## 5.3 Using Online Help

The online `Help` facility offers the following options in its pull-down menu:

- `Context-Sensitive Help` can help you with a specific tool or feature of Data Explorer's graphical user interface. After you select this option and the cursor has changed to a question mark, click on the item you want help with. For example, try clicking on a particular module in the VPE window or on an interactor in a Control Panel.

  Note: You can also position the mouse cursor over an object and press the `F1` key to select an object in any window, including the options in a pull-down menu and icons on a VPE canvas..

- `Overview (of Window)...` gives an introductory description of the window from which this option was requested.
- `Table of Contents...` presents a list of the main topics and subtopics of the Data Explorer user manuals. Select the desired item by clicking on its box once.
- `Using Help...` explains how to use the online facility itself.
- `Product Information...` gives the version of Data Explorer that is currently running.
- `Technical Support` gives information on how to get technical support.
- `Tutorial...` presents a list of tutorial topics, which can be accessed directly.
- `Application Comment` presents a comment on the currently loaded visual program (if one was supplied by the user who created the program).

Figure 32 depicts a sample Help window.

Figure 32. Sample Help Window

In addition, an HTML version of the documentation is available. Point your browser at `$(DXROOT)/html/index.htm`. The html documentation can now be accessed as the context-sensitive help within OpenDX instead of the internal help system. By setting an environment variable, DX will override its older built-in help and launch a browser to display the html help. In the UN*X environment set the environment variable DX_WEB_BROWSER to your web browser or a url handler script such as the one included in the dx/bin directory. Within Windows or MacOS X just set this environment variable and the system default browser will launch.

The HTML version of the docs also includes a JavaScript local search engine.

For Future Reference

- In the `Help` window you can directly access any topic, subtopic, subsubtopic, or related item that is "boxed", simply by clicking on the box.
- If the amount of information exceeds the length of the displayed `Help` window, use the vertical scroll bar on the right side of the window.
- To return to a topic you have viewed during the current session of visual program, move the mouse cursor into the `Help` window and press the right-hand button: A list of viewed Help topics appears. Keeping the mouse button depressed, move the cursor to the desired topic in the list and then release the button.
- To return to the previous Help topic, click on `Go Back` at the bottom of the `Help` window.
- To exit online Help, click on `Close` at the bottom of the `Help` window.

### User-Defined Help Files

Visual programmers can create online documentation for their visual programs and Control Panels. A user can access the comments for the visual program from any primary window, and can access the comments for a Control Panel from the Control Panel with which the comments are associated. For information on how to add this documentation to your own visual program, see "Adding Comments to a Visual Program" and "Customizing a Control Panel".

To access comments for the visual program, select the `Application Comment` option from the `Help` pull-down menu. A dialog box opens with the comments.

Note: | If there are no comments associated with the visual program, this menu option is grayed-out. Also, you cannot modify the comments when using this option--only view them.

The user can also access the comments for the visual program from the `Open...` or `Load Macro...` file selection dialog boxes, even before the visual program is opened. For information on how to do this, see "Restoring a Previously Created Program".

To access comments for a specific Control Panel, select the `On Control Panel` option from the `Help` pull-down menu in the Control Panel about which you want to learn. A dialog box opens with the comments.

Note: | If there are no comments associated with the Control Panel, this menu option is grayed-out. Also, you cannot modify the comments when using this option--only view them.

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