Bringing up help files

[Michael Burns]

This is probably so trivial that I'm an idiot for asking for help. But….
I'm trying to figure out how to bring up the help file for my program. Knowing how the ShellExecute API call works (or so I thought), I know (or so I thought) that when you pass it a file the system knows the extension of, it will "run" it correctly. For example, in PBDLL, if you want you application to open the default browser to a specific URL, the following subroutine works quite well:

SUB Open_URL(BYVAL URL AS STRING)
'
' If this is called, the system's defaul browser is started
' and pointed at the URL.
'
DIM URLz AS ASCIIZ*255
DIM Nullz AS ASCIIZ*255
URLz=URL
Nullz=""
CALL ShellExecute(0&, Nullz, URLz, Nullz, Nullz, 1)
END SUB

My understanding is the ShellExecute when passed a file name, checks the system for the application that recognizes it, and runs that application with the passed file handed off to it. So….. I'd had thought in PB DLL that I could use the following to get my application to run the HELP file for the user:

SUB OpenHelp(BYVAL HelpFileName AS STRING)
'
' If this is called, the passed help file in the pplication default
' directory is executed..
'
LOCAL HelpFileNamez AS ASCIIZ*255
LOCAL Nullz AS ASCIIZ*255
HelpFileNamez=HelpFileName
Nullz=""
CALL ShellExecute(0&, Nullz, HelpFileNamez, Nullz, Nullz, 1)
END SUB

Bottom line is my attempt to bring up the help file does not work, but also generates no errors. (Sort of like a doctor burying his mistakes.) But I'd rather it work. J

By the way, I do recognize that if my help files were converted to html, I could avoid this issue.

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Michael Burns
http:\\www.revise.com

[Eric Pearson]

I think you want the WinHelp API, not ShellExecute.

-- Eric

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[Borje Hagsten]

The following is an extract from the next release of my main prog.
Hopefully, it can be of some help. %IDM_HELP is the id for the main
Help in the menu, where the index page shall be shown. %IDM_HLPSEARCH
is the id for the "Search for Help on" menu item and %IDM_PRESENT is
the id for a "Presentation" menu item, one that points to a certain
help page (here, topic 19):

'in the declarations:
GLOBAL AppHelpFile AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH, appPath AS STRING
 
'in WINMAIN
  LOCAL pthString AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH
 
  GetModuleFileName GetModuleHandle(""), pthString, %MAX_PATH
  appPath = LEFT$(pthString, INSTR(-1, pthString, "\"))
  AppHelpFile  = appPath & "myprog.hlp" 'whatever it's called
 
'in WndProc, where menus and buttons are trapped:
  CASE %WM_COMMAND
    SELECT CASE LOWRD(wParam)
      CASE %IDM_HELP      : lRes& = WinHelp(hWnd, AppHelpFile, %HELP_INDEX, 0&)
      CASE %IDM_HLPSEARCH : lRes& = WinHelp(hWnd, AppHelpFile, %HELP_PARTIALKEY, 0&)
      CASE %IDM_PRESENT   : lRes& = WinHelp(hWnd, AppHelpFile, %HELP_CONTEXT, 19&)

In addition to this, you can also assign a certain help topic numnber
(help page) to a dialog, or any control, with the following in the
dialog's WINMAIN (or PBMAIN):

     CALL SetWindowContextHelpId(hWnd, topicNum)

This makes it possible for the user to simply press F1 for context
sensitive help about the dialog or control in focus..


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[This message has been edited by Borje Hagsten (edited September 07, 2000).]

[Borje Hagsten]

Forgot to mention - one can also start winhelp via SHELL and make
it open any help file with:

  SHELL "winhelp " & HelpFileName

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