Help strategy

[VBAhole22]

What is the best way to provide custom-made help files to users of an application? I would like to be able to use a single key (like F2) to provide the user with a pop-up box containing help documents I created. These help files would be control-context-sensitive, meaning they would change based on the control the user was in on my form. Also is it possible to make these help files searchable like normal help files?

 

[GJT]

Is this link any good to you?

Its a few years since I have done this. At that time there were editors that were shareware and offered this functionality.

 

[VBAhole22]

Since I posted this I have been snooping around and it appears most folks either despise the MS Help Workshop or can't get it to work or both.

I want to go with a simple solution like text files in a popup form but I don't want 30 forms. Can I make one form with Notepad that has anchors or something to take the user to directly?

 

[WayneRyan]

VBAhole22,

Its been a long time since I've looked into
this topic.

I do recall reading that Access (either 97 or 2000)
have trouble implementing "context-sensitive" help.
There are 3rd party products like RoboHelp, but I
don't know much about them.

Method 1:

Private Sub Form_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, _
Shift As Integer)
Dim stAppName As String
If KeyCode = vbKeyF2 Then
stAppName = "C:\winnt\system32\Winhlp32 " & _
"C:\MIGDB\DATABASEHELP.HLP"
Call Shell(stAppName, 1)
End If
End Sub

The Help window will not be modal. If the user clicks
back on your form I think the help window will be minimized.
They might end up with a lot of instances of Help running if
they keep hitting F2.

Method 2:

You could make a Help Table in Access with
an ID and memo field. Link the context-ids to
your help tables ID and display a modal popup
when the F2 is pressed. In the long run
this might be better. You should be able
to populate your table from NotePad files.

good luck,
Wayne

 

[VBAhole22]

Yes!

Thank you Wayne. Those were great suggestions. I like method 2 so I think that's the one I'll go with. I'll have a table with ID and memo fields to hold the text. Now as far as the context sensitive part. I would like to use the Tag property to hold the 'context' ID in each control. Unfortunately I am already using the Tag for something else (seems as though I need 5 Tag fields as I use them for everything). Can I use the contextID's like I would a Tag property. I have never used Help Context id's. I figured they were for pulling windows help files only.

Thanks for the help. I am open for any more suggestions, that's for sure.

 

[WayneRyan]

VBAhole22,

You're welcome, glad to help.

The context-id is just:

Me.ControlName.HelpContextId

and is not currently in use by anything. I would try the following:

1) Assign context IDs to desired controls
2) Create NotePad docs named "Help" & context-ID and
place them in some directory
3) On all forms trap the F2, and set the something
(global, invisible control, etc.) to the context-id
of the "Form.ActiveControl.HelpContextID" <-- syntax?
4) Call a modal popup whose on-open will assign the contents of
the "Help" & "Context-ID" file to a memo field.

I think that should work fine.

let me know,
Wayne

ps: I think the files would be easier to maintain than a table
but the mechanics should be the same.