Setting up DOORS DXL help button.

Where can I find instructions on how to set up Help for a DOORS DXL GUI that I am developing ??? So far I have created the button, but when I press it nothing happens. It appears that the help data should be contained in a .hlp file. How do I edit that data, and how do I get a help window to appear when I press the button.

Thanks,

Mike
mplemire - Fri Apr 15 09:36:01 EDT 2011

Re: Setting up DOORS DXL help button.
Mathias Mamsch - Fri Apr 15 12:00:05 EDT 2011

Hmm ... For CHM files you would use the command line to just start the help file. I guess it should be the same for .hlp files.

system("hh.exe " (getenv "DOORSHOME") "\\help\\dxl.chm::/attributes5.html")

Regards, Mathias

Mathias Mamsch, IT-QBase GmbH, Consultant for Requirement Engineering and D00RS

Re: Setting up DOORS DXL help button.
llandale - Fri Apr 15 16:28:00 EDT 2011

Never tried to use clever Windows Help, I just display a large dialog with the text. The following is what I do:

//*************************************************
void    fnDisplayText(string Title, string Message, int Width, Height)
{     // Display a box with the Title and the message in a Text DBE
 
        DB      db = create(Title, styleCentered)
        DBE     dbe = richText(db, "", Message, Width, Height, true)
        realize(db)
        home(dbe)
}     // fnDisplayText()
const int       c_HelpWidth     = 600,
                c_HelpHeight    = 620
 
string  c_HelpText =
"whatever I want to say
"  // end definition of string c_HelpConsole.
 
//*************************************************
void    applyHelp(DB dbXX)
{
        fnDisplayText("Help Console", c_HelpText, c_HelpWidth, c_HelpHeight)
}     // end applyHelp()
 
 
 
DB db = create("Whatever")
apply(db, "HELP", applyHelp)
show(db)

Louie

Re: Setting up DOORS DXL help button.
SystemAdmin - Mon Apr 18 02:54:06 EDT 2011

llandale - Fri Apr 15 16:28:00 EDT 2011

Never tried to use clever Windows Help, I just display a large dialog with the text. The following is what I do:

//*************************************************
void    fnDisplayText(string Title, string Message, int Width, Height)
{     // Display a box with the Title and the message in a Text DBE
 
        DB      db = create(Title, styleCentered)
        DBE     dbe = richText(db, "", Message, Width, Height, true)
        realize(db)
        home(dbe)
}     // fnDisplayText()
const int       c_HelpWidth     = 600,
                c_HelpHeight    = 620
 
string  c_HelpText =
"whatever I want to say
"  // end definition of string c_HelpConsole.
 
//*************************************************
void    applyHelp(DB dbXX)
{
        fnDisplayText("Help Console", c_HelpText, c_HelpWidth, c_HelpHeight)
}     // end applyHelp()
 
 
 
DB db = create("Whatever")
apply(db, "HELP", applyHelp)
show(db)

Louie

I do the same as Louie. Before starting to create my own help dialogs I tried to use the DXL help / helpOn functions, but it was easier to do it by custom dialogs. But e.g. with helpOn you can load a existing help file, you just need to know the indexes for to land on a correct help page.

Re: Setting up DOORS DXL help button.
llandale - Mon Apr 18 15:11:17 EDT 2011

SystemAdmin - Mon Apr 18 02:54:06 EDT 2011
I do the same as Louie. Before starting to create my own help dialogs I tried to use the DXL help / helpOn functions, but it was easier to do it by custom dialogs. But e.g. with helpOn you can load a existing help file, you just need to know the indexes for to land on a correct help page.

The first comment line and block of the DXL is viewable with the DXL Browse tool and contains information on WHAT the script does and WHY the user would want to run it. The Help text available on the script's dialog echos some of that, but is intended to instruct on HOW to manipulate the dialog to get what you want.

Forgot to mention that the "home" command in my function prevents some of the displayed text from being selected when displayed.

I'm tempted to upgrade to a richText field, allowing calling programs the leeway to add bolding and italics to the Help, which should help its readability rather well.

Louie