DOCUMENT:Q174213  11-JAN-2001  [vbwin]
TITLE   :BUG: Blank Window Appears Instead of Help File Contents
PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
PROD/VER:
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:kbGrpDSVB

======================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When you set the HelpCommand property of a Common Dialog control to
cdlHelpContents and then use the ShowHelp method to display the contents of a
Help file, Windows Help appears with a blank window. The contents of the Help
file is not displayed. The same behavior is exhibited if you set the HelpCommand
property to cdlHelpIndex to display the index of a Help file.

RESOLUTION
==========

Workaround #1
-------------

To display the contents or index of your Help file with the ShowHelp method,
first set the HelpCommand property of the Common Dialog control to the value
&HB. This value corresponds to the HELP_FINDER constant 0x000b in WINUSER.H.
When you use this constant, the Help window appears with the last active tab.
For example, if the Index tab was selected when this window was last shown, then
it will be the active tab when help is shown again:

         CommonDialog1.HelpFile = _
            "C:\Program Files\DevStudio\VB\Samples\Samples.hlp"
         CommonDialog1.HelpCommand = &HB
         CommonDialog1.ShowHelp

Workaround #2
-------------

To display the Index tab of your Help file, regardless of which tab was active
when the Help file was last shown, set the HelpCommand property of the Common
Dialog control to cdlHelpPartialKey:

         CommonDialog1.HelpFile = _
            "C:\Program Files\DevStudio\VB\Samples\Samples.hlp"
         CommonDialog1.HelpCommand = cdlHelpPartialKey
         CommonDialog1.ShowHelp

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. We are researching this bug and will post new
information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Start a new project in Visual Basic.

2. Click Components on the Project menu. Check "Microsoft Common Dialog 5.0" and
   click OK.

3. Add a Common Dialog control to Form1.

4. Add the following code to the Form_Click event of Form1:

         CommonDialog1.HelpFile = _
            "C:\Program Files\DevStudio\VB\Samples\Samples.hlp"
         CommonDialog1.HelpCommand = cdlHelpContents
         CommonDialog1.ShowHelp

5. Press the F5 key to run the application.

6. Click the form and note that Windows Help appears but the Help file contents
   are not displayed.

Additional query words: cmdlg kbVBp500bug kbVBp600bug kbVBp kbdsd kbDSupport kbControl

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbGrpDSVB 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVB600Search kbVBA500 kbVBA600 kbVB500 kbVB600
Issue type        : kbbug

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS
PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.  MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS
ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  IN NO
EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF
MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.  SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION
OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.