About Methods

Microsoft Corporation

Updated June 10, 1999

Methods enable you to access functionality within the HTML Help ActiveX control through the use of a scripting language, such as JavaScript or Visual Basic Scripting Edition. Generally, methods use the information specified in the <PARAM> tags of the specified HTML Help ActiveX control to determine what functionality is actually to be invoked.

The following example uses the Click method to invoke a command:

<A HREF=JavaScript:related.Click()>Example</A>

where JavaScript is the scripting language, related is the ID of the HTML Help ActiveX control being referenced, Click() is the method, and Example is the text link. The Click() method requires that the control contain <PARAM> tags that specify which command to invoke.

Some methods do not require any parameters to access functionality within the HTML Help ActiveX control. In these cases, if <PARAM> tags are present in a referenced control, they are ignored by the method being called. This lets you reuse an existing instance of the control in your HTML file.

In addition, you can call multiple methods from a single instance of the HTML Help ActiveX control. For example, if you are already using an instance of the control to call the Related Topics command, you can reference the ID of that same control to call the TextPopup method.

If you need to insert a new instance of the control to call a method that does not require parameters, you can omit the <PARAM> tags from the <OBJECT> tag as shown in the following example:

<OBJECT


id=for_script


type="application/x-oleobject"


classid="clsid:adb880a6-d8ff-11cf-9377-00aa003b7a11"


>


</OBJECT>

where for_script is the ID of the HTML Help ActiveX control that you will reference to call a method. Methods that do not require <PARAM> tags are listed in the table, below.

Methods quick reference

Method	Use with a compiled help file	Use with uncompiled HTML files	Does not require `<PARAM>` tags
Click	X	X	...
HHClick	X	X	...
Print	X	X	...
SyncURL	X	...	...
TCard	X	...	...
TextPopup	X	X	X

	About the HTML Help ActiveX control