This is information about how to use the DECwindows help system. (If you are looking for help on the application that you are using, go to the main window of the application, pull down the Help menu, and select an appropriate topic.) The help system allows you to see additional topics that are related to the current one, to return to the previous topic, to see a glossary of help terms, and to obtain context-sensitive help. See the additional topics below for more information. To dismiss this Help window, click on the Exit button below.
1 – over_basics
To display information about using DECwindows, such as how to use windows, menus, dialog boxes, and scroll bars: 1. Move the pointer to the Help menu on the Session Manager's menu bar. 2. Press and hold MB1 to pull down this menu. 3. Move the pointer to the On Basics menu item and release MB1. The Session Manager displays a Help window, which includes a list of additional topics about using DECwindows.
2 – Over guide functions
Most help topics include a list of related topics in the additional topics area. To see one of these additional topics, position the pointer on the topic you want and double click MB1. To see a list of all available help topics, choose Title... from the Search menu.
2.1 – buttons_goback
To return to the help topic that was displayed just before the one that is currently in the window, click on the Go Back button. This feature is useful if you want to review something, or you find that you have taken the wrong path and you are not getting the help you thought you were going to get. The Go Back button is dimmed if the current help topic is the first topic displayed in the Help window after you chose an item on the Using Help menu.
2.2 – cshelp
Context-sensitive help is information about a part of an application window or dialog box that you identify using the location pointer. You can get context-sensitive help in two ways: - Choose On Context from the application's Help menu. The shape of the mouse pointer changes to a question mark. Move the pointer to the area of the application window or dialog box about which you want help and click MB1. - Move the mouse pointer or use the keyboard to get to the area of the application window or dialog box about which you want help; then press the Help key. Sometimes you will see information about only the particular field, button, or whatever the pointer is on. At other times you will see information about several screen objects. Each application determines how its windows and dialog boxes are divided into help regions, as well as what information is provided for each region when a request for context-sensitive help is made.
2.3 – buttons_exit
To close the Help window, click on the Exit button. Note that you do not need to exit the Help window after each use of help. If you leave the Help window open, your subsequent help requests will be displayed in that window.
2.4 – Over guide window
The Help window display includes the following: - Menu bar with the following menus: File, Edit, View, Search, Using Help. - Area for the help text. You can make this area longer or shorter by resizing the Help window, - Additional topics list. You can double click on any additional topic to display its text - Go Back and Exit buttons. To find out more about a specific part of the Help window, double click on the appropriate topic from the list of additional topics below.
2.4.1 – over_guide_help_frame
The help text area is the part of the window where the text that explains the topic is displayed. If the text is too wide or too long for the current area, you can resize the Help window. You can also scroll through the topic if the text is too long for the help text area.
2.4.2 – over_guide_list_box
The list of additional topics identifies other topics that you can select. To choose a topic, double click on it. Alternatively, you can single click on the topic and then choose Go To Topic or Visit Topic from the View menu.
3 – Menus File
The Help window File menu contains the following items: - Save As... Saves a copy of the current help topic in a file. Specify the file name in the dialog box that appears. - Exit Closes the current Help window. Note that this does not affect any other Help windows that are open. You do not need to exit the Help window after each use of help. If you leave the Help window open, your subsequent help requests will be displayed in that window.
4 – Menus Edit
The Help window Edit menu contains the following items: - Copy Copies a selected portion of text to the clipboard. This item is dimmed if you have not selected any text. - Select All Selects all the text in the current topic. You can then use the Copy item to copy that text to the clipboard. For more information, choose the appropriate menu item from the list of additional topics.
4.1 – Menus Edit Copy
The Copy menu item in the Edit menu copies the selected portion of text to the clipboard. This function is useful for copying details into another application, for example, to insert a detail from the text into a Calendar timeslot. If you want to copy the whole topic, it is quicker to use the Select All menu item to select all the text and then use the Copy item.
4.2 – Menus Edit Select
The Select All menu item in the Edit menu selects all the text in the current help topic. You can then copy the topic to the clipboard by using the Copy menu item.
5 – Menus Go
The Help window View menu contains the following items: - Go To Topic - displays the selected topic in the current Help window. Equivalent to double clicking on a topic. This item is dimmed if you have not selected a topic. Contrast with Visit Topic, which opens a new Help window. - Go Back - displays the previous help topic. Equivalent to clicking on the Go Back button. You can repeatedly choose Go Back or click on the Go Back button to step back through the help topics you have seen. - Go To Overview - displays the Overview topic. - Visit Topic - displays the selected topic in a new Help window. This item is dimmed if you have not selected a topic. Contrast with Go To Topic, which uses the current Help window. - Visit Glossary - displays a glossary of help- specific terms. For more information about any View menu item, choose it from the list of additional topics below.
5.1 – Menus Go Goto
After you have selected a topic from the list of additional topics, you can perform a Go To or Visit operation on that selection. If no topic is selected, these menu items are dimmed. Double clicking on the selected topic achieves the same result as selecting a topic and then choosing the Go To menu item. If you perform a Go To operation on the selection, the new topic replaces the current topic in the Help window. Contrast with Visit Topic.
5.2 – Menus Go Back
Go Back replaces the current help topic with the preceding help topic. You can step back through the help topics you have seen by repeating the Go Back operation. You can also step back through previous topics by using the Go Back button or by choosing the History... item on the Search menu. Both these methods can be quicker than using the Go Back menu item, especially if you want to step back through many topics.
5.3 – Menus Go Visit
After you have selected a topic from the list of additional topics, you can perform a Visit or Go To operation on that selection. These menu items are dimmed if you have not selected a topic. When you perform a Visit operation on a topic, the information about the new topic is displayed in a separate window, so that you can see the old and new topics at the same time.
5.4 – Menus Go Gotoover
Choosing the Go To Overview menu item causes the current help topic to be replaced by the Overview help topic for the current application. This topic usually contains general information and several additional topics.
5.5 – Menus Go Visitgloss
Choosing the Visit Glossary menu item displays a glossary of terms for the current application in a separate Help window. You can then choose individual terms and see their definitions. Note: Not all applications use the Glossary menu item. In applications that do not, the Visit Glossary menu item on the View menu and the Glossary... menu item on the Help menu are dimmed or missing.
6 – Menus Search
The Help window Search menu contains the following items: - History... Displays a list of help topics you have already seen and lets you perform a Go To or Visit operation on any of them. - Title... Displays a list of all the available help topic titles and allows you to perform a Go To or Visit operation on visit any of them. You can also enter a word or phrase, and only those topics that contain it are displayed. - Keyword... Displays a list of help keywords and allows you to select any of them. All topics having that keyword are displayed, and you can then perform a Go To or Visit operation on any of them. For more information, choose the menu item from the list of additional topics below.
6.1 – Menus Search History
The History... item displays a dialog box that includes a list of all topics you have viewed during the current help session. The list of topics is in chronological order, but duplicates are not displayed. You can view any of the topics that are displayed by double clicking on the topic or by single clicking on the topic and then clicking on the Go To or Visit button.
6.2 – Menus Search Title
The History... item displays a dialog box that includes a Title entry box and an area for displaying topic titles. To display a list of all help topics containing a specific word or phrase, enter the word or phrase in the Title entry box and click on the Apply button. You can view any of the topics that are displayed by double clicking on the topic or by single clicking on the topic and then clicking on the Go To or Visit button.
6.3 – Menus Search Keyword
The Keyword... menu item displays a dialog box that includes the available keywords, which are subjects associated with certain topics. The application determines what the keyword names are and which keywords are associated with specific help topics. To see a list of help topics associated with a specific keyword, either select the keyword from the list or enter it in the Keyword entry box, and then click on the Apply button. You can view any of the topics that are displayed by double clicking on the topic, or by single clicking on the topic and then clicking on the Go To or Visit button.
7 – Menus Help
The Help window Using Help menu contains the On Window... item.
7.1 – Menus Help Help
The On Window... item on the Using Help menu displays information about how to use help.
7.2 – Menus Help About
The On Version... item on the Using Help menu displays information about the current software name and version. It includes the copyright notice and an additional topic with trademark and product information.
7.3 – Menus Help Glossary
The On Terms... item on the Using Help menu displays a glossary of help system terms. (It is not a general DECwindows glossary.)