BUG: API Return Code Is Inconsistent in HTML Help

• Microsoft HTML Help, versions 1.3, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.21

SYMPTOMS

The HTML Help Application Programming Interface (API) does not always return NULL when it fails during an HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC command.

CAUSE

HTML Help uses Internet Explorer to display and access .chm files. If the HTML Help API fails due to the HTML Help control, a NULL will be returned. If the failure is due to Internet Explorer, a NULL will not necessarily be returned.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

An example of this inconsistency would be the creation of a window with a topic displayed in it. If creating the window fails, a NULL would be returned because this failure occurs in the HTML Help control. If navigating to the window fails, a non-NULL value would be returned because the creation of the window succeeded and the failure came from Internet Explorer.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbAPI kbHTMLHelp kbSDKPlatform kbHTMLHelp100bug kbHTMLHelp110bug kbHTMLHelp120bug kbDSupport kbGrpDSTools kbHTMLHelp121bug kbHTMLHelp130bug
Version : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.2,1.21
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug