Help Exec?

Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Programming/Help Exec?

John Blackledge

(Posted 2005) [#1]

Is it just my imagination, or did Blitz used to have a special 'ExecHelp' command, for running Windows-compliant help files?

Or have I been dreaming again?

jfk EO-11110

(Posted 2005) [#2]

I think it exists only inside your MATRIX, but when you're THE ONE, you may implement it by a simple thought.

I could be wrong, but I think it was a dream. Tho when you Exec a CHM File, it should open the help file as usual, no?

John Blackledge

(Posted 2005) [#3]

Yes, it does. But I think the idea was that if the exec info was passed to the chm handler then if the file was already opened it would not be opened a second time.

I have clever dreams, don't I?

jfk EO-11110

(Posted 2005) [#4]

But you could detect if the window is already open when you know the title of the help window.

Picklesworth

(Posted 2005) [#5]

It's just you, but I'd like the .decls when you find it.
All I have is the user32 function, api_WinHelp(), which seems like a rather awkward to use function with Blitz (But if anyone would like to write a function that accesses that function, I'd be greatly appreciative... It can also do those little help popups, which are like tooltips except more useful)

Funny coincedence, I was just looking at those Windows help files today.

John Blackledge

(Posted 2005) [#6]

Mr Pick, you were right: api_User32.decls.
But <sigh> this does absolutely nothing:

; api_WinHelp% (hwnd%, lpHelpFile$, wCommand%, dwData%) : "WinHelpA"
Include "blitzsys.bb"
sAppName$ = "TestHelp"
hwnd = DLLFindBlitzRuntimeHwnd(sAppName$) 
Print hwnd
m$ = CurrentDir$()+"help.chm"+Chr$(0)
Print m$
val = api_WinHelp(hwnd, m$, 0,0)
Print val
WaitKey
End

Unless anyone can work out the params, I'm tired of this - it's back to F1 and ExecFile().

Picklesworth

(Posted 2005) [#7]

Check www.msdn.com
I've seen that sort of function be accessed straight from Blitz using banks for those mystical "Structures" that it wants, which is what WinBlitz3d does, but I don't know how in the world to do that myself.

D4NM4N

(Posted 2005) [#8]

have you tried just execfileing the chm file? ive not tried it myself but i know it works for html, rtf and urls etc

Picklesworth

(Posted 2005) [#9]

Probably would work, but those files also allow for handy little help bubbles.
For an example of that, right click on the desktop, go to properties -> themes. Right click on the Theme combo box, and click What's This. I have figured out that that popup window is generated by the same function as api_winHelp thanks to a quick look at WinDowse, the APIguide, and MSDN.