How to provide context-sensitive help for a custom command

In this topic

• Creating the WinHelp file
• Setting custom command properties
• Using the custom command and viewing the context help

Creating the WinHelp file

1. Compose the context-sensitive help in a rich text format (RTF) file including a topic ID in the #Footnote of the RTF file (for example, #MyFullExtent_Command).
2. Create a help project (HPJ) file using a free downloadable product, such as Microsoft Help Workshop, and add the RTF file to the project.
3. Determine a numeric help ID (for example, 1234) that you can use in your custom command to link to the topic ID specified in the RTF footer. You can use Microsoft Help Workshop to add this numeric value by opening the .hpj file, clicking Map, then clicking Add (to add the mapping for an individual topic).
4. In Microsoft Help Workshop, compile the .hpj file to create the WinHelp file; for example, MyHelpFile.hlp.

Setting custom command properties

public MyCommand()
{
    ... base.m_helpFile="MyHelpFile.hlp";
    //The Context Help ID as defined when compiling the RTF file into the HelpFile.
    base.m_helpID=1234;
    ...
}

Public Sub New()
    MyBase.New()
    ...
    MyBase.m_helpFile="MyHelpFile.hlp"
    'The Context Help ID as defined when compiling the RTF file into the HelpFile.
    MyBase.m_helpID=1234
    ...
End Sub

Using the custom command and viewing the context-sensitive help

1. Run an application that loads your custom command and the context-sensitive help command onto a ToolbarControl. The following code example shows how to load these two commands:

//Add the custom command to the ToolbarControl.
axToolbarControl1.AddItem("CSharpMyFullExtent.MyCommand", 0,  - 1, true, 0,
    esriCommandStyles.esriCommandStyleIconOnly);
//Add the Context Help command (named What's This?) to the ToolbarControl.
axToolbarControl1.AddItem("esriControls.ControlsContextHelpCommand", 0,  - 1, false,
    0, esriCommandStyles.esriCommandStyleIconOnly);

'Add the custom command to the ToolbarControl.
AxToolbarControl1.AddItem("VBDotNETMyFullExtent.MyCommand", 0, -1, True, 0, esriCommandStyles.esriCommandStyleIconOnly)
'Add the Context Help command (named What's This?) to the ToolbarControl.
AxToolbarControl1.AddItem("esriControls.ControlsContextHelpCommand", 0, -1, False, 0, esriCommandStyles.esriCommandStyleIconOnly)

2. Use the What's This tool to click the custom command. The context-sensitive help opens.

See Also: