About Context-Sensitive Help

  • Article

Context-sensitive Help is information provided at run time when the user selects items in the integrated development environment (IDE). Context-sensitive Help, which includes F1 Help, can be provided for editors, designers, tool windows, project hierarchies, hierarchy items, modal dialog boxes, modeless dialog boxes, language services, or selections in a designer.

In This Section

  • Context-Sensitive Help Overview
    Defines context-sensitive Help and explains how Help authors and developers cooperate to create context-sensitive Help.

  • Context and Subcontext Bags
    Defines context and subcontext bags and illustrates how they are attached to different components in the IDE.

  • Active Context
    Discusses how active context is determined in the IDE and how it relates to the Dynamic Help window.

  • Context Priority
    Discusses how the priority of F1 and lookup keywords is assigned and how attributes are used to filter the content displayed in the Dynamic Help window.

  • Dynamic Help Window Implementation
    Explains the purpose of the Dynamic Help window and how it is updated.

  • Context in the Selection Element Identifier
    Provides information about editors that provide context through the SEID or a Properties window that provides selection information.

  • How to: Customize Dynamic Help
    Provides step-by-step instructions about how users can customize the information displayed in the Dynamic Help window.

  • Help Integration
    Provides information about integrating and connecting context-sensitive Help.