What Are Help Macros?

A macro is a custom-made command that you can use in a Help file to change the way Windows Help works. A typical Help macro consists of a specific action that Help performs when the macro is executed. In general, you use Help macros to:

nCustomize the Help menu bar by creating and modifying your own menus and menu items. You can also use macros to access the standard menu functions and dialog boxes.

nCustomize the Help button bar by changing the function of the standard Help buttons or by creating and modifying your own custom Help buttons. You can also use macros to access any of the button-bar dialog boxes.

nControl the location and behavior of the main Help window or any secondary windows you create.

nCreate jumps to specific topics in a Help file or display specific topics in pop-up windows.

nSave text markers at specific locations within the Help file, and then create conditional jumps to those locations.

nAssign a keyboard access (accelerator) key or key combination to a Help macro.

nStart other applications.

nRegister a function within a dynamic-link library (DLL) and then use the function as a custom Help macro.