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Q42767: QuickC: Local Contexts Fail in HELPMAKE

Article: Q42767
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 2.00
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | buglist2.00 | mspl13_c
Last Modified: 18-MAY-1989

Local contexts do not function properly under HELPMAKE Version 1.00,
which is supplied with QuickC Version 2.00. The example on Page 189 of
the "Microsoft QuickC Tool Kit Version 2.00" manual demonstrates this
problem. If this file is encoded into a .HLP file and you request help
on "normal", the correct help text is displayed. However, if you
request help on "button", the printf format specifier table is
displayed. The problem that help is having is that it indexes only
from the top of the help file QC.HLP.

To work around this problem, do not use local contexts. Instead, use
the format "filename!context_string" as described on the top of Page
189. Assuming the name of the encoded source file on Page 189 is
NORMAL.HLP, the following modified version of this example illustrates
this workaround:

   .context normal
   This is a normal topic, accessible by the context string
   "normal."
   [button\vnormal.hlp!local\v] is a cross-reference to the following
   topic.

   .context local
   This topic can be reached only if the user browses
   sequentially through the file or uses the cross-reference
   in the previous topic.

The two changes made are in both references to "@local". The first
reference (line 4) is replaced with "normal.hlp!local". The second
reference (line 7) is replaced with "local".

The drawback to this workaround is that if help is requested on
"local", the associated text will be displayed. This is a minor
nuisance, however. Thus, the text under ".context local" would now be
accurate if it read as follows:

   This topic can be reached if the user browses sequentially
   through the file, uses the cross-reference in the previous
   topic, or requests help on "local".

If the above help source is in a file named NORMAL.SRC, the following
command will encode this file to NORMAL.HLP:

   helpmake /A: /W128 /Onormal.hlp /E15 normal.src /V >normal.dgn

At this point you may perform one of the following two operations:

1. Append ";normal.hlp" to the DOS environment variable HELPFILES.

2. Append NORMAL.HLP to an existing .HLP file, as in the following
   example:

      copy qc.hlp /b + normal.hlp /b

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Version 2.00. We are
researching this problem and will post new information as it becomes
available.

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