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Bug 8289

Summary: Need hooks for context-sensitive help
Product: usersguide Reporter: Jan Benway <benway>
Component: CodeAssignee: issues@usersguide <issues>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: enhancement CC: jhoffman
Priority: P2    
Version: 3.x   
Hardware: All   
OS: All   
Issue Type: ENHANCEMENT Exception Reporter:

Description Jan Benway 2000-11-08 17:48:46 UTC
Users expect context sensitive help to describe contents of windows and dialogs.
Currently we only have task-based help. Context sensitive help needs to answer
the question: "What do I put in this entry field?" or "How do I set this
control?"

Before such help can be provided, "hooks" (e.g. Help buttons) for existing and
pending dialogs, wizards and other components need to be made available.
Comment 1 Jesse Glick 2000-11-08 20:51:59 UTC
Note: Help buttons normally appear on dialogs/wizards and apply to the current
panel. Any Swing component in the GUI (and also many indirectly displayed
objects, e.g. Explorer nodes, etc.) can have a HelpCtx, so F1 works on them. In
the future there will be a toolbar button for a help cursor to make this more
visible. Many things actually already have help IDs but they are not mapped to
anything.
Comment 2 Marian Mirilovic 2004-09-01 13:07:11 UTC
I think it isn't sunstainable, we can't provide help for everything ;(
reassigne to usersguide
Comment 3 Irina Filippova 2010-02-08 03:36:47 UTC
Closing the issue.
Now almost all dialogs have "Help" buttons that are mapped to specific help topics. If a particular topic is missing, a separate issue must be filed.