Foreground Applications

Is there a way to NOT make an application become foreground?
But still be able to get user input?
Like maybe, whenever my program is foreground,
make Desktop become foreground?

>>1, I don't think you understand the "focus" paradigm of window managers. Either it has focus, or it does not. There are ways to enable global hotkeys within the manager (like Winamp's hotkey controls), but some TurboC++ project you compiled at school probably doesn't have what you need to do what you're asking.