If you press TAB while in the viewport (mouse pointer over the viewport), you get the Transform tool. If you press TAB when in the network editor, you get the raw Transform SOP. I suspect that's the difference.
We're getting a similar issue at work here, where Houdini sometimes gets stuck in “interactive placement” mode even if the cursor is on the network editor. Then every node we drop down after that asks for viewport interaction. Only solution we can find is to relaunch Houdini. The frustrating part is I can't seem to replicate the problem, it appears spontaneously.
Is there a Python command which sets this interactive mode? It would be a simple workaround for now.
twod If you press TAB while in the viewport (mouse pointer over the viewport), you get the Transform tool. If you press TAB when in the network editor, you get the raw Transform SOP. I suspect that's the difference.
I thought it was pretty obvious that he is pressing tab in the network editor and it's asking him for input in the viewport (not the expected behavior). I think the issue may come from the network view being in a floating pane. I ran into this a while ago, and it took me a while to figure out the right configuration for having two windows. I've stuck with the same desktop now for a few years – I think I've kept the network editor in the main window, and instead made sure I made a floating window for the viewport instead.
