Add help to UDF

[waits77]

How can I add help/instructions to a UDF such that the help is available prior to inserting the function. In other words, I don't want to put text in a control or msgbox.

 

[Joe Was]

In theory you can build your own Custom Help Files and assign a contex index, but the Microsoft Help File Writer is not included with Office or any of the individual products. You need another product to do this. As Microsoft puts it: "To create a custom Help file, use a product or tool that creates Windows Help files."

HHW is the name of such a product.

You then add your "Help File" to Excel as an add-in. JSW

Good Luck it is not easy!

 

[Jack in the UK]

Hi

A few leads and ideas on this one

The help files is a nightmare the best kit is Microsoft linked and is Wexfords Doc_2_help which converts word doc to hlp files, be care the version nightmare is big here.

OK my help files is to use multi tab userforms and have tab with HELP in box with scroll down if needs be solves all the agro, as Joe rightly the way you want is prob best but not easy this option is cool fast and fairly simple to do

OR

Have second form and a button on the first to call the second carrying the help files and close back to original user form.

Worth considering?

HTH

Jack

 

[stevebausch]

Search topics, etc:

"HTML Help Workshop"
hhw.exe

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33071

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...tmlhelp/html/hwMicrosoftHTMLHelpDownloads.asp

Windows 2000 and XP users should not run Hhupd.exe. These versions of Windows ship with a version of HTML Help that does not require an update. There are no plans to add any new features to HTML Help. Any urgent updates will be handled by means of Windows 2000 service packs or Windows Update.
This message was edited by stevebausch on 2002-10-08 19:44

 

[Swamp Thing]

In win2k / excel 2k, your UDF help can be in a plain HTML file.

 

[Jack in the UK]

Excepted comments guys but your now making a child file, my call was to self contain, not fragment??

Dont you think?

 

[stevebausch]

Jack,

I have extreme difficulty parsing and interpreting your version of "English". I assume others do, also. Just thought I would post something easy to understand.

You should try it sometime.

 

[Jack in the UK]

Hi Steve

Care to check you PM i have contacted you there

Jack

 

[XL-Dennis]

steve,

You don´t need to abuse Jack.
Jack is Jack and You have to accept it or leave it as it is!

Actually, You didn´t post any thing easy to understand - You posted URL:s to the MS software - ROFL!

Personally I use the RoboHelp Office toolkit (which is very expensive but paid off if You build help-files on a regular basis for several task).

Based on OP`s question it´s require a two steps-process:

Step 1 - Creating the helpfile
To explain a UDF I guess it´s require only one page and saved in either the old format - filextension .hlp -(works on every plattform) or the new fileformat - filextension .chm - (which does not work on win95).

You can either go with MS freeware (which require a certain level of knowhow before You can handle it) or use another tool to create the helpfile. Jack´s suggestion is good (could You provide us with a link?) because it´s easy to work, i e write the text in MS Word & convert the file to a helpfile.

If You make a search on the Net You may find several tools for creating helpfiles. A good starting point is (at least for me):

http://mvps.org/htmlhelpcenter/

Step 2 - Implement the helpfile in XL
This is not simple because it´s require some interface to access the helpfile.

My suggestion is following (Here I assume that the workbook with the UDF is the active workbook)
1. Choose Tools | Macro | Macros...
2. Select the name of the function and clikc on the Options-button.
3. Add a description to the function (and refer to menucommand) and then close the forms.

4. Add a menuoption in the workbook-commandbar ( I leave it up to You to decide where) and let the new command show the help-file on activating.

Please mail back if You need further help

To Jack:
For larger helpfiles it´s a workable way to use a multitab userform

Kind regards,
Dennis
This message was edited by XL-Dennis on 2002-10-09 18:40

 

[Swamp Thing]

If I understand the original post, the idea was to make the help available directly in the "paste function" dialog box (function wizard). The user would click on the question mark button and then click on "help on this function" ... and voila, up pops a help box for the UDF. In other words the UDF help would be accessed just as one looks for help on built-in functions like VLOOKUP or SUMIF etc.

To achieve this, the path to the help file has to be specified in the VB editor:-
Tools > Project Properties > [enter help file name ]

If your help file contains many bits of information, then you can assign a help context ID to each one. [of course you would do this using one of the many help file tools that we have been discussing]

Then, in the Object Browser, you locate your UDF and right click to see its properties. You can enter the relevant help context ID.

Now when you are looking at the function through the function wizard, the UDF help will pop up if you click on the question mark and request 'help on selected function'.
IIRC, this help will also pop up in VBE when the cursor is on the function name and you click F1.

Finally, if you are using later versions of windows, you can just use a plain vanilla html file instead of .hlp or .chm
This message was edited by Swamp Thing on 2002-10-09 22:28