleTapped"
+					DragItemsCompleted="FileList_DragItemsCompleted"
 					DragItemsStarting="FileList_DragItemsStarting"
 					DragOver="ItemsLayout_DragOver"
 					Drop="ItemsLayout_Drop"

src/Files.App/Views/Layouts/GridLayoutPage.xaml

@@ -787,6 +787,7 @@
 					ContainerContentChanging="FileList_ContainerContentChanging"
 					DoubleTapped="FileList_DoubleTapped"
 					DragEnter="ItemsLayout_DragEnter"
+					DragItemsCompleted="FileList_DragItemsCompleted"
 					DragItemsStarting="FileList_DragItemsStarting"
 					DragLeave="ItemsLayout_DragLeave"
 					DragOver="ItemsLayout_DragOver"