KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q214560: FIX: Installing Newer MSDN Causes Help to Malfunction

Article: Q214560
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsetup kbMSDN kbDocs kbvfp600bug kbVS600sp3fix
Last Modified: 16-JUN-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 6.0 
- Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

After installing the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Library October 98
edition or later, Visual FoxPro 6.0 Help does not function correctly.
Specifically, the Help menu Content and Index selections no longer display the
Help viewer. Context-sensitive Help, normally accessed by pressing the F1 key
within Visual FoxPro, also fails to display the Help viewer.

CAUSE
=====

Visual FoxPro 6.0 contains hard-coded information for the Help file names.

RESOLUTION
==========

As a workaround, make copies of the following two files in the \Program
Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\MSDN98\98OCT\1033\ folder, and place them in the
same folder with the new names (MSDNVS98.CHW and MSDNVS98.COL):

  \Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\MSDN98\98OCT\1033\MSDN830.CHW

  \Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\MSDN98\98OCT\1033\MSDN830.COL

NOTE: The \98OCT folder name will be different if a later version of the MSDN
Library is being installed.

Select MSDNVS98.COL in the 98OCT\1033 directory as the Help File in the File
Locations tab of the Options dialog box to allow access to the full MSDN Help
collection. The Options dialog box is located under the Tools menu. Be sure to
select the Set As Default button within the Options dialog box after making this
change to ensure the change is saved.

This workaround allows all aspects of Help to function correctly in Visual FoxPro
6.0, and does not adversely affect MSDN functionality or Help functionality in
other Visual Studio applications.

NOTE: The directory names above can be used if you accepted the default
installation directory when you installed the MSDN Library October 98. Your MSDN
directory name may be different if you selected a different installation
directory name or installed a version of the MSDN Library later than October 98.
Please modify the steps to match your MSDN directory if your particular
directory structure differs from the above directory path.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in Visual FoxPro.

This bug was corrected in Visual Studio 6.0 Service Pack 3.

For more information about Visual Studio service packs, please see the following
articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

  Q194295 HOWTO: Tell That Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs Are Installed

MORE INFORMATION
================

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Install Visual FoxPro 6.0.

2. Install the MSDN Library Visual Studio 6.0 edition. Be sure to do a Custom
  install and select the Visual FoxPro Documentation checkbox in the Options
  list.

3. Uninstall the MSDN Library Visual Studio 6.0 edition.

4. Install the MSDN Library October 1998 edition. Again, be sure to do a Custom
  install and select the Visual FoxPro Documentation checkbox in the Options
  list.

5. Select Help/Index from the menu within Visual FoxPro 6.0.

When the above steps are followed, the Help viewer is not displayed and no error
is generated.

When the workaround is implemented, the full MSDN collection is displayed in the
Help viewer. Visual FoxPro 6.0 also allows you to limit the Help content to the
Visual FoxPro Help file only. This is done by selecting the following file as
the Help File in the File Locations tab of the Options dialog:

  MSDN98\<install directory>\1033\FOXHELP.CHM

The install directory varies for different versions of the MSDN Library. For the
October 98 version, for instance, it will be 98oct. Making copies of the COL and
CHW files as listed in the RESOLUTION section also allows Help to function
correctly if FOXHELP.CHM is selected as the Help file.

(c) Microsoft Corporation 1999, All Rights Reserved. Contributions by Jim
Saunders, Microsoft Corporation.


Additional query words: disabled greyed out grayed

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbsetup kbMSDN kbDocs kbvfp600bug kbVS600sp3fix 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbMSDNSearch kbZNotKeyword2 kbVFP600
Version           : :6.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.