Using Help in Borland C++

In Borland C++, you can get Help in the following ways:

Context-Sensitive Help (F1)

Contents Screens

Topic Signposts

Keyword Search (F1 or Ctrl+F1 in the Edit Window)

Borland Help Buttons (on dialog boxes)

SpeedMenus (in the Help window)

Custom Help Buttons (Borland C++, ClassLib, OWL, Win16 API, Win32 API, DOS, and Search All)

Borland C++ includes a utility, OpenHelp, that lets you search for topics in more than one help file.

Using OpenHelp

Searching for Topics with OpenHelp

Configuring OpenHelp

Press F1 from within any topic in this help file to activate Contents for How to Use Help. There, you will find information on using Windows Help as well as information about moving, scrolling, or sizing windows. To return to a previous topic or Help file, click the Back or History buttons.


Using Context-Sensitive Help

See Also

Context-sensitive Help is available for the Borland C++ Integrated Development Environment (IDE). To access context-sensitive Help:

1.	Select the element you want help on (menu, menu command, or an item in a dialog box).

2.	Press F1 or Ctrl+F1.


See Also

Borland Help Buttons

Searching for Topics with OpenHelp


Accessing and Using Contents Screens

See Also

Each Help Contents screen offers an entry into a Help system installed with Borland C++. Select the category of information that best suits your needs, then use the highlighted links to find what you are looking for.

To display the Borland C++ Help Contents screen, choose Contents on the Help menu in the Borland C++ IDE.

To access the Help Contents screen of the active Help file, press the Contents button on the Help button bar.

To access the Help Contents screen of a different Help file installed with Borland C++, click the custom Help button for the Help file you want to view.

To return to a previous topic or Help file, click the Back or History buttons.

Using the Contents Screen

You can expand and collapse items on the Contents screen, or jump directly to a summary for a category. There are four icons that can appear on the Contents screen. This is how each of them functions:

	Jumps directly to a topic or summary
	Can be expanded to display the subtopics in this category
	Can be collapsed to hide the subtopics in this category
	Expands or collapses all of the categories on the Contents screen
To jump directly directly to a summary for a category, select the highlighted text instead of the icon.


See Also

Using the Topic Signposts

Using the Custom Help Buttons


Using the Topic Signposts

See Also

Many topics have an icon next to the title. There are two kinds of these icons, called signposts:

	This signpost indicates that the current topic is a top-level or summary topic for a category. It is usually accessible directly from the Content screen.
	Clicking this signpost takes you to a summary of the category this topic is a part of.
These signposts show you the relationship between information in the Help system. Topics that are all part of the same category share the same signpost. The Contents screen shows you most (or all) of the signposts that you might see while using the Help system.


See Also

Accessing and Using Contents Screens

Using the Borland Help Buttons

Using the Custom Help Buttons


Searching for Keywords

See Also

Keyword Search gives you direct access to Help about a term in your program. To get help on a term:

1.	In an Edit window, place the insertion point on the term you want help on.

2.	Use one of the following methods:

Press F1 or Ctrl+F1.

Choose Keyword Search on the Help menu.

Choose Go To Help Topic on the Edit Window SpeedMenu.

3.	One of these events occurs:

The topic associated with the term you selected is displayed.

If more than one topic in more than one Help file is available on the term for which you requested Help, the OpenHelp dialog box is displayed. The term for which you requested Help appears highlighted in the top list box of the dialog box. Click the View Topic button or double-click the term to view the list of topics associated with your term in that Help file.

If more than one topic in is available on the term for which you requested Help, but all topics are in one Help file, the Select A Topic dialog box is displayed. The term for which you requested Help appears highlighted in the top list box of the dialog box. Click the Show Topics button or double-click the term to see a the list of available topics in the bottom list box. Then click Go To or double-click the topic title to view that topic.

If no Help is available for the term you selected, the term appears highlighted in the top list box when the OpenHelp dialog box appears. You can then select a different searching method in order to try to locate a topic associated with that term.

To return to a previous topic or Help file, click the Back or History buttons.


See Also

Searching for Topics with OpenHelp

Using the Custom Help Buttons


Using the Borland Help Buttons

See Also

Borland Help buttons are available on dialog boxes and for most error messages.

Click the Borland Help button to access Help about:

The entire dialog box

A specific error message

The current group of topics in an Options settings dialog box


See Also

Using the Custom Help Buttons


Help SpeedMenus

All the Borland C++ Help files have SpeedMenus you can access using the right mouse button. These menus provide you with quick access to commands for copying or printing a Help topic, or exiting Windows Help.

The SpeedMenu also lists additional help files that are not accessible through the Custom Help Buttons. Select a Help file from the SpeedMenu to view the information in that file.

Note:	You can access the Help SpeedMenus from anywhere in the Help window except in the non-scrolling area near the topic title.


Using the Custom Help Buttons

See Also

The Borland C++ Help system has custom buttons that make it easier for you to locate specific information:

Button	Description

	Searches through all the keywords associated with the topics in the IDE, OWL, Class Library, and Windows API Help files you installed with Borland C++.
	Displays the Contents screen of the Borland C++ Help file.
	Displays the Contents screen of the Class Library Reference Help file.
	Displays the Contents screen of the ObjectWindows 2.0 Help file.
	Displays the Contents screen of the 16-bit Windows API Help file.
	Displays the Contents screen of the 32-bit Windows API Help file.
	Displays the Contents screen of the DOS Support Help file.


See Also

Searching for Topics with OpenHelp

Using the Borland Help Buttons


Using OpenHelp

OpenHelp lets you search for topics in more than one Windows Help file.

There are several ways you can access OpenHelp:

Double-click the OpenHelp icon in the Borland C++ group on your Windows desktop.

Click the Search All button on the Help button bar in any Borland Help file.

Choose Help|Keyword Search in the Borland C++ IDE.

When the OpenHelp dialog box is displayed, you can search through the specified Help files to locate the information you want. For more information, see Searching for Topics with OpenHelp.

OpenHelp is installed with one default search range. For information on adding new search ranges or modifying an existing one, see Configuring OpenHelp.


Configuring OpenHelp

See Also

OpenHelp is shipped with one or more predefined search ranges. You can customize OpenHelp by:

Adding a Help file to OpenHelp

Removing a Help File from OpenHelp

Adding a New Search Range

Deleting a Search Range

Adding a Help File to a Search Range

Removing a Help File from a Search Range


See Also

Using OpenHelp


Adding a Help File to OpenHelp

See Also

To add a Help file to OpenHelp:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	In the Configure OpenHelp dialog box, click the Add .HLP button. This displays the standard Open dialog box.

3.	Select one or more Help files. You can use Ctrl and Alt to select multiple Help files in the File Name list box.

4.	Click OK. The Help files you selected are now recognized by OpenHelp.


See Also

Adding a Help File to a Search Range

Removing a Help File from OpenHelp


Removing a Help File from OpenHelp

See Also

To remove a Help file from OpenHelp:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	Select one or more Help files from OpenHelp from the Help File list.

3.	Click Remove .HLP button. The file is deleted from OpenHelp and from any search ranges that use it. The Help file itself is not deleted from your system, OpenHelp will no longer search through it.


See Also

Adding a Help File to OpenHelp

Removing a Help File from a Search Range


Adding a New Search Range

See Also

To add a new search range to OpenHelp:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	In the Configure OpenHelp dialog box, click the Create Range button. This displays the Add Search Range dialog box.

3.	Enter the name of your new search range, then press Enter or click OK. Although there are probably files listed in the Help File list, your new search range does not contain any of these files.


See Also

Adding a Help File to a Search Range

Deleting a Search Range


Deleting a Search Range

See Also

To delete a new search range from OpenHelp:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	Select one or more search ranges from the Search Ranges list in the Configure OpenHelp dialog box.

3.	Click the Delete Range button. The search range is deleted from the list.


See Also

Adding a New Search Range

Removing a Help File from a Search Range


Adding a Help File to a Search Range

See Also

To include a Help file in a search range:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	Select the search range to which you want to add a Help file from the Search Ranges list in the Configure OpenHelp dialog box.

3.	Select one or more Help files from the Help file list. All the Help files that are already included in the search range are highlighted.

4.	Click the << (left-arrows) button between the two list boxes.

5.	Click OK to save the new OpenHelp configuration.


See Also

Adding a Help File to OpenHelp

Adding a New Search Range

Removing a Help File from a Search Range


Removing a Help File from a Search Range

See Also

To remove a Help file from a search range:

1.	Start the OpenHelp Configuration utility by double-clicking on its icon in the Borland C++ 4.5 group.

2.	Select the search range from which you want to remove a Help file from the Search Ranges list in the Configure OpenHelp dialog box.

3.	Select one or more highlighted Help files from the Help file list. Only the Help files that are included in the search range are highlighted. The Help files that you de-selected are still recognized by OpenHelp, but are longer included in the highlighted search range.

4.	Click the >> (right-arrows) button between the two list boxes.

5.	Click OK to save the new OpenHelp configuration.


See Also

Adding a Help File to a Search Range

Deleting a Search Range

Removing a Help File from OpenHelp


Searching for Topics with OpenHelp

See Also

There are two different methods you can use to search for topics in Help files.

Search button

Click the Search button on the Help button bar to search through all of the keywords associated with all the topics in the current Help file.

Search All button

Click the Search All button on the Help button bar to use OpenHelp to search for keywords in the Help files you installed with Borland C++. OpenHelp lets you choose from a variety of different ways to search for keywords.

You can set your search method in the OpenHelp dialog box by selecting a method from the Using This Method list box. All of these methods of searching will locate topics only in Help files included in the current search range. For information on adding new search ranges or modifying existing ones, see Configuring OpenHelp.


See Also

Adding a New Search Range

Deleting a Search Range

Using OpenHelp


OpenHelp dialog box

See Also

Use the OpenHelp dialog box to enter the text you want to search for and set the method the search is performed by. When the search is completed, you can view topics associated with the keywords located during the search.

Search For

Use the Search For combo box to enter the text you want to search for or select a search expression you have previously used.

In This Range

Use the In This Range list box to select the range of files that you want to search through for the text you specified in the Search For combo box.

Using This Method

Use the Using This Method list box to select the type of search that OpenHelp should use to locate the topics associated with the text you entered in the the Search For combo box.

Keywords Found

Keywords Found displays the keywords and the Help files they were found in that match the text you entered in the Search Expression input box. Double-click a keyword in this list to display the topic associated with it.

Number Of Matches

Number Of Matches displays the number of topics that have keywords that match the text you entered in the Search Expression input box.

Search button

Use the Search button to begin the search. If you originally selected Incremental Search from the Using This Method list box, the search begins automatically as you enter characters in the Search For combo box. If you change the searching method, you will need to click Search again.

View Topic button

Click the View Topic button to view the topic associated with the keyword you selected in the Keywords Found list box.


See Also

Adding a New Search Range

Deleting a Search Range

Searching for Topics


Using This Method

Use the Using This Method list box to select the type of search that OpenHelp should use to locate the topics associated with the search expression you entered in the the Search For combo box. OpenHelp will remember this method the next time you start OpenHelp.

Substring

Select Substring if you want OpenHelp to locate any topics with keywords that contain the text you entered in the Search For combo box. For example, when searching for "open", selecting Substring will cause OpenHelp to locate "open (keyword)", "opening files", and "_dos_open".

Incremental

Select Incremental if you want the Keywords Found list updated as you enter the text you want to search for. This follows the behavior of the standard Windows Help Search dialog box.

Exact

Select Exact if you want OpenHelp to locate any topics with keywords that exactly match the text you entered in the Search For combo box. Note: This search is not case-sensitive.

Whole Word

Select Whole Word if you want OpenHelp to locate any topics with keywords that contain the text you entered in the Search For combo box, but only if that text is present as a separate word. For example, when searching for "open", selecting Whole Word will cause OpenHelp to locate "open (keyword)", but not "opening files" or "_dos_open".

Regular Expression

Select Regular Expression if you want to use regular expressions in your search text. This lets you include symbols in your search text in order to further customize your search for topics in Help files.

You need to click the Search button to begin searching for the text you entered, except when using the Incremental searching method.


Regular Expression Symbols

The symbols you can use to produce regular expressions include:

Symbol	Explanation

 ^	A circumflex at the start of the string matches the start of a line.

 $	A dollar sign at the end of the expression matches the end of a line.

  .	A period matches any character.

 *	An asterisk after a string matches any number of occurrences of that string followed by any characters, including zero characters. For example, bo* matches bot, boo, as well as bo.

 +	A plus sign after a string matches any number of occurrences of that string followed by any characters, except zero characters. For example, bo+ matches bot and boo, but not b or bo.

{ }	Characters or expressions in braces are grouped so that the evaluation of a search pattern can be controlled and so grouped text can be referred to by number.

[ ]	Characters in brackets match any one character that appears in the brackets, but no others. For example [bot] matches b, o, or t.

[^]	A circumflex in brackets at the start of the string means NOT. Hence, [^bot] matches any characters except b, o, or t.

[-]	A hyphen in the brackets signifies a range of characters. For example, [b-o] matches any character from b through o.

  \  	A backslash before a wildcard character tells the C++ IDE to treat that character literally, not as a wildcard. For example, \^ matches ^ and does not look for the start of a line.


Configure OpenHelp dialog box

See Also

OpenHelp is shipped with one or more predefined search ranges. Use the Configure OpenHelp dialog box to create and delete search ranges from OpenHelp, add and remove Help files from search ranges, and add and remove Help files from OpenHelp's list of recognized files.

Search Ranges

The Search Ranges list box displays the names of the search ranges already defined for OpenHelp.

Help Files

The Help Files list box displays the names (and associated paths) of the Help files included in the search range selected in the Search Ranges list.

<< button

Use the << button to add a Help file to the search ranges currently selected in the Search Ranges list box.

>> button

Use the >> button to remove a Help file from the search ranges currently selected in the Search Ranges list box.

Create Range button

Click the Create Range button to create a new search range. This displays the Add Search Range dialog box.

Delete Range button

Click the Delete Range button to delete the search range currently selected in the Search Ranges list.

Add .HLP button

Click the Add .HLP button to add a new Help file to the list of files that OpenHelp recognizes.

Remove .HLP button

Click the Remove .HLP button to remove a Help file from the list of files that OpenHelp recognizes. The Help file itself is not deleted from your system, only its reference in OpenHelp.


See Also

Adding a Help File to OpenHelp

Removing a Help File from OpenHelp

Adding a New Search Range

Deleting a Search Range

Adding a Help File to a Search Range

Removing a Help File from a Search Range


Add Search Range dialog box

See Also

Use the Add Search Range dialog box to add a new search range to the set of ranges available in OpenHelp.

Please Enter Range Name

Use the Please Enter Range Name input box to enter the name by which you want your new search to be called. Click OK or press Enter when finished.


See Also

Adding a New Search Range

Adding a Help File to a Search Range


search range

A set of Help files across which OpenHelp searches for keywords and topics. You can define search ranges using the OpenHelp Configuration utility.