We're republishing our WinHelp files in HTML Help format, as CHM files. But it looks like we can't use the RUNHELP Utility service anymore to open HTML topics. If we use RUNWIN with HH.EXE, we get a new help window created every time F1 is pressed!

OI help is in HTML format, and doesn't have this problem. So how is this done??

It looks like we'd have to use HtmlHelp() function in the MS Help API. But I can't find this prototyped anywhere. Are there functions built into OI for showing HTML help topics? Otherwise, what's the best way of doing this?

Cheers, M@

[img]http://www.vernonsystems.com/images/logo_main_ani.gif[/img]

Here is the prototype for the HtmlHelp API I use. It creates two versions of the same API call. One for calling specific pages (HtmlHelp), the other for opening straight to the index (HtmlHelp_String).

  
  
  [/color][/size]     
<code>
HHCTRL.OCX 
HANDLE STDCALL HtmlHelpA(HANDLE, LPASTR, LONG, LONG) as HtmlHelp_Pointer 
HANDLE STDCALL HtmlHelpA(HANDLE, LPASTR, LONG, LPASTR) as HtmlHelp_String[/color][/size] 
           
               

Save this as DLL_HHCTRL in SYSPROCS and run DECLARE_FCNS against it. To open a specific page, you refer to it by it's internal .html file name. For example, this is how SRP Editor opens it's help file:


<code>
HtmlHelp(0[/color], [/color]"SRP_OLE_Controls.chm::/Home_Page.html"[/color], [/color]HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC$[/color], [/color]0[/color])[/color][/color][/size]         
               

And this is how I open the same help file to the index, supplying an initial search value:

HtmlHelp_String(0[/color], [/color]"SRP_OLE_Controls.chm"[/color], [/color]HH_DISPLAY_INDEX$[/color], [/color]"SRP Button"[/color])[/color][/color][/size]         
               

Lastly, here are all the HtmlHelp API equates:

Equ [/color]HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC$           [/color]to [/color]0x0000 
[/color]Equ [/color]HH_DISPLAY_INDEX$           [/color]to [/color]0x0002 
[/color]Equ [/color]HH_GET_WIN_HANDLE$          [/color]to [/color]0x0006 
[/color]Equ [/color]HH_SYNC$                    [/color]to [/color]0x0009 
[/color]Equ [/color]HH_CLOSE_ALL$               [/color]to [/color]0x0012[/color][/color][/size]         
               

Let me know if you need more than this to go on.

P.S. If you have SRP Editor installed, these are already defined. Instead of HtmlHelp, use SRP_Editor_HtmlHelp_Pointer. Instead of of HtmlHelp_string, use SRP_Editor_HtmlHelp_String.

[email protected]

SRP Computer Solutions, Inc.

Great stuff - thanks Kevin!

Cheers, M@

[img]http://www.vernonsystems.com/images/logo_main_ani.gif[/img]

If you want to go directly to the help subject instead only to the index you can use "Visual CHM" program ($19.95) to create your CHM file, then merge proper Alias.h and Map.h files to MY_HELP.HHP file and call it from Quick Event with:

Compile Subroutine PROG_HELP(PARAM_1)

Declare Function Utility

hh_param=hh.exe -mapid " : PARAM_1 : " ms-its:" : 'MY_HELP.CHM'

rv=Utility("RUNWIN", hh_param)

Return

View this thread on the Works forum...