Progress
Language Tutorial
for Windows


Using the Help Topics: Windows Help Topics dialog box

The Progress help system organizes information into discrete units called help topics. An individual help topic typically contains information about one thing, such as a particular dialog box in the Progress Procedure Editor or a 4GL language element. When you access the help system from a tool, you can display related help topics as they are organized under the various tabs that display on the Help Topics: Windows Help Topics dialog box. Figure 2–5 shows the Help Topics: Procedure Editor Help dialog box that displays when you access help from the Procedure Editor.

NOTE: The Help Topics: Windows Help Topics dialog box title changes to reflect the specific help that is displayed. The title change can help keep you oriented as to which part of the help system you are currently using. For example, when you display help from the Procedure Editor, the title bar in the dialog box reads Help Topics: Procedure Editor Help. However, when you display help from the Data Dictionary, the title bar in the dialog box reads Help Topics: Data Dictionary Help.

Figure 2–5: Help Topics: Procedure Editor Help Dialog Box

A Help Topics: Windows Help Topics dialog box includes three tabs: Contents, Index, and Find. The order in which these tabs display will vary because the most recently displayed tab appears on top. However, clicking on a given tab will always put the tab on top and available for you to use.

The Contents Tab, displayed in the on top position in Figure 2–5, acts as a table of contents for all the topics associated with a specific tool. Click on a book icon on the Contents Tab to display the specific help topics associated with each defined category.

Figure 2–6 shows the Index Tab contents.

Figure 2–6: Index Tab

The Index Tab allows you to enter a word or phrase in the top field. As you type, help attempts to match your entry with keywords defined in the help system. For example, in Figure 2–6 the user entered the word buffer. As you can see, the help system provided an initial match and highlighted it; the user can choose to click on the suggested match or scroll to a different entry.

It is possible that a search will not find any keywords to match an entry. If this situation occurs, the keyword display area does not scroll to display a match; the informational window shown in Figure 2–7 displays when you click on the Display button.

Figure 2–7: Informational Window

The Find Tab allows you to search for specific words or phrases in a database that comprises the actual words used in the help files. Figure 2–8 shows the Find Tab.

Figure 2–8: Find Tab

The first time you access the Find Tab, the help system prompts you to create the database. Once you have compiled your database, it is available for you to perform word searches. To perform each word search, enter a word in the top field and the help system provides the values displayed in the second and third fields. Note that you can refine your search using these fields and the buttons on the right-hand side of the Find Tab. If a search does not find any suitable matches, the second and third fields are blank and the phrase 0 Topics Found displays in the lower left-hand corner of the dialog box.


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