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Resolved Building Help Screens for Windows

  1. How-to
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  1. James Medick
    James Medick
  2. PowerBuilder
  3. Thursday, 30 January 2020 17:32 PM UTC

I would like to create and display a simple help screen (window) for each window in my application, e.g., press F1 and display the appropriate help window for the application current window. 

Is there a preferred method for this?  Or is it simply to create a word doc file (RTF?) to hold the instructions and retrieve it for display when F1? 

How do you provide the link (help menu script that opens a window?) 

Where should the files be stored (text files in a doc directory?). 

I only need the basics, just display a word doc simply formatted, no hyper links.  Thisis for a desk top application.

Thanks Much

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James Medick
James Medick Accepted Answer Pending Moderation
  1. Friday, 31 January 2020 20:26 PM UTC
  2. PowerBuilder
  3. # 1

Extremely helpful, thanks so much,

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James Medick
James Medick Accepted Answer Pending Moderation
  1. Friday, 31 January 2020 15:37 PM UTC
  2. PowerBuilder
  3. # 2

Is there a preferred CHM file generator for PowerBuilder?

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Michael Kramer
  1. Michael Kramer
  2. Friday, 31 January 2020 16:21 PM UTC
No specific preference. Here is list.

Tools list: http://www.create-chm.com/chm-creation-tools/

The MS tool is free albeit limited feature set.
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Chris Pollach @Appeon
Chris Pollach @Appeon Accepted Answer Pending Moderation
  1. Thursday, 30 January 2020 21:36 PM UTC
  2. PowerBuilder
  3. # 3

Hi James;

  Along with the RTF approach in your original post, I have implemented ...

1) RTE using "targeted" RTF files

2) Word document => PDF and then call that

3) Michael's ShowHelp ( ) approach

4) HTML files

Note: For #2 and #4, I store these files on a Web Server and then use, for example ...

String    ls_help
String  ls_language        
ns_internet_master lo_inet
lo_inet = CREATE ns_internet_master
ls_help = THIS.of_get_appl_url ( )
ls_help += "Help/"
ls_help += THIS.of_get_appl_help_file ( )
ls_language = "_" + THIS.of_get_language ( )
ls_help = fn_replace_all (ls_help, "_x", ls_language )
ii_rc =    lo_inet.hyperlinktourl ( ls_help )
Destroy lo_inet		  

Note1:  In the above code that I am using "ns_internet_master" which is a descendant of the iNet class.

Note2:  The Help files are always located in the App's URL on the web server in a "Help" sub-folder

Note3:  The help file name is always "<AppHelpName>" plus "_" plus a language identifier which makes the help files multi-lingual (HTML or PDF)

Note4: The "hyperlinktourl" methods does all the "heavy lifting" and opens the user's default browser to display.

Tip: In PB2019R2, you will now have a new Web Browser control. You could replace the "hyperlinktourl" with just placing the qualified URL into the new Web Browser control directly. Food for thought.

HTH

Regards ... Chris

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Michael Kramer
Michael Kramer Accepted Answer Pending Moderation
  1. Thursday, 30 January 2020 18:02 PM UTC
  2. PowerBuilder
  3. # 4

PowerBuilder has system function to display help files.

// Code examples
ShowHelp( "myapp.chm", Index!)
ShowHelp( "myapp.chm", Keyword!, "Camera")
ShowHelp( "myapp.chm", Topic!, 1234)

See PowerBuilder's help on ShowHelp for more info.

NOTE: With Windows 10 you must use .CHM files instead of .HLP.

HTH /Michael

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