MOD2000: AppHelpFile Run-Time Option Does Not Work (243051)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office 2000 Developer
This article was previously published under Q243051
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

After you set up a profile to use a specific Help file in your Microsoft Access run-time application and then try to open the Help file in your application, you receive the following error message:
The selected item is customized and doesn't have context-sensitive Help.

For more information on creating custom Help for a form, report, or control, click Help.

CAUSE

Access 2000 run-time applications do not recognize the AppHelpFile option.

RESOLUTION

For other ways to display a Help file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

209843 ACC2000: How to Programmatically Display a Help File

STATUS

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

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

The following steps take you through creating an Access run-time application, installing it on another computer, and then modifying the registry on that computer.
  1. CAUTION: If you follow the steps in this example, you modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and follow these steps on a copy of the database.

  2. In Access, open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
  3. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
  4. On the Add-Ins menu, click Package and Deployment Wizard.

    If the Package and Deployment Wizard is not available, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base to load the wizard.

    236143 MOD2000: How to Start the Package and Deployment Wizard

  5. In the Package and Deployment Wizard, click Package.
  6. Click Next on each page and accept the defaults until you see the page named Package and Deployment Wizard - Included Files.
  7. Click to select the Include Access Runtime check box, and then click Next.

    NOTE: If you are asked for the location of the Access Runtime, insert the Microsoft Office 2000 developer CD, and browse to the following file:

    <cd drive>\ODETools\v9\AccessRT\Data1.msi

  8. Continue clicking Next in the wizard, accepting the defaults, and then click Finish.
  9. Install the Access run-time package on another computer.
  10. After installing the package on the other computer, click Start, and then click Run. WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.


  11. Type Regedit, and then click OK. The Registry Editor starts.
  12. In the Registry Editor, expand the tree to the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT

  13. Add the following subkeys there:

    ACCESS RUNTIME\9.0\Profiles\MyCorp

    to create the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\ACCESS RUNTIME\9.0\Profiles\MyCorp

  14. Browse to the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT

  15. Create the following subkeys:

    \MyCorp\1.0\Run-Time Options

    to create the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\MyCorp\1.0\Run-Time Options

  16. Under the subkey Run-Time Options, create the following string value:

    AppHelpFile

  17. Set the value of the AppHelpFile string value to C:\Windows\Help\Calc.hlp.

    NOTE: Depending on the operating system that is running on the computer that you install your application to or the version of Windows Calculator on your computer, the Help file may be named Calc.chm or may exist in a different folder. Check to verify the name and the location of the file.
  18. Quit the Registry Editor.
  19. On the desktop, create a shortcut with the following command line. NOTE: The path to Msaccess.exe and to Northwind.mdb may be different on your computer. If you need to, make changes to the paths.

    "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" /Profile "MyCorp" "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\Northwind.MDB"

  20. Click the shortcut that you just created to run Access.
  21. On the Help menu, click MyCorp Help, or Press F1.
Note that you receive the error message mentioned in the "Symptoms" section of this article.

REFERENCES

For additional information on another issue with runtime options, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

243052 MOD2000: Run-time Options Help Topic Contains Incorrect Data

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/11/2002
Keywords:kbbug kberrmsg KB243051
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.