Probelmm with TC7 Help on Vista

[Lefteous]

Quite funny to see people discussing about how to _close_ the help file. This seems to be the number one use case of the help file
Who cares about the content?

[Flint]

We should have a contest... you will lose with such method for sure

Certainly not - in Russian environment. To use your methode with Russian Windows it is necessary to press: Alt+Space, Ctrl+Shift (to switch the keyboard layout; Alt+Shift alternatively), then Alt+P (the Russian key for closing is located there).

In any case, this discussion is useless. The question is: Is it possible to close CHM by Esc without external tools, and if yes - how to do it? One can suggest not to use CHM, another can suggest to press Alt+Space/C, third can suggest to press Alt+F4, but all these are not the answer to the original question.

Quite funny to see people discussing about how to _close_ the help file. This seems to be the number one use case of the help file
Who cares about the content?

Changing the content is not a problem. If you wish to change it - you just change it, and it becomes changed. So, there is just nothing to discuss.

[Lefteous]

If you wish to change it - you just change it, and it becomes changed.

Yes of course - I'm the help file author and all my change requests are applied immediately

[Flint]

Yes of course - I'm the help file author

You know what I mean.

[Lefteous]

You know what I mean.

Changing the html help engine is not a problem. If you wish to change it - you just change it, and it becomes changed. Just write a letter to steve@microsoft.com So, there is just nothing to discuss.

[ghisler(Author)]

Perhaps someone will write a HLP file viewer plugin for lister? Then TC could simply sow the HLP files by itself!

Are the specifications for HLP available?

[Thoemmeli]

There is a way to close CHM / HTML Help with Esc:

Use Windows Hooks to hook into the Keyboard messages and close the HTML Help whenever the Total Command help is the active window.

Here is some pseudo code (I have an example that works, but with C# and a hooking library from MSDN Magazine):
(Sorry for the lazy formatting and incompletness)

Code: Select all

IntPtr m_hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, KeyboardHook, instanceOfModule, 0);

int KeyboardHook(int code, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam)
{
  if (code < 0)
    return CallNextHookEx(m_hhook, code, wParam, lParam);

  CloseChmIfActive(lParam);

  // Yield to the next hook in the chain
  return CallNextHookEx(m_hhook, code, wParam, lParam);

}

void CloseChmIfActive(IntPtr lParam)
{
  KBDLLHOOKSTRUCT kbdStruct = (KBDLLHOOKSTRUCT)Marshal.PtrToStructure(lParam, typeof(KBDLLHOOKSTRUCT));
  if (kbdStruct.vkCode == 27) // Esc
  {
     FindAndCloseHelpForm();
   }
}

void FindAndCloseHelpForm()
{
  int handle = FindWindow("HH Parent", "Total Commander");
  if (handle == 0) return false;
  int foregroundHandle = GetForegroundWindow();
  if (handle == foregroundHandle)
  {
    // Post a message to Application to end its existence.
    Win32.SendMessage(handle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_CLOSE, 0);
  }
}

Good luck
Thomas

[ghisler(Author)]

That's indeed an interesting idea, I will try it!

[ghisler(Author)]

I have added this code now. You can test it with the old sample CHM help file from here:

https://plugins.ghisler.com/655_pub_b1/totalcmd_chm.zip

Sorry, currently I don't have a newer CHM file available for testing.

[Lefteous]

I have tested this and it works fine (both Escape and Shift+Escape).

[djk]

Yes, it works ok now.

[Flint]

Works fine, but only till first change of the language! Steps to reproduce:

0. I have TotalCmd.chm in the TC installation directory and WCMD_RUS.HLP in the Language subdir. Initially, the language of TC is English.
1. I start TC, press F1 (CHM help is opened), then Esc - the help is closed.
2. Now I go to Configuration -> Language and select the Russian, press OK.
3. I press F1 - Russian HLP file is opened. Close it with e.g. the same Esc.
4. Again to Configuration -> Language and select the English language (internal); OK.
5. Press F1 - CHM help is opened, but it cannot be closed with Esc anymore. TC restart is needed.

(You can experiment with German help file instead of the Russian: unpack it from the TC installation archive, rename into WCMD_DEU.HLP and put into the Language subdir.)

[ghisler(Author)]

I fear that this is impossible, because the old CHM window is still hooked, not the new one. I will try to find a solution, but I cannot promise anything. You will probably need to close and restart TC.

[Flint]

The problem is fixed in beta4.

[ghisler(Author)]

Thanks!