Dr.Explain is a useful help authoring tool for creating context sensitive help files.

 

The MS HTMLhelp API allows opening a specific topic within the CHM file from your software. Thus, with CHM file you can easily implement a context sensitive help functionality in your software application.

 

This sample code for Visual Basic demonstrates how to open a certain page of the help file:

 

Private Declare Function HtmlHelp Lib "HHCtrl.ocx" Alias "HtmlHelpA" _

    ( ByVal hWndCaller As Long, _

      ByVal pszFile As String, _

      ByVal uCommand As Long, _

      dwData As Any) As Long

Const HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC As Long = 0

Private Sub CommandF1_Click()

    HtmlHelp hWnd, sPathToCHM, HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC, ByVal "topic_name.htm"

End Sub

 

... or by Help ID:

 

Private Sub CommandF1_Click()

    HtmlHelp hWnd, sPathToCHM, HH_HELP_CONTEXT, ByVal 2000&

End Sub

 

This approach can be easily applied for other programming languages, e.g. for C\C++ application this may look like this:

 

void OnHelp()

{

  HtmlHelp(hWnd, sPathToCHM, HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC, (DWORD)_T("topic_name.htm"));

};

 

... or by Help ID:

 

void OnHelp()

{

  HtmlHelp(hWnd, sPathToCHM, HH_HELP_CONTEXT, (DWORD)2000);

};

 

 

Dr.Explain is a handy help authoring tool for creating context sensitive help files in CHM format.