Starting a help file (CHM or HLP)

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Starting a help file (CHM or HLP)

Overview

Starting a full help

Starting a help for a window or for a control

Starting an advanced tooltip (context-sensitive help of a control)

See also

Automatic index generation

Compilation options

Compilation options (HLP format)

Compilation options (chm format)

Compiling the help system and running its test

Creating a help file (HLP/CHM)

Creating a multilingual help system

Creating anchors

Creating the help pages

Creating the help system in WINDEV

Creating the index keywords

Creating the links

Creating the summary

Creating, modifying, deleting a style

Defining a template of help window

Help system properties

Help: Summary table

Identifier of help pages

Image properties (help system)

Inserting an image into a help page

Keyword properties

Managing the styles

Options of the help editor

Properties of a help page

Properties of a link

Properties of a style

Selecting the keywords associated with a page

Starting a help file (CHM or HLP)

The different types of help systems in a WINDEV application

Overview
Starting a full help
Starting a help for a window or for a control
Starting the help associated with a window
Starting the help on a control
Starting an advanced tooltip (context-sensitive help of a control)
Associating a context-sensitive help with a control
Remarks

WINDEV

WEBDEV

WINDEV Mobile

Others

See also

Creating a help file (HLP/CHM)

Starting a help file (CHM or HLP)

Overview

Several methods can be used to start a help file (CHM or HLP):

starting a full help: used to open the help file (displays the summary).
In most cases, this operation is performed from a menu option (such as "?.. General help").
starting the help for a window or a control found in the application: used to open the help file on a specific page. This page presents the different options available in the window or control.
In most cases, this operation is performed via the F1 key or via a help button specific to the window.
displaying an advanced tooltip (help in HLP format only): this context-sensitive help presents the use of a control. This help is displayed via the icon for context-sensitive help ( ).

Starting a full help

The help is started by WHelp. All you have to do is specify the name of the help file to start. The help file opens on the first page of the help defined during the compilation.

For example:

// Start the help in HLP format
WHelp("MyHelp.hlp")
// Start the help in CHM format
WHelp("MyChmHelp.chm")
// Start the help in a multilingual application
WHelp("MyHelp" + Nation() + ".chm")

Starting a help for a window or for a control

Starting the help associated with a window

To start the help associated with a window, use WHelp and specify the identifier of the help page to display. This identifier was defined when creating the help system (in the characteristics of the page).

Remark: To automatically create the help button used to display the page corresponding to a window, Drag and Drop the relevant help page to the requested window.

The following example is used to start the help page of the "WIN_Configuration_Imp" window. The identifier of this help page is set to 5.

// Start the help in HLP format
WHelp("MyHelp.hlp", 5)
// Start the help in CHM format
WHelp("MyChmHelp.chm", 5)

Starting the help on a control

To start a help page on a control:

Specify the number of the page associated with the control in the control description ("Help" tab, "Help number" control).
Use WHelp associated with NumHelp to start the help page (via a help button for example).

The following example presents the code of a help button. This button is used to open the help page associated with the control currently in edit.

// -- Code of Help button
WHelp("MyHelp.hlp", NumHelp(ControlCurrent()))

Starting an advanced tooltip (context-sensitive help of a control)

Associating a context-sensitive help with a control

To associate a context-sensitive help with a control:

Display the icon for context-sensitive help in your window ("Icon for context-sensitive help" in the "Style" tab of the window description). If your window is a clipped window (some skin templates in version 11 for example), you must create a button in the window, associated with the preset "Context-sensitive help" action.
Specify the file for context-sensitive help to use ("Help" tab of window description). This file must be in HLP format.
Specify the number of the help page associated with the control in the control description ("Help" tab, "Help number" control).

Remark: The file of context-sensitive help associated with the window can be returned and modified by HelpFile.

Remarks

The file of context-sensitive help must have the following characteristics:
- no page header.
- no link in the pages of context-sensitive help, as these links would not operate.
Windows Vista and later: At this time, Windows Vista contains no launcher for starting the help in HLP format (WinHelp32.exe). The help files in HLP format cannot be used in Windows Vista. A version of this program for Windows Vista can be downloaded from the download center of Microsoft site.