Help System for Access Database (1 Viewer)

[AngelSpeaks]

What do you use as a Help System for your databases? For VB and VB.NET, I used Microsoft HTML Workshop .chm files.

Can this be integrated with Access? Any other ideas?

Thanks

Cathy

 

[Pat Hartman]

If they are still supported, yes.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Seeing as Microsoft Access is based on tables, it makes sense to store your help information in tables.

I built my own system for providing help like this, and you can see it on my website here:-

Nifty Help System - Nifty Access

Nifty Help System There are many ingenious ways to offer help to your MS Access Application user. One of the simplest ways is to store the help information in the table. But it's not so simple because every place that you want to provide help, you will have to add the code to open the

www.niftyaccess.com

 

[oleronesoftwares]

I used Microsoft HTML Workshop .chm files

Microsoft Knowledge Base Archive

An unofficial Microsoft Knowledge Base archive which is intended to provide a reliable access to deleted content from Microsoft KB.

mskb.pkisolutions.com

you can look at the article in the above link

 

[Pat Hartman]

I agree that using Access itself would be better. It requires no extra files to be distributed and updated.

 

[LarryE]

Each form and control on a form has a Help File property. If you type in the full name of the .chm file (including the .chm extension) and press F1, the file should open. The .chm file needs to be in the same directory as your .accdb or .accde or .accdr file. Each form and control also has a Help Context ID property. You can specify the .chm file context ID and when you press F1, that specific Context ID will open.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Microsoft Knowledge Base Archive

An unofficial Microsoft Knowledge Base archive which is intended to provide a reliable access to deleted content from Microsoft KB.

mskb.pkisolutions.com

you can look at the article in the above link

Thanks

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Seeing as Microsoft Access is based on tables, it makes sense to store your help information in tables.

I built my own system for providing help like this, and you can see it on my website here:-

Nifty Help System - Nifty Access

Nifty Help System There are many ingenious ways to offer help to your MS Access Application user. One of the simplest ways is to store the help information in the table. But it's not so simple because every place that you want to provide help, you will have to add the code to open the

www.niftyaccess.com

Looks Nifty allright!

 

[The_Doc_Man]

For my biggest Navy DB, the version of Access I was using didn't support .CHM files (darn the bad luck...) so what I did was build a help file from Word, insert bookmarks, and then opened the help file in read-only mode to a bookmark. The forms had a HELP button that opened a help form that listed text descriptions (essentially a combo-box) for which the visible field was English and the hidden field was the bookmark. Then in my user's manual for the DB (and in the tutorial) I showed use of the help file including to close it once you had done the lookup. If I had been able to use the .CHM files, I would have. But... wasn't meant to be.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Each form and control on a form has a Help File property. If you type in the full name of the .chm file (including the .chm extension) and press F1, the file should open. The .chm file needs to be in the same directory as your .accdb or .accde or .accdr file. Each form and control also has a Help Context ID property. You can specify the .chm file context ID and when you press F1, that specific Context ID will open.

When I tried this Access help displayed and not the .chm. I probably need to add some vba code. Thanks

 

[AngelSpeaks]

I agree that using Access itself would be better. It requires no extra files to be distributed and updated.

So, i create a table, the key could be the name of the form, etc or i could use the Help Id. Table will have a column for large text and add a control btn to the forms to initiate it?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Why don't you download Uncle Gizmo's mini-app. I don't know how he stores the tag for the lookup. But, he's worked it out and you only have to import four objects to make it work with your app. It will be cheap at any price. Just watch the demo to see it work. He's only asking $6.99 for it. There is no license required to distribute the code with your app so that's your total risk.

 

[LarryE]

When I tried this Access help displayed and not the .chm. I probably need to add some vba code. Thanks

Oh sorry. Each form needs a Private Sub with the following in it:

Dim hwndHelp As Long
hwndHelp = HtmlHelp(hwnd, "NAMEOFHELPFILE.chm", HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 0)

I don't think the name of the Sub makes any difference. So, for example, if your help .chm file is named DBHelp.chm:

Each form has a sub:
Private Sub DBHelp_Click()
Dim hwndHelp As Long
hwndHelp = HtmlHelp(hwnd, "DBHelp.chm", HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 0)
Exit Sub
End Sub

You will also need a module with the following declarations and HtmlHelp Public Declare Function. PtrSafe allows the Public Declare Function to run under 64-bit ACCESS versions.
Option Compare Database
Public Const HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC = &H0
Public Const HH_SET_WIN_TYPE = &H4
Public Const HH_GET_WIN_TYPE = &H5
Public Const HH_GET_WIN_HANDLE = &H6
Public Const HH_DISPLAY_TEXT_POPUP = &HE
Public Const HH_HELP_CONTEXT = &HF
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_CONTEXT = &H10
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_CONTEXTMENU = &H10
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_WM_HELP = &H11
Public Const WM_CLOSE = &H10

Public Declare PtrSafe Function HtmlHelp Lib "hhctrl.ocx" Alias "HtmlHelpA" (ByVal hwndCaller As Long, ByVal pszFile As String, ByVal uCommand As Long, ByVal dwData As Long) As Long

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Oh sorry. Each form needs a Private Sub with the following in it:

Dim hwndHelp As Long
hwndHelp = HtmlHelp(hwnd, "NAMEOFHELPFILE.chm", HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 0)

I don't think the name of the Sub makes any difference. So, for example, if your help .chm file is named DBHelp.chm:

Each form has a sub:
Private Sub DBHelp_Click()
Dim hwndHelp As Long
hwndHelp = HtmlHelp(hwnd, "DBHelp.chm", HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 0)
Exit Sub
End Sub

You will also need a module with the following declarations and HtmlHelp Public Declare Function. PtrSafe allows the Public Declare Function to run under 64-bit ACCESS versions.
Option Compare Database
Public Const HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC = &H0
Public Const HH_SET_WIN_TYPE = &H4
Public Const HH_GET_WIN_TYPE = &H5
Public Const HH_GET_WIN_HANDLE = &H6
Public Const HH_DISPLAY_TEXT_POPUP = &HE
Public Const HH_HELP_CONTEXT = &HF
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_CONTEXT = &H10
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_CONTEXTMENU = &H10
Public Const HH_TP_HELP_WM_HELP = &H11
Public Const WM_CLOSE = &H10

Public Declare PtrSafe Function HtmlHelp Lib "hhctrl.ocx" Alias "HtmlHelpA" (ByVal hwndCaller As Long, ByVal pszFile As String, ByVal uCommand As Long, ByVal dwData As Long) As Long

Thanks!

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Why don't you download Uncle Gizmo's mini-app. I don't know how he stores the tag for the lookup. But, he's worked it out and you only have to import four objects to make it work with your app. It will be cheap at any price. Just watch the demo to see it work. He's only asking $6.99 for it. There is no license required to distribute the code with your app so that's your total risk.

I will. Thanks.