FIX: No Help File With Distributed App (194196)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q194196

SYMPTOMS

No help appears when you press the F1 key or when you select Microsoft Visual FoxPro Help Topics from the Help menu. This occurs with distributed applications installed on a system that does not have Visual FoxPro installed.

CAUSE

The Setup Wizard does not copy either the Foxhhelp.exe or the Foxhhelpps.dll file when you select the HTML HELP ENGINE in step 2 of the Setup Wizard.

RESOLUTION

Copy the Foxhhelp.exe file and the Foxhhelpps.dll file from the Visual FoxPro directory to the distribution directory from which you run the Setup Wizard. During setup, select ActiveX in step 6 for the Foxhhelpps.dll file. Also, in step 6, set the target directory to Winsysdir for the Foxhhelp.exe file and the Foxhhelpps.dll file.

When you install a distributed application on a system that does not have Visual FoxPro, you must manually register the Foxhhelp.exe file. You can do this by running the Foxhhelp.exe file with the /REGSERVER option, for example:

FOXHHELP /REGSERVER

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

This bug has been fixed in the updated version of the Setup Wizard Vfp6swiz.exe dated 10/08/1998. This bug was corrected in Visual Studio 6.0 Service Pack 3. For more information about Visual Studio service packs, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

194295 HOWTO: Tell That Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs Are Installed

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

  1. Create a program and add the following code: 
    **** Code starts here
      SET HELP ON
      SET HELP TO mbshelp.chm

      ?SET("HELP")
      ?SET("HELP",1)
      ?SET("HELP",2)
      ?ON("key","f1")

      ON KEY LABEL F6 CLEAR EVENTS
      ON KEY LABEL F7 DO ShowIt
      READ EVENTS

      PROCEDURE ShowIt
      ?SET("HELP")
      ?SET("HELP",1)
      ?SET("HELP",2)
      ?ON("key","f1")
      RETURN
      **** Code ends here
  2. Compile the program into an exe.
  3. Create a Mbshelp.chm file or copy a .chm file from the Microsoft Developer Network directories and rename it to Mbshelp.chm.
  4. Run the Setup Wizard and select HTML Help Engine in step 2.
  5. Run the setup you created in step 4 and install the .exe file on a computer that does not have Visual FoxPro installed.
  6. Run the .exe file.
  7. Press the F1 key.
  8. From the Help menu, choose Microsoft Visual FoxPro Help Topics.
  9. Press the F7 key to display the current SET HELP settings.
  10. Press the F6 key to exit the program.
The cursor disappears until the mouse moves and no help appears. The drop- down menu disappears, but no help appears. The screen shows whether Help is on and to where the help is set.

REFERENCES

For more information on the updated Setup Wizard, please see the following URL:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/downloads/updates.asp
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:3/7/2005
Keywords:kbAppSetup kbbug kbfix kbVS600sp3fix kbwizard KB194196
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