AppHelpFile key and context-sensitive help

[TD]

Hey All,
I am hooking up our custom html (.chm) help file to our Access xp
application, and, despite reading several posts and manuals on this, I
still have a gap in my understanding...

OK, so I've setup the registry keys to have a profile and I specify
an AppHelpFile and TitleBar in that profile. This works swell: when I
startup my application in runtime with the /profile option and then I
press F1 on a form, our help file appears. Voila! Note that I did not
set the HelpFile or HelpContextID properties on this form.

Now, what I want is CONTEXT-SENSITIVE help, so I put in some (valid)
HelpContextIDs for the controls on the form. But, this appears to break
things. Pressing F1 then either (a) does nothing or (b) opens a help
window with nothing in it. The only way I can fix this is to fill in
the HelpFile property for the form with the fully-qualified path to the
help file (it can't be in the same folder as the app, for various
reasons).

Is this the intended behavior? Do I have to fill in HelpFile for
every form programmatically in order to get context-sensitive help?

Any help much appreciated!

Thanks,
-Tom

[Br]

TD <to*******@gmail.com> wrote:
<>

Do I have to fill in HelpFile for
every form programmatically in order to get context-sensitive help?

Yes, I would have thought you'd need to enter the help file on each form
so Access knows where the context ID is coming from, else it assumes the
default Access help.

Programmatically? I assume you mean going into the property sheet for
each form and fillin gin the help file? :)
--
regards,

Bradley

A Christian Response
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response

[Ed Robichaud]

You don't need to set the registry keys to get custom help in an MDB, even
with the runtime. You do need to declare the help file in each form/report
and control, as well as the helpID's to bookmark to specific topics of that
help file. See the Access Help file, and search for the topic "creating a
custom help file".

As a personal note, I've spent many hours creating good custom help files
(and user manuals) for customers that seldom if ever get looked at.
-Ed

"TD" <to*******@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g49g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

Hey All,
I am hooking up our custom html (.chm) help file to our Access xp
application, and, despite reading several posts and manuals on this, I
still have a gap in my understanding...

OK, so I've setup the registry keys to have a profile and I specify
an AppHelpFile and TitleBar in that profile. This works swell: when I
startup my application in runtime with the /profile option and then I
press F1 on a form, our help file appears. Voila! Note that I did not
set the HelpFile or HelpContextID properties on this form.

Now, what I want is CONTEXT-SENSITIVE help, so I put in some (valid)
HelpContextIDs for the controls on the form. But, this appears to break
things. Pressing F1 then either (a) does nothing or (b) opens a help
window with nothing in it. The only way I can fix this is to fill in
the HelpFile property for the form with the fully-qualified path to the
help file (it can't be in the same folder as the app, for various
reasons).

Is this the intended behavior? Do I have to fill in HelpFile for
every form programmatically in order to get context-sensitive help?

Any help much appreciated!

Thanks,
-Tom

[TD]

Hey Bradley,

Thanks for the info... you would think since the application clearly
knows that my help file is the default help file (it comes up when I
press F1 on a form with no contextID's set) that it could assume my
contextIDs refer to that help file... but NOOO. Oh well.

I say "programatically" because we are going to have several
different front ends point to one central help file, so the help file
will not be residing alongside the front end. When the form opens, I
will set the helpFile property.

Thanks,
-Tom

Br@dley wrote:

TD <to*******@gmail.com> wrote:
<>

Do I have to fill in HelpFile for
every form programmatically in order to get context-sensitive help?

Yes, I would have thought you'd need to enter the help file on each form
so Access knows where the context ID is coming from, else it assumes the
default Access help.

Programmatically? I assume you mean going into the property sheet for
each form and fillin gin the help file? :)
--
regards,

Bradley

A Christian Response
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response

[TD]

Ed,

OK... I'm off to set a bunch of HelpFile properties. Thanks for the
info. Let's hope people DO find this help file useful... whatever the
case, it certainly will make the application appear a bit more
professional.

-Tom

[Br]

TD <to*******@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Bradley,

Thanks for the info... you would think since the application clearly
knows that my help file is the default help file (it comes up when I
press F1 on a form with no contextID's set) that it could assume my
contextIDs refer to that help file... but NOOO. Oh well.

I say "programatically" because we are going to have several
different front ends point to one central help file,
so the help file
will not be residing alongside the front end. When the form opens, I
will set the helpFile property.

Ah, that does complicate things. I guess you could store the location of
the Help file in a table, test it actually exists and set the form
property at runtime when the form opens? If it doesn't prompt the user
to select it's location?
--
regards,

Bradley

A Christian Response
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response