Adding help functionality (chm files) to Access projects

[bajanpoet]

Is there a method of linking a chm file to a custom menu option or custom toolbar button? I have documentation for my Access application and I want to do a Help menu, but I don't know how to link the file to my mdb file. I also want to link the Help file to a button in my Switchboard. How do I get these things done?

[MMcCarthy]

Is there a method of linking a chm file to a custom menu option or custom toolbar button? I have documentation for my Access application and I want to do a Help menu, but I don't know how to link the file to my mdb file. I also want to link the Help file to a button in my Switchboard. How do I get these things done?

In your custom menubar add the 'Microsoft Access Help' menu option from the Windows and Help category. Then change the label to whatever you want and the help file path to the path to your chm file.

I'm not sure how you would add it to the switchboard.

Mary

[ADezii]

Is there a method of linking a chm file to a custom menu option or custom toolbar button? I have documentation for my Access application and I want to do a Help menu, but I don't know how to link the file to my mdb file. I also want to link the Help file to a button in my Switchboard. How do I get these things done?

You can launch a Custom Help File from the Switchboard Manager by using the Run Code Command option within the Switchboard Manager and specifying a Function Name that will execute your Help File (*.chm) strictly by file extension association. It does, however, rely on an API call to accomplish this. The basic code follows. Since you can't specify Function Parameters within the call, you must track what Switchboard and associated buttons have been pressed via Public Variables. If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Public Success As Boolean
 
Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" _
Alias "ShellExecuteA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpOperation As String, ByVal lpFile As String, ByVal lpParameters As String, _
ByVal lpDirectory As String, ByVal nShowCmd As Long) As Long

Public Function Execute_Program(ByVal strFilePath As String, ByVal strParms As String, ByVal strDir As String) As Boolean
  Dim hwndProgram As Integer
  hwndProgram = ShellExecute(0, "Open", strFilePath, strParms, strDir, 3)     '3 ==> Show Maximized
End Function

In the Switchboard, the FunctionName would be something like fExecuteFileByExtension and the Function itself would be something similar to this:

'The 1st button on the Test Launch Help File Switchboard would open the Calculator Help File (Calc.chm)
Public Function fExecuteFileByExtension()
Select Case gSwitchboardName
  Case "Test Launch Help File"
      Select Case gButtonClicked
         Case 1    'Button 1
            Success = Execute_Program("C:\Calc.chm", "", "")
         Case 2    'Button 2
         Case 3    'Button 3
         Case 4    'Button 4
         Case 5    'Button 5
      End Select
  Case "HazMat Technician (Tier Training)"
      Select Case gButtonClicked
         Case 3    'Button 3
      End Select
  Case "PFD HazMat Training"
      Select Case gButtonClicked
         Case 3    'Button 3
         Case 4    'Button 4
      End Select
  Case "You Get The Idea"
End Select