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How to Build Context Help in your Editor 

Keywords:     WinHelp Contents

Question:

I just discovered that by building a Help Contents meta-file (using a *.cnt, which requires 32-bit WINHELP), I can have context-sensitive help for ALL keywords in WIL and the extenders available at my fingertips.

The problem is that my preferred editor only supports context-help for one help file. (I know, I know, Winbatch Studio doesn't have this problem.) Anyways, I just wanted to share how I have access to all my help files through just one.

The following gives you a contents page, an index, and find tab.

Just cut and paste the code below into a file named: "Windows Interface Language.cnt (or WIL.CNT)" in the same folder as the *.HLP files, delete all the associated .GID, .FTS, and .FTG files, and run the help file.

I set my editor to access WIL.hlp (short name). Then I created a file called WIL.cnt and entered the lines: 

        --Windows Interface Language.cnt begins--

        :Base Windows Interface Language.hlp
        :Index=CTRLMGR.HLP
        :Index=Internet.hlp
        :Index=WinBatch.hlp
        :Index=WILX Extender.hlp
        1 Windows Interface Language=HTMLWIL.TOC000@Windows Interface Language.hlp>main
        1 WinBatch=WINBATCH.TOC000@WinBatch.hlp>main
        1 Control Manager Extender=CTRLMGR.TOC000@CTRLMGR.HLP>main
        1 Internet Extender=WXSOCK.TOC000@Internet.hlp>main
        1 WILX Extender=WILX.TOC000@WILX Extender.hlp>main

        --Windows Interface Language.cnt ends--
Then I deleted all the .gid, .ftg, and .fts files so they would have to be rebuilt by WinHelp. Presto! When I called WIL.hlp I could search for keywords in any of the help files! Whether I was searching for "P3Peek" or "xVerifyCCard" the right help file popped up.

Maybe you guys can use and improve on this, and release your own contents file. I think you can do better things with this so that sections are disabled if that help file isn't installed, etc.

Answer:

This sounds very interesting. So apparently there is some badly documented help mechanism that allows you to "glue" a bunch of different help files together after installation on a users machine.

Hmmm. I'll have to play with this a little. Where did you find out about it?

Comment (continued):

I discovered it when browsing Microsoft's Software Library. I found a Win95 help compiler called "Microsoft Help Workshop".

It turns out the .cnt (contents) files only work under 32-bit platforms but you can use standard Win 3.1 help files with them. They are the files responsible for the window with the "Contents|Index|Find" tabs.

You don't need the 32-bit help compiler to make it work, though. You can just type in a help contents file manually and...Voila! (sp?)

Check it out. Maybe do a search for "WinHelp Contents". Good luck! 

Article ID:   W13898

Filename:   Build a Help Contents File for your Editor.txt
File Created: 2001:01:08:12:18:24
Last Updated: 2001:01:08:12:18:24