HelpProvider Class

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System.Windows.Forms

Assembly:: System.Windows.Forms.dll

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Provides pop-up or online Help for controls.

public ref class HelpProvider : System::ComponentModel::Component, System::ComponentModel::IExtenderProvider

public class HelpProvider : System.ComponentModel.Component, System.ComponentModel.IExtenderProvider

type HelpProvider = class
    inherit Component
    interface IExtenderProvider

Public Class HelpProvider
Inherits Component
Implements IExtenderProvider

Inheritance: Object

MarshalByRefObject

Component
HelpProvider

Implements: IExtenderProvider

Examples

The following code example demonstrates using the HelpProvider class to display context-sensitive Help on a form containing four address fields. The example uses the SetHelpString method to set the Help ToolTip text. When you use the context-sensitive Help button and click the Help cursor on an address field, the Help ToolTip appears with the specified text. When you press the F1 key with the focus in an address field, the mspaint.chm Help file is displayed because the HelpNamespace property has been set to mspaint.chm. The SetShowHelp method is called for each address control to identify that it has Help content available.

#using <System.dll>
#using <System.Windows.Forms.dll>
#using <System.Drawing.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Drawing;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
public ref class Form1: public System::Windows::Forms::Form
{
private:
   System::Windows::Forms::TextBox^ addressTextBox;
   System::Windows::Forms::Label ^ label2;
   System::Windows::Forms::TextBox^ cityTextBox;
   System::Windows::Forms::Label ^ label3;
   System::Windows::Forms::TextBox^ stateTextBox;
   System::Windows::Forms::TextBox^ zipTextBox;
   System::Windows::Forms::HelpProvider^ helpProvider1;
   System::Windows::Forms::Label ^ helpLabel;

public:
   Form1()
   {
      this->addressTextBox = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::TextBox;
      this->helpLabel = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::Label;
      this->label2 = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::Label;
      this->cityTextBox = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::TextBox;
      this->label3 = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::Label;
      this->stateTextBox = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::TextBox;
      this->zipTextBox = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::TextBox;
      
      // Help Label
      this->helpLabel->BorderStyle = System::Windows::Forms::BorderStyle::Fixed3D;
      this->helpLabel->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 8, 80 );
      this->helpLabel->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 272, 72 );
      this->helpLabel->Text = "Click the Help button in the title bar, then click a control to see a Help tooltip for the control.  Click on a control and press F1 to invoke the Help system with a sample Help file.";
      
      // Address Label
      this->label2->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 16, 8 );
      this->label2->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 100, 16 );
      this->label2->Text = "Address:";
      
      // Comma Label
      this->label3->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 136, 56 );
      this->label3->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 16, 16 );
      this->label3->Text = ", ";
      
      // Create the HelpProvider.
      this->helpProvider1 = gcnew System::Windows::Forms::HelpProvider;
      
      // Tell the HelpProvider what controls to provide help for, and
      // what the help String* is.
      this->helpProvider1->SetShowHelp( this->addressTextBox, true );
      this->helpProvider1->SetHelpString( this->addressTextBox, "Enter the street address in this text box." );
      this->helpProvider1->SetShowHelp( this->cityTextBox, true );
      this->helpProvider1->SetHelpString( this->cityTextBox, "Enter the city here." );
      this->helpProvider1->SetShowHelp( this->stateTextBox, true );
      this->helpProvider1->SetHelpString( this->stateTextBox, "Enter the state in this text box." );
      this->helpProvider1->SetShowHelp( this->zipTextBox, true );
      this->helpProvider1->SetHelpString( this->zipTextBox, "Enter the zip code here." );
      
      // Set what the Help file will be for the HelpProvider.
      this->helpProvider1->HelpNamespace = "mspaint.chm";
      
      // Sets properties for the different address fields.
      // Address TextBox
      this->addressTextBox->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 16, 24 );
      this->addressTextBox->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 264, 20 );
      this->addressTextBox->TabIndex = 0;
      this->addressTextBox->Text = "";
      
      // City TextBox
      this->cityTextBox->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 16, 48 );
      this->cityTextBox->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 120, 20 );
      this->cityTextBox->TabIndex = 3;
      this->cityTextBox->Text = "";
      
      // State TextBox
      this->stateTextBox->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 152, 48 );
      this->stateTextBox->MaxLength = 2;
      this->stateTextBox->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 32, 20 );
      this->stateTextBox->TabIndex = 5;
      this->stateTextBox->Text = "";
      
      // Zip TextBox
      this->zipTextBox->Location = System::Drawing::Point( 192, 48 );
      this->zipTextBox->Size = System::Drawing::Size( 88, 20 );
      this->zipTextBox->TabIndex = 6;
      this->zipTextBox->Text = "";
      
      // Add the controls to the form.
      array<System::Windows::Forms::Control^>^temp0 = {this->zipTextBox,this->stateTextBox,this->label3,this->cityTextBox,this->label2,this->helpLabel,this->addressTextBox};
      this->Controls->AddRange( temp0 );
      
      // Set the form to look like a dialog, and show the HelpButton.
      this->FormBorderStyle = System::Windows::Forms::FormBorderStyle::FixedDialog;
      this->HelpButton = true;
      this->MaximizeBox = false;
      this->MinimizeBox = false;
      this->ClientSize = System::Drawing::Size( 292, 160 );
      this->Text = "Help Provider Demonstration";
   }

};


[STAThread]
int main()
{
   Application::Run( gcnew Form1 );
}

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox addressTextBox;
    private System.Windows.Forms.Label label2;
    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox cityTextBox;
    private System.Windows.Forms.Label label3;
    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox stateTextBox;
    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox zipTextBox;
    private System.Windows.Forms.HelpProvider helpProvider1;
    private System.Windows.Forms.Label helpLabel;

    [STAThread]
    static void Main() 
    {
        Application.Run(new Form1());
    }

    public Form1()
    {
        this.addressTextBox = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
        this.helpLabel = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
        this.label2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
        this.cityTextBox = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
        this.label3 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
        this.stateTextBox = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
        this.zipTextBox = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
        
        // Help Label
        this.helpLabel.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.Fixed3D;
        this.helpLabel.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(8, 80);
        this.helpLabel.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(272, 72);
        this.helpLabel.Text = "Click the Help button in the title bar, then click a control " + 
            "to see a Help tooltip for the control.  Click on a control and press F1 to invoke " +
            "the Help system with a sample Help file.";

        // Address Label
        this.label2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(16, 8);
        this.label2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(100, 16);
        this.label2.Text = "Address:";

        // Comma Label
        this.label3.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(136, 56);
        this.label3.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(16, 16);
        this.label3.Text = ",";

        // Create the HelpProvider.
        this.helpProvider1 = new System.Windows.Forms.HelpProvider();

        // Tell the HelpProvider what controls to provide help for, and
        // what the help string is.
        this.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(this.addressTextBox, true);
        this.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(this.addressTextBox, "Enter the street address in this text box.");

        this.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(this.cityTextBox, true);
        this.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(this.cityTextBox, "Enter the city here.");

        this.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(this.stateTextBox, true);
        this.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(this.stateTextBox, "Enter the state in this text box.");

        this.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(this.zipTextBox, true);
        this.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(this.zipTextBox, "Enter the zip code here.");

        // Set what the Help file will be for the HelpProvider.
        this.helpProvider1.HelpNamespace = "mspaint.chm";

        // Sets properties for the different address fields.

        // Address TextBox
        this.addressTextBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(16, 24);
        this.addressTextBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(264, 20);
        this.addressTextBox.TabIndex = 0;
        this.addressTextBox.Text = "";

        // City TextBox
        this.cityTextBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(16, 48);
        this.cityTextBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(120, 20);
        this.cityTextBox.TabIndex = 3;
        this.cityTextBox.Text = "";

        // State TextBox
        this.stateTextBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(152, 48);
        this.stateTextBox.MaxLength = 2;
        this.stateTextBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(32, 20);
        this.stateTextBox.TabIndex = 5;
        this.stateTextBox.Text = "";

        // Zip TextBox
        this.zipTextBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(192, 48);
        this.zipTextBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(88, 20);
        this.zipTextBox.TabIndex = 6;
        this.zipTextBox.Text = "";

        // Add the controls to the form.
        this.Controls.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.Control[] {
                                    this.zipTextBox, this.stateTextBox,
                                    this.label3, this.cityTextBox,
                                    this.label2, this.helpLabel,
                                    this.addressTextBox});

        // Set the form to look like a dialog, and show the HelpButton.    
        this.FormBorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.FixedDialog;
        this.HelpButton = true;
        this.MaximizeBox = false;
        this.MinimizeBox = false;
        this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(292, 160);
        this.Text = "Help Provider Demonstration";
    }
}

Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.Windows.Forms

Public Class Form1
    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form
    Private addressTextBox As System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
    Private label2 As System.Windows.Forms.Label
    Private cityTextBox As System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
    Private label3 As System.Windows.Forms.Label
    Private stateTextBox As System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
    Private zipTextBox As System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
    Private helpProvider1 As System.Windows.Forms.HelpProvider
    Private helpLabel As System.Windows.Forms.Label

    <STAThread()>  _
    Shared Sub Main()
        Application.Run(New Form1())
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub New()
        Me.addressTextBox = New System.Windows.Forms.TextBox()
        Me.helpLabel = New System.Windows.Forms.Label()
        Me.label2 = New System.Windows.Forms.Label()
        Me.cityTextBox = New System.Windows.Forms.TextBox()
        Me.label3 = New System.Windows.Forms.Label()
        Me.stateTextBox = New System.Windows.Forms.TextBox()
        Me.zipTextBox = New System.Windows.Forms.TextBox()

        ' Help Label
        Me.helpLabel.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(8, 80)
        Me.helpLabel.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(272, 72)
        Me.helpLabel.TabIndex = 1
        Me.helpLabel.Text = "Click the Help button in the title bar, then click a control " & _
            "to see a Help tooltip for the control.  Click on a control and press F1 to invoke " & _
            "the Help system with a sample Help file."

        ' Address Label
        Me.label2.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(16, 8)
        Me.label2.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(100, 16)
        Me.label2.Text = "Address:"

        ' Comma Label
        Me.label3.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(136, 56)
        Me.label3.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(16, 16)
        Me.label3.Text = ","

        ' Creates the HelpProvider.
        Me.helpProvider1 = New System.Windows.Forms.HelpProvider()

        ' Tell the HelpProvider what controls to provide Help for, and
        ' what the Help string is.
        Me.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(Me.addressTextBox, "Enter the street address in this text box.")
        Me.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(Me.addressTextBox, True)

        Me.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(Me.cityTextBox, "Enter the city here.")
        Me.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(Me.cityTextBox, True)

        Me.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(Me.stateTextBox, "Enter the state in this text box.")
        Me.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(Me.stateTextBox, True)

        Me.helpProvider1.SetHelpString(Me.zipTextBox, "Enter the zip code here.")
        Me.helpProvider1.SetShowHelp(Me.zipTextBox, True)

        ' Sets what the Help file will be for the HelpProvider.
        Me.helpProvider1.HelpNamespace = "mspaint.chm"

        ' Set properties for the different address fields.

        ' Address TextBox
        Me.addressTextBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(16, 24)
        Me.addressTextBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(264, 20)
        Me.addressTextBox.TabIndex = 0
        Me.addressTextBox.Text = ""


        ' City TextBox
        Me.cityTextBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(16, 48)
        Me.cityTextBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(120, 20)
        Me.cityTextBox.TabIndex = 3
        Me.cityTextBox.Text = ""

        ' State TextBox
        Me.stateTextBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(152, 48)
        Me.stateTextBox.MaxLength = 2
        Me.stateTextBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(32, 20)
        Me.stateTextBox.TabIndex = 5
        Me.stateTextBox.Text = ""

        ' Zip TextBox
        Me.zipTextBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(192, 48)
        Me.zipTextBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(88, 20)
        Me.zipTextBox.TabIndex = 6
        Me.zipTextBox.Text = ""

        ' Add the controls to the form.
        Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() { Me.zipTextBox, _
                                       Me.stateTextBox, Me.label3, _
                                       Me.cityTextBox, Me.label2, _
                                       Me.helpLabel, Me.addressTextBox})

        ' Set the form to look like a dialog, and show the HelpButton.    
        Me.FormBorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.FixedDialog
        Me.HelpButton = True
        Me.MaximizeBox = False
        Me.MinimizeBox = False
        Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(292, 160)
        Me.Text = "Help Provider Demonstration"

    End Sub
End Class

Remarks

Each instance of HelpProvider maintains a collection of references to controls associated with it. To associate a Help file with the HelpProvider, set the HelpNamespace property. You specify the type of Help provided by calling the SetHelpNavigator method and providing a HelpNavigator value for the specified control. You provide the keyword or topic for the Help by calling the SetHelpKeyword method. To open Help to a specific topic, the keyword should be passed in the form topicName.htm.

To associate a specific Help string with a control, use the SetHelpString method. The string that you associate with a control using this method is displayed in a pop-up window when the user presses the F1 key while the control has focus.

If the HelpNamespace property has not been set, you must use the SetHelpString method to provide the Help text. If you have set both HelpNamespace and the Help string, Help based on the HelpNamespace will take precedence.

HelpProvider calls methods on the Help class to provide Help functionality.

Constructors

HelpProvider()

Initializes a new instance of the HelpProvider class.

Properties

CanRaiseEvents	Gets a value indicating whether the component can raise an event. (Inherited from Component)
Container	Gets the IContainer that contains the Component. (Inherited from Component)
DesignMode	Gets a value that indicates whether the Component is currently in design mode. (Inherited from Component)
Events	Gets the list of event handlers that are attached to this Component. (Inherited from Component)
HelpNamespace	Gets or sets a value specifying the name of the Help file associated with this HelpProvider object.
Site	Gets or sets the ISite of the Component. (Inherited from Component)
Tag	Gets or sets the object that contains supplemental data about the HelpProvider.

Methods

CanExtend(Object)	Specifies whether this object can provide its extender properties to the specified object.
CreateObjRef(Type)	Creates an object that contains all the relevant information required to generate a proxy used to communicate with a remote object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
Dispose()	Releases all resources used by the Component. (Inherited from Component)
Dispose(Boolean)	Releases the unmanaged resources used by the Component and optionally releases the managed resources. (Inherited from Component)
Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetHelpKeyword(Control)	Returns the Help keyword for the specified control.
GetHelpNavigator(Control)	Returns the current HelpNavigator setting for the specified control.
GetHelpString(Control)	Returns the contents of the pop-up Help window for the specified control.
GetLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Retrieves the current lifetime service object that controls the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
GetService(Type)	Returns an object that represents a service provided by the Component or by its Container. (Inherited from Component)
GetShowHelp(Control)	Returns a value indicating whether the specified control's Help should be displayed.
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
InitializeLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Obtains a lifetime service object to control the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone(Boolean)	Creates a shallow copy of the current MarshalByRefObject object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
ResetShowHelp(Control)	Removes the Help associated with the specified control.
SetHelpKeyword(Control, String)	Specifies the keyword used to retrieve Help when the user invokes Help for the specified control.
SetHelpNavigator(Control, HelpNavigator)	Specifies the Help command to use when retrieving Help from the Help file for the specified control.
SetHelpString(Control, String)	Specifies the Help string associated with the specified control.
SetShowHelp(Control, Boolean)	Specifies whether Help is displayed for the specified control.
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current HelpProvider.

Events

Disposed

Occurs when the component is disposed by a call to the Dispose() method.

(Inherited from Component)

Applies to

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