How to Implement OLE Custom Control Context Sensitive Help

 Last reviewed: May 26, 1996
Article ID: Q130275
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft OLE Control Developers Kit (CDK) version 2.0

SUMMARY

An OLE Custom Control can provide context sensitive help on the currently selected control, property, or event by modifying the .ODL file. This article shows by example how to implement it.

MORE INFORMATION

The help file for GENERIC is given by the helpfile attribute in the library declaration in the GENERIC.ODL file. In the following code, GENERIC.HLP is the help file for the custom control. 

   [uuid(5CE3E2E3-8D26-101B-B883-444553540000), version(1.0),
    helpstring("GENERIC OLE Custom Control module"),
    helpfile("GENERIC.HLP")]
    library GENERICLib
The associated GENERIC.HPJ file lists helpcontext attributes for each of the help subjects:

[MAP] 

GENERIC                    10
GenericShape             50
FlashColor                  60
ClickIn                        70
ClickOut                     80
To specify the help topic ID for help on the control, add the helpcontext attribute of 10 to the coclass declaration in GENERIC.ODL; the following code demonstrates this: 

   [ uuid(5CE3E2E0-8D26-101B-B883-444553540000),
    helpstring("GENERIC Control"), helpcontext(10)]
    coclass CGENERIC
To specify the help topic ID for a control property, add the helpcontext attribute to the property declaration in the property list. The following code demonstrates a help context ID of 50 and 60 for the GenericShape and FlashColor properties respectively:

[ uuid(5CE3E2E1-8D26-101B-B883-444553540000), 

  helpstring("Dispatch interface for GENERIC Control") ]
 dispinterface _DGENERIC
{ 
            properties:
         // NOTE - ClassWizard will maintain property information here.
         //    Use extreme caution when editing this section.
         //{{AFX_ODL_PROP(CGENERICCtrl)
            [id(3), helpcontext(50)] GenericShapeConstants
                                                          GenericShape;
            [id(1), helpcontext(60)] OLE_COLOR FlashColor;
            [id(4)] BSTR FontName;
            [id(5)] boolean FontBold;
            [id(6)] boolean FontItalic;
            [id(7)] boolean FontStrikethru;
            [id(8)] boolean FontUnderline;
            [id(9)] float FontSize;
            [id(DISPID_BACKCOLOR), bindable, requestedit]
                                                          OLE_COLOR
BackColor ; 
            [id(DISPID_CAPTION), bindable, requestedit] BSTR
                                                          Caption;
            [id(DISPID_FONT), bindable] IFontDisp* Font;
            [id(DISPID_BORDERSTYLE), bindable, requestedit]
BorderStyleConstants BorderStyle; 
            [id(DISPID_ENABLED), bindable, requestedit] boolean
                                                          Enabled;
            [id(2)] MousePointerConstants MousePointer;
            [id(10)] IPictureDisp* MouseIcon;
        //}}AFX_ODL_PROP
To specify the help topic ID for a control event, add the helpcontext attribute to the event declaration in the event list. The following code demonstrates a help context ID of 70 and 80 for the ClickIn and ClickOut events respectively: 

 [ uuid(5CE3E2E2-8D26-101B-B883-444553540000),
  helpstring("Event interface for GENERIC Control") ]
dispinterface _DGENERICEvents { 
            properties:
            //  Event interface has no properties

            methods:
            // NOTE - ClassWizard will maintain event information here.
            //    Use extreme caution when editing this section.
            //{{AFX_ODL_EVENT(CGENERICCtrl)
            [id(1), helpcontext(70)] void ClickIn(float* X, float* Y,

     BSTR* Caption);
            [id(2), helpcontext(80)] void ClickOut();
            //}}AFX_ODL_EVENT
};

Additional reference words: 2.00 OCX
KBCategory: kbtool kbprg kbcode
KBSubcategory: CDKIss



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Last reviewed: May 26, 1996
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