Help with Help!

Post by **Antonio Linares** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:51 pm

Dale,

Yes, the images are properly displayed.

Quite strange... it finds the ID but does not display the contents.

We need a small sample and a small help file to reproduce the error here. We may build it. If you can provide it, much better. Thanks.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:48 pm

Thanks very much for the response.

I have created a small test app with all associated files and emailed to you.

Regards,

Dale.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:00 pm

Follow on after email:

In the test that I sent to you the strange thing is that if you change the type of help from 'popup' to 'topic' in the .hlp file itself the heading of the 'topic' is displayed i.e. it is a problem with any context specific HelpID that refers to a 'popup' in the .hlp file. If the HelpID refers to a 'topic' as defined in the .hlp file then only the 'topic' heading is displayed.

Let me know if you received the email.

Regards,

Dale.

James Bott · Post by **James Bott** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:08 pm

Dale,

Are you using the old .HLP type help files, or the new HTML (.CHM) type help files? If you are using the HTML help, you have to override the FW help functions with new ones (I can provide them).

Regards,
James

Post by **Antonio Linares** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 10:25 pm

Dale,

Your help file is wrong. There was no 2001 topic ID. Once I fixed it, then your sample works ok:

What tool are you using to develop your help files ? We do recommend Help&Manual.

You may download the fixed help file from here:
http://hyperupload.com/download/0daab27 ... t.zip.html

Post by **Antonio Linares** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:08 am

Dale,

This change on source\classes\control.prg lets you use the "?" dialog icon to get the same effect as pressing F1 on a control:

Code: Select all

METHOD HandleEvent( nMsg, nWParam, nLParam ) CLASS TControl

   do case
      case nMsg == WM_HELP    // New
           return ::HelpTopic()     // New

      ...

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:46 am

Antonio, thanks for the work and the reply.

HOWEVER, there definitely was a HelpID of 2001 in my help file but that was my point:

HelpID 2001 was defined IN MY HELP FILE as a POPUP type of help and not as a TOPIC type of help.

If I change the help type in my help file from a POPUP type of help to a TOPIC type of help then I could get the same output as you.

I am using the demo version of Fast-Help (which I intend purchasing if I can sell one or two apps) and I also tried an older version of DotHLP-32 and both gave me the same results.

The workaround obviously is to define ALL of your HelpID's in your help file as TOPIC and not as POPUP.

Images of what I mean:

This is a definition for a HELP TOPIC using Fast-Help:

http://www.fleetfocus.net/software/images/helptopic.JPG

Thi is a definition for a HELP POPUP using Fast-Help:

http://www.fleetfocus.net/software/images/helppopup.JPG

Notice the difference between the two types of definition.

I can only assume that because Fast-Help and DotHLP-32 are so popular they follow some sort of Microsoft 'standard' which FiveWin somehow is not following correctly.

Don't get me wrong - it is not a train smash - but it does concern me a little bit that I am getting unexpected results from another package which is apparantely compatible with all other languages and is now giving me unexpected results.

I have a sneaky suspicion that this incompatibility has something to do with Peter's problem as well.

Thanks again for all of your work.

Regards,

Dale.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:06 am

Hi, sorry I forgot to respond to the other messages:

Antonio - are those changes to source\classes\control.prg going to be implemented in the next release of FWH or are you giving me a 'custom' fix for now? You know how I like to use 'standard' FWH functions and not 'custom' fixes

James - I think that Fast-Help generates both .CHM and .HLP files (and the .HLP files are apparantely 32-bit compatible if that is the right description). Will using .CHM files make a difference to my life in the future? What is the difference between the two other than the type of file that is created?

Edit by self:

The problem with not being able to use POPUP type definitions in the creation of your help file is that all of your so called POPUP's or context specific help prompts will appear in your main help text as they then have to be defined as TOPICS and only TOPICS appear in your main help file, popups are supposed to be hidden from view unless being displayed as context specific help in your application.

Regards,

Dale.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:45 am

Sorry, but this is a bigger train smash than I thought.

If you cannot define context specific help as type POPUP in your help file and all of your help definitions are of type TOPIC then you land up with the following:

http://www.fleetfocus.net/software/imag ... chhelp.JPG

In the above link it would appear that your context specific help is working but the above is actually a TOPIC in your help file and not a POPUP.

Because of this you now land up with a main help file that appears as follows:

http://www.fleetfocus.net/software/images/mainhelp.JPG

This is because defining a help TOPIC in your help file but displaying it as a help POPUP from within FWH only displays the heading of a TOPIC and, as we know, FWH will not display defined help POPUPS.

Regards,

Dale.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:09 am

Hello again, just trying to help

I have just downloaded and installed Help & Manual to test and it would appear that Help & Manual works correctly.

In Help & Manual, what I was referring to as POPUP type help in Fast-Help, is referred to as HIDDEN TOPICS in Help & Manual.

It would appear that there is a incompatibility issue between FWH and Fast-Help so I have provided the support team at Fast-Help a link to this thread for them to have a look at.

Thanks all for you trouble and time.

I have added the code that you sent to me Antonio and it also works likes charm.

Thanks again.

Dale.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:53 am

I have just done another test:

I imported my .hlp file that I created with Help & Manual into Fast-Help, recompiled withoug making any changes, and it (the Fast-Help compiled file) now works perfectly (although I have not tried to add another POPUP type help to it but will do so shortly).

Regards,

Dale.

Post by **Antonio Linares** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:58 am

Dale,

Glad to know its solved

Yes, FWH march build will include all recent changes.

dpaterso · Post by **dpaterso** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 8:50 am

Thanks again.

After much testing it would appear that it is Fast-Help that has the problem and not FWH (sorry about all of that).

If I create the help file with Help & Manual it works perfectly (other than the long, very long, copyright messages of course) but if I create the same file with Fast-Help it will not work but if I import the Help & Manual help file into Fast-Help the items that were previously defined in Help & Manual work but any new items that I add in Fast-Help do not work and there is no difference between the properties of the Help & Manual items and the newly added Fast-Help items.

Anyway - once again - sorry for the trouble.

Seeing that this is obviously not a FWH problem and has taken up much space maybe you should consider deleting this thread.

Regards,

Dale.