Press ESCThe Microsoft Advisor displays information in windows or dialog boxes. Help windows and dialog boxes function the same as other windows and dialog boxes found in PWB and CodeView. For a description of windows and dialog boxes, refer to Chapter 3, “Using the Programmer's WorkBench.”
The Help window displays tables of contents, indexes, and information about selected topics. Some screens of information are larger than the Help window; you can view information beyond the window borders with the scroll bars or the cursor-movement keys. The –– symbol marks the end of information in the Help window.
Navigating with Hyperlink Buttons
At the top of the Help window is a row of buttons that is useful for moving through the reference system:
| Button | Description |
| <Up> | Moves upward in the hierarchy of help screens. Since information is ordered from the general to the specific, this button takes you to more general information about the subject. |
| <Contents> | Displays the table of contents. This button always returns you to a known point in the online reference system. |
| <Index> | Displays the index list. Selecting an item from the list displays the index for that category. |
| <Back> | Moves to the last online reference screen you viewed. |
Frequently, screens about a particular topic are grouped together in a help file. Press CTRL+F1 to display information about the next topic in the help file.
Viewing the Previous Help Screen
The Microsoft Advisor remembers the last 20 help screens you've accessed. To return to a previous screen, use the <Back> button, or hold down the ALT key and press F1 as many times as necessary to return to the screen you want to see. The help screen that appears is active; you can ask for help on any of its hyperlinks or topics.
You can always return to the global contents by pressing SHIFT+F1.
Copying and Pasting Information
You can easily copy any text that appears in the Help window to another window. For example, to test an example program in the Help window, just copy it to the Source window and assemble it.
·Keyboard
To copy and paste, follow these steps:
1.Move the cursor to the beginning of the text you want to select. Hold down the SHIFT key and move the cursor to the end of the desired text. The text is now highlighted.
2.Execute the Copy command: press ALT to activate the menus, E (Edit), then C (Copy). Note that the menu lists the shortcut command (CTRL+INS), which you can substitute for ALT+E, then C.
3.Press F6 to switch to another window. Position the cursor where you want to insert the text and execute the Paste command: ALT+E, then P; or use the SHIFT+INS shortcut. The text from the Help window is inserted at the current cursor position.
·Mouse
To copy and paste, follow these steps:
1.Click the left mouse button and drag the cursor (hold down the button while moving the mouse) to select the text you want to copy.
2.Choose Copy from the Edit menu (or press CTRL+INS).
3.Move the mouse cursor to the location where you want to insert the text, and click once. Then choose Paste from the Edit menu. The text from the Help window is inserted at the current cursor position.
To close the active Help window and return to the Source window, do one of the following:
Press ESC
Click the Close button in the upper-left corner of the window with the left mouse button
Help dialog boxes contain information about menu commands and their dialog boxes. A help dialog box differs from a Help window in that it is displayed over the Source window and any other open windows. You must close a help dialog box before you can execute menu commands. Clicking the Cancel button in the lower-right portion of the dialog box closes the help dialog box.
To view information about any PWB dialog box, do one of the following:
Press F1
Click the help button in the dialog box with the left mouse button
Either of these commands causes a help dialog box to appear. To close a help dialog box, do one of the following:
Press ESC
Click the Cancel button in the lower-right portion of the dialog box with the left mouse button