Maybe it's not C#, but whatever it is, it's not familiar to me.
What I want to do is to type in something like "ostream" and have it take me to an appropriate page. I did manage to naviagate to the MSDN help system (although I've already forgotten how I did that). But it did not come up with a search box or a useful index. Things are organized by categories, like input and output.
I really am impressed with C++ Express. And the price literally can't be beat. But I must say, for a decade, every time MS improves a product, the help system becomes more difficult to navigate.
I'm no fan of the MSDN Help viewer but I think it can do what you are asking for.
From within VC++ Express click on Help then Index. In the "Look For" box type ostream. Click on "ostream function" and you'll display the page that index entry points at. Click on "ostream header" and you'll find that the "Index Results" area shows the index entry points at two topics. Click on either of them to display that page.
Click on the "Sync with Table of Contents" button (next to "Ask a Question") and the TOC is displayed with the current page selected. This can be handy if you want to look at other pages related to the one you are reading (e.g., to find the entries foristream and several other STL classes).
Click on Help and then on Search to get the Search page displayed. Boolean expressions can be assembled using AND, OR, NOT and NEAR (they have to be typed in upper case I'm afraid).
Thanks a lot! I hope I can remember that "Sync with index" button.
Is there any way to integrate the SDK help with it For example, if I search for "Semaphore" in the C++ Express help, it finds various C++ classes that are wrappers for the system Semaphore object, but it does not find the system object itself. For that, I have to open the SDK help system.
I certainly don't know of a way to merge the two sets of documentation. It would be nice if you could!
There is the online version of the documentation. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/Library but it is based on the full Visual Studio not the Express editions so some Express specific information (menues etc) will be missing.
To integrate the PSDK help in to C++'s help collection, in the index pane, Look for: Visual Studio 2005 Combined help collection (the exact name might be something different).
To integrate the PSDK help in to C++'s help collection, in the index pane, Look for: Visual Studio 2005 Combined help collection (the exact name might be something different).
I think the "combined help" only ships with the full Visual Studio
Remember that we are talking about the Express Edition of Visual C++ here. The Express edition does not include a Platform SDK and the Express Edition Help doesn't include the PSDK documentation.
What we are talking about now is how to create a combined help collection from the two separate elements we have - the "MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions" which came with Visual Studio C++ Express Edition and "Platform SDK (R2)" doumentation downloaded separately with the Platform SDK.
A page will open under the URL control. At the bottom of it, there's a check box, Microsoft Platform SDK
(R2). Check it.
Close VC++ Express and all applications that may have the help system open.
Re-open VC++ and click on help and index again. The system will freeze up for a while. It didn't take long on my new, fast computer. In a while, the SDK documentation will be integrateed.
I go to the entry for _popen. It contains a link: ms-help://MS.VSExpressCC.v80/MS.VSIPCC.v80/MS.PSDKSVR2003R2.1033/dllproc/base/creating_a_child_process_with_redirected_input_and_output.htm
The link contains example code that makes API calls like CreatePipe,WriteFile, and numerous others. But the help system gives out at that point. There is no documentation for CreatePipe, for example. But if I go directly to the SDK help, I find it.
It appears that it slurped up some of the SDK documentation but not all of it. Grumble. I want my money back.
The link contains example code that makes API calls like CreatePipe,WriteFile, and numerous others. But the help system gives out at that point. There is no documentation for CreatePipe, for example.
On the Index, immediately above the "Look For" text field is a drop-down box called "Filtered By:". Most likely it has the value "Visual C++ Express Edition". Change the drop-down box so that it reads "(no filter)". I think you will find that the CreatePipe entry shows up in the index.
