ODE97: How to Create Context-Sensitive Help for an MS Access DB

• Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition Tools

SUMMARY

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

Context-sensitive help offers the quickest and easiest access to information about what a user sees on a screen. The user can find out what an item in a dialog box or program does just by clicking the question-mark button in the title bar and then clicking the item.

Context-sensitive help refers to Help that a user can access while working in a program such as Microsoft Access, for example, while in a form or in a text box.

This article demonstrates how to create context-sensitive help that can be displayed on a form when you press the F1 key. The following topics are discussed in this article:

   A. How Context-Sensitive Help Works
   B. Identifying Topics in a Word Processor
   C. Using a Common Prefix for Topic IDs
   D. Mapping Numeric Values
   E. Compiling Your Help Topic
   F. Creating a Sample Context-Sensitive Help File That Opens by Pressing
      F1

MORE INFORMATION

A. How Context-Sensitive Help Works

To create context-sensitive help in Microsoft Access, you create topic files in a Word processor such as Microsoft Word, saved them out to the RTF format, and then map them to numeric values in the Project file. You then assign the numeric values to the HelpFile and HelpContextID properties in the form or control so that the Help topic can be linked to that object.

The HelpFile property specifies the name of a custom Help file for the current form or report. For the HelpFile property, you enter a string expression that contains the path and file name of a custom Help file created with the Windows Help Compiler.

When you press the F1 key in Form view, Microsoft Access calls the Windows Help application, loads the custom Help file specified by the HelpFile property setting for the form or report, and displays the Help topic specified by the HelpContextID property setting.

If a control's HelpContextID property setting is 0 (the default), Microsoft Access uses the form's HelpContextID and HelpFile properties to identify the Help topic to display. If you press F1 in a view other than Form view or if the HelpContextID property setting for both the form and the control is 0, a Microsoft Access Help topic is displayed.

B. Identifying Topics in a Word Processor

When you write context-sensitive help, you first create context-sensitive Help Topics in your topic files. Then you map the topic IDs to numeric values in your Project file.

C. Using a Common Prefix for Topic IDs

If you use a common prefix for your topic IDs, such as IDH_, Microsoft Help Workshop automatically checks that the topics mapped in your Project file actually exist in your Help file. It also makes sure that your context- sensitive Help topics are all mapped in your Project file.

You can use other prefixes for your topic IDs; however, you will need to make sure that you specify them in your Project file. For example, if you add a topic ID to your topic file that is preceded with the number sign (#) as a custom mark, you will need to add the number sign (#) to the "Instead of IDH_, check these prefixes:" text box in the Map dialog box in the Help Workshop Project file that you create for your Help Topic.

D. Mapping Numeric Values

You can map a topic ID to any number, but the numeric values defined in a Help file must all be unique. You must also make sure you map the correct topic ID to the correct number. For example, if you create a topic ID that contains information about a text box on a form, and you map that topic ID to a number that is added to the HelpContextID property of a text box on a report, the wrong information will be displayed for the user when the user presses F1. You must also make sure that you include the correct Help file in the HelpFile property.

E. Compiling Your Help Topic

After mapping all the Topic IDs in your topic file to the Help Context IDs of your database objects, you can compile your topic file into a Help file. Once your Project file compiles your topic files without any errors, you can open your database and access your Help file from any control or object that the Help file is mapped to.

F. Creating a Sample Context-Sensitive Help File That Opens by Pressing F1

The following steps demonstrate how to create context-sensitive help that can be opened by pressing the F1 key:

  1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb. Click the Tables tab, select
     the Employees table, and on the Insert menu, click Autoform.

  2. Note that the form has a Title, a Notes, and a Reports To control.

  3. Close the form and save it as MyEmpHelp.

  4. Minimize Microsoft Access and open Microsoft Word. Create a new
     document in Word and type the following information in the document:

       The Title text box contains information on the Employee's job
       title.

       The Notes menu field contains information about the Employee's
       education.

       The Reports To field contains the name of the Employee's manager.

  5. Place a hard return before the words "The Title." Place a hard return
     before the words "The Notes." Place a hard return before the words
     "The Reports To."

  6. Place the insertion point before the words "The Title," and on the
     Insert menu, click Footnote.

      a. In the Footnote And Endnote dialog box, under Numbering, click
         Custom Mark.

      b. In the Custom Mark text box, type "#" (without the quotation
         marks), and then click OK.

      c. In the Footnotes window at the bottom of the screen, type
         MyTitleTopic, and then click Close.

  7. Place the insertion point before the words "The Notes," and on the
     Insert menu, click Footnote.

      a. In the Footnote And Endnote dialog box, under Numbering, click
         Custom Mark.

      b. In the Custom Mark text box, type "#" (without the quotation
         marks), and then click OK.

      c. In the Footnotes window at the bottom of the screen, type
         MyNoteTopic, and then click Close.

  8. Place the insertion point before the words "The Reports To," and on
     the Insert menu, click Footnote.

      a. In the Footnote And Endnote dialog box, under Numbering, click
         Custom Mark.

      b. In the Custom Mark text box, type "#" (without the quotation
         marks), and then click OK.

      c. In the Footnotes window at the bottom of the screen, type
         MyReportsToTopic, and then click Close.

  9. Close and save the file as MyHelpTopics.rtf and place it in the
     Program Files\Help Workshop folder.

 10. Open Microsoft Help Workshop, and on the File menu, click New. In the
     New dialog box, click OK to create a new Help Project. In the File
     name box, type MyHelpTopics, and then click OK.

 11. In the MyHelpTopics.hpj window, click Files. In the Topic files dialog
     box, click Add. In the Help Workshop folder, select MyHelpTopics.rtf
     and click Open. In the Topic files dialog box, click OK.

 12. Click the Map button. In the Map dialog box, click Add.

 13. Type the following values in the Add Map Entry dialog box:

       Topic ID          Mapped Numeric Value
       --------          --------------------

       MyTitleTopic       1200
       MyNoteTopic        2400
       MyReportsToTopic   3600

 14. In the "Instead of IDH_, check these prefixes:" text box, type "#"
     (without the quotation marks) and click OK.

     Your MyHelpTopics.hpj window should look like the following:

       ; This file is maintained by HCW. Do not modify this file directly.

         [OPTIONS]

         LCID=0X409 0X0 0X0 ; English (United States)
         REPORT=Yes
         PREFIX=#

         [FILES]
         MyHelpTopics.rtf

         [MAP]
         MyNoteTopic=2400
         MyReportsToTopic=3600
         MyTitleTopic=1200

 15. Click Save And Compile to compile your Help topic file.

 16. Copy your Help file to the Windows\Help folder.

     NOTE: This step eliminates the need for adding the path to the file in
     the HelpFile property.

 17. On the taskbar, click the Microsoft Access icon and open the
     MyEmpHelp form in Design view.

 18. On the View menu, click Properties. In the Form Properties box, in
     the HelpFile property, type MyHelpTopics.hlp.

 19. Click to set focus on the Title text box. In the Properties box, for
     the HelpContextID property, type 1200.

 20. Click to set focus on the Notes memo field. In the Properties box, for
     the HelpContextID property, type 2400.

 21. Click to set focus on the Reports To control. In the Properties box,
     for the HelpContextID property, type 3600.

 22. Save the form, and open it in Form view. Click the Title control and
     press the F1 key. The Help topic for the Title control is displayed.

 23. Click the Notes control and press the F1 key. The Help topic for
     the Notes control is displayed.

 24. Click the Reports To control and press the F1 key again. The Help
     topic for the Reports To control is displayed.

REFERENCES

For more information about creating context-sensitive help, search the Help Index for "context ID for Help topics," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.