ADT/ODE: Help Topic Does Not Exist Err Invoking Custom Help File

 Last reviewed: October 20, 1997
Article ID: Q103179
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Access Distribution Kit version 1.1
  • Microsoft Access Developer's Toolkit version 2.0, 7.0
  • Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition Tools

SYMPTOMS

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

If you press the F1 key to invoke a custom Help file topic for a form control, you receive the following error message.

In Microsoft Access 97: 

   The Topic does not exist. Contact your application vendor for an updated
   Help file (129)
In Microsoft Access versions 1.1, 2.0, and 7.0: 

 "Help topic does not exist" twice.

CAUSE

The number entered in the HelpContextID property could not be mapped to a Help file context string in the custom Help file.

RESOLUTION

Make sure a [MAP] section exists in the Help project file that correctly maps the HelpContextID context number to the context string in the custom Help file.

MORE INFORMATION

The number entered in the HelpContextID property for a Microsoft Access form control can be mistaken for the context string used to identify a topic in the Help system. The HelpContextID is actually known as a context number. A context number is an optional number that you can associate with context strings by using the [MAP] section in the Help project file. A context number can be assigned to each object in an application to enable context sensitivity.

A typical [MAP] section in the Help project file will look as follows: 

   [MAP]
   TitlePageContextString   3
   Topic1ContextString      1
   Topic2ContextString      2
The context string appears first, followed by the HelpContextID context number. The context string and context number are separated by white space, using either space characters or tabs.

In the example above, the # footnote for the first topic would be set to the string TitlePageContextString. Within Microsoft Access, you would set HelpContextID to the number 3.

REFERENCES

For more information on creating your own help topics, search the Help Index for "help, creating custom," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant. 

Keywords          : kbusage PgmOthr
Version           : 1.1 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbprb

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Last reviewed: October 20, 1997
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