What's This? Help File

[babbling]

I am trying to add a What's This? Help File to my Runtime Solution in Windows. There is nothing in the manual about it.

Can I produce a layout specific one that will allow a pop-up help window whenever users select Shift-F1 (eg. Shift-F1 and mouse hover over a button: the pop-up help will explain what the button is about; or the same idea with a field) How do I do this?

FM Developer produces a generic one that gives you generic pop-up help, but only for dialogue boxes.

(I searched the forums for an answer but after the 15th page, I gave up!)

Thanks.

[SteveB]

There is a plugin called 'Simple Help' from web page that will give you mouse over help. It will only work on the 1st row of a portal, but will work in all other places. You record the location(s) in a script of where you want the help to appear, and when the user mouses over he'll get help. Something FMI should have put in in version 5.

Steve

[babbling]

Thanks, Steve.

I'm not so much looking for a commercial solution, but trying to work out how to use the What this? Help file that Windows already has in-built.

That is, FileMaker Developer Tool produces a .HLP file when it produces the runtime solution. But it is empty. I want to know how to make it useful. I'm assuming this .HLP file produces the Windows Help files, as well as some mouse-over capabilities.

Say in Word, if you click Shift-F1, the cursor changes to a question mark and gives you a pop-up help box about various icons, etc. I'm guessing this is all stored in the .HLP file. I want to know how to access it.

Thanks.

[SteveB]

I would guess that tools such as RoboHelp and the like would enable you to build a Help file, but this won't help you within your application. Filemaker has no way (short of using the plugin, or crafting your own system) to display maouse over help. If you want to do something like a control key combination to pop up onscreen help, there are examples floating around. See for example Ray Cologon's example on his site www.nightwing.com or do a search on www.databasepro.com

Steve