Disable the context help in executables

[Thoric]

In a LabVIEW built executable the Context Help window can always be forced to appear with the CTRL+H shortcut. This isn't always desirable, and indeed I'd like to be able to prevent this. Can we have an option in the Application Builder to ignore this shortcut for executables?

It's not always desirable

[Ironman99]

Never tested, and may be I am wrong, but... I think that it's possible to intercept the CTRL-H keypress and discard it using the Key-down event.

You have to test for the "H" or "h" in Char and <CTRL> in Plat mods, in the Event data fields.

Not immediate, but feasible, I believe...

Cheers.

Marco

[dthor]

I always use the context help in my built executables. I don't really see why someone would want it turned off, but I guess there are some cases. As long as it defaults to staying on, you'll get my kudos.

[altenbach]

As a start, executeables should only show the context help for items that actually have a context help.

Items with the string "no description available" should never show it.

[Ironman99]

altenbach,

I see your point.  I find annoying all those "no description available"... mainly because they remember me how lazy I am in writing documentation!

But, what is your proposal? Should the context help window disappear when you hover a control without description? Or just popup when hovering a control with some description? Good but different idea (I would kudos it if left as an option).

By now <CTRH>H is a toggle shortcut. If you press this key combination you probably expect to see the context help appearing somewhere, in any case, also if the mouse pointer isn't on a control. The proposal is to have the possibility of completly disable the shortcut. If it is enabled in your executable I think you'll have to write an help content for all shown controls. Unfortunately.

Cheers.

Marco

[dthor]

> As a start, executeables should only show the context help for items that actually have a context help.

I think this is a great solution.

[RavensFan]

I agree that context help should be an option that you can disable in an executable.  Do you see something like context help in othe programs (Excel, Word, Outlook, AutoCAD?)  Some programs might have something, in which case they may do their own implementation.  But if they do, they don't have something that is a carry over from the development environment of how the program was generated.

If you are creating an executable in LabVIEW, you should have the full power to make it behave like you want, including disabling features that would identify it has a "LabVIEW made application".

[Darin.K]

>>Do you see something like context help in othe programs (Excel, Word, Outlook, AutoCAD?)

[Thoric]

> I always use the context help in my executables...As long as it defaults to staying on

Keeping the default to enable the context help makes sense, we don't want the default behaviour of the application builder to change

>As a start, executables should only show the context help for items that actually have a context help.

If this can be implemented, then maybe it can be a third option. Personally, when I try to create the best user experience I can, I often want to disguise the fact the software is LabVIEW. Therefore I would like to be able to fully prevent the context help. But having the ability to selectively show the help window makes sense too.

>Darin.K

Yes, the ClipIt helper demonstrates my point. It is a customised interactable help facility built into an executable, which is something a developer may wish to implement should they choose to disable the LabVIEW context help window.

Keep the comments/brainstorming coming!

[David_Staab]

I fully support this idea as it's written. Almost all of my applications are designed so they don't look like LabVIEW programs. I use System controls, OS-native color schemes, dialogs that look like part of the OS, etc. When the context help popups up, it completely breaks that facade.

[Zach-H]

I realize this post is fairly old, but for anyone else searching like myself, you can actually add the tag "DisableContextHelp=True" in the application's INI file to disable the CTRL+H functionality in any executable built in LabVIEW 2012 or newer.