visual studio .net documentation: Hello

I recently upgraded from Visual Studio 6 to 2003 .NET and the context senitive help is driving me nuts. I work mainly with the win32 api and it's treated like a 2nd class citizen

Example 1

Open up a .C file, type GetMessage and hit F1. The help viewer will open up but instead of showing the relevant page it just fills in the search box with GetMessage. To get to the help page for the GetMessage function one has to click the lists in the index and topic panes

A step back from VS 6 but still bearable

Eaxmple 2
Now type DefWindowProc and hit F1. The help viewer will jump directly to the MFC page for Cwnd::DefWindowProc. Thanks, but no thanks. Setting the filter to "Platform SDK" and trying again will still show the same page even though it doesn't match the filter

To add insult to injury, since such a nice match was found it doesn't fill out the search box and the only way to find the relevant win32 page on DefWindowProc is to manually search or browse the help. Sigh, MFC inherited A LOT of names from the win32 API

Another thing that clearly shows that the win32 API is the unwanted stepchild is the "Dynamic Help" thingy. Place the cursor over GetMessage and you'll just get the standard boilerplate always shown when theres nothing better around. Place the cursor over DefWindowProc and you'll get a nice overview the MFC classes the implement this method and other relevant MFC goodies

The context sensitive help aparently works great for MFC programmers. Is there any way to get context help to be even half as great for us moldy old win32 API users? I've been banging my forhead against the various option dialogs for a while now, but to no avail

Is it to much to expect that the IDE would distinguish between files ending with .C and .CPP and skip the C++ stuff when working with plain old C (unless told otherwise ofcourse)? If the compiler can do it..

Anyway, if someone has tips on how to prioritize the win32 parts of the documentation over everything else, I'd greatly appreaciate it

Regards

You're right that context-sensitive Help for win32 apis is not all that
satisfactory. I cannot recommend a good way to prioritize the win32 parts of
the documentation over everything else except to delete the Help files for
MFC and so forth from your system.

Alternatively, I think the Dynamic Help window can be a benefit to you in
your situation. If you press F1 when the cursor is on GetMessage, the wrong
topic is displayed for you. But if you look at the Dynamic Help window
(which is by default tabbed with the Properties window), you'll see a list
of all the "GetMessage"functions available in the docs, and you can click
the right one, "GetMessage Function ()" and be taken directly to it. So the
Dynamic Help window can help you avoid seeing the wrong topics.

--Roger
_______________________________
Roger Haight
Developer Division User Assistance
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[quoted text, click to view]
senitive help is driving me nuts. I work mainly with the win32 api and it's
treated like a 2nd class citizen.
[quoted text, click to view]
up but instead of showing the relevant page it just fills in the search box
with GetMessage. To get to the help page for the GetMessage function one has
to click the lists in the index and topic panes.
[quoted text, click to view]
the MFC page for Cwnd::DefWindowProc. Thanks, but no thanks. Setting the
filter to "Platform SDK" and trying again will still show the same page even
though it doesn't match the filter.
[quoted text, click to view]
out the search box and the only way to find the relevant win32 page on
DefWindowProc is to manually search or browse the help. Sigh, MFC inherited
A LOT of names from the win32 API.
[quoted text, click to view]
stepchild is the "Dynamic Help" thingy. Place the cursor over GetMessage and
you'll just get the standard boilerplate always shown when theres nothing
better around. Place the cursor over DefWindowProc and you'll get a nice
overview the MFC classes the implement this method and other relevant MFC
goodies.
[quoted text, click to view]
there any way to get context help to be even half as great for us moldy old
win32 API users? I've been banging my forhead against the various option
dialogs for a while now, but to no avail.
[quoted text, click to view]
ending with .C and .CPP and skip the C++ stuff when working with plain old C
(unless told otherwise ofcourse)? If the compiler can do it...
[quoted text, click to view]