## 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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