F1 help issues with VS.NET and C++/MFC
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Although I have been using VS.NET for quite some time now, I have only used it for C# development (and it works great, honest). Just recently I started to use it with C++/MFC and I noticed that the context sensitive help “DOES NOT WORK!!” :wtf: In C# (as well as VB.NET) when F1 is pressed when the caret is over a method the fully qualified path to that function is passed to the help system and the correct help appears. But with C++ only the method name is passed. So, if you need help on CRecentFileList.Add, and press F1, only the ‘add’ keyword is sent to the help, which in turn finds the first registered match … which happens to be CImageList.Add. So unless the method name is unique (or you need help on CimageList) the odds of the correct help appearing is extremely low. Now, the Dynamic help window does show all of the entries in the help that match a given keyword … but there are over 50 classes that have an ‘add’ method, so you have to search through this list each time to try and find the correct one. Since the intellisense works fine, that means the editor already knows the fully qualified name of a method …. Why that is not passed to the help system is beyond me. In fact the help files are already setup to recognize the fully qualified names (just view the source of a help topic to see). So in conclusion… F1 help is useless when using C++/MFC… I do not think that this was ever looked at or tested before the product was released. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Although there are many great improvements in VS.NET for C++/MFC development, this problem is a major setback (in my opinion). PS. I have verified this on several different development systems, but if my conclusion is incorrect please let me know.
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Although I have been using VS.NET for quite some time now, I have only used it for C# development (and it works great, honest). Just recently I started to use it with C++/MFC and I noticed that the context sensitive help “DOES NOT WORK!!” :wtf: In C# (as well as VB.NET) when F1 is pressed when the caret is over a method the fully qualified path to that function is passed to the help system and the correct help appears. But with C++ only the method name is passed. So, if you need help on CRecentFileList.Add, and press F1, only the ‘add’ keyword is sent to the help, which in turn finds the first registered match … which happens to be CImageList.Add. So unless the method name is unique (or you need help on CimageList) the odds of the correct help appearing is extremely low. Now, the Dynamic help window does show all of the entries in the help that match a given keyword … but there are over 50 classes that have an ‘add’ method, so you have to search through this list each time to try and find the correct one. Since the intellisense works fine, that means the editor already knows the fully qualified name of a method …. Why that is not passed to the help system is beyond me. In fact the help files are already setup to recognize the fully qualified names (just view the source of a help topic to see). So in conclusion… F1 help is useless when using C++/MFC… I do not think that this was ever looked at or tested before the product was released. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Although there are many great improvements in VS.NET for C++/MFC development, this problem is a major setback (in my opinion). PS. I have verified this on several different development systems, but if my conclusion is incorrect please let me know.
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Although I have been using VS.NET for quite some time now, I have only used it for C# development (and it works great, honest). Just recently I started to use it with C++/MFC and I noticed that the context sensitive help “DOES NOT WORK!!” :wtf: In C# (as well as VB.NET) when F1 is pressed when the caret is over a method the fully qualified path to that function is passed to the help system and the correct help appears. But with C++ only the method name is passed. So, if you need help on CRecentFileList.Add, and press F1, only the ‘add’ keyword is sent to the help, which in turn finds the first registered match … which happens to be CImageList.Add. So unless the method name is unique (or you need help on CimageList) the odds of the correct help appearing is extremely low. Now, the Dynamic help window does show all of the entries in the help that match a given keyword … but there are over 50 classes that have an ‘add’ method, so you have to search through this list each time to try and find the correct one. Since the intellisense works fine, that means the editor already knows the fully qualified name of a method …. Why that is not passed to the help system is beyond me. In fact the help files are already setup to recognize the fully qualified names (just view the source of a help topic to see). So in conclusion… F1 help is useless when using C++/MFC… I do not think that this was ever looked at or tested before the product was released. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Although there are many great improvements in VS.NET for C++/MFC development, this problem is a major setback (in my opinion). PS. I have verified this on several different development systems, but if my conclusion is incorrect please let me know.
All the C++ help topics seem to be broken in the new help system to one degree or another. Just try tying "set" in the index and try to find info on the STL "set" class.. it doesn't show. However.. if you click on set in the code, and then press F1.. you do get the correct help. I've also seen the same phenemonon you mention. Microsoft, your glory days are over, and will remain so until you start delivering reliable software that meets your customers' needs.
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Although I have been using VS.NET for quite some time now, I have only used it for C# development (and it works great, honest). Just recently I started to use it with C++/MFC and I noticed that the context sensitive help “DOES NOT WORK!!” :wtf: In C# (as well as VB.NET) when F1 is pressed when the caret is over a method the fully qualified path to that function is passed to the help system and the correct help appears. But with C++ only the method name is passed. So, if you need help on CRecentFileList.Add, and press F1, only the ‘add’ keyword is sent to the help, which in turn finds the first registered match … which happens to be CImageList.Add. So unless the method name is unique (or you need help on CimageList) the odds of the correct help appearing is extremely low. Now, the Dynamic help window does show all of the entries in the help that match a given keyword … but there are over 50 classes that have an ‘add’ method, so you have to search through this list each time to try and find the correct one. Since the intellisense works fine, that means the editor already knows the fully qualified name of a method …. Why that is not passed to the help system is beyond me. In fact the help files are already setup to recognize the fully qualified names (just view the source of a help topic to see). So in conclusion… F1 help is useless when using C++/MFC… I do not think that this was ever looked at or tested before the product was released. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Although there are many great improvements in VS.NET for C++/MFC development, this problem is a major setback (in my opinion). PS. I have verified this on several different development systems, but if my conclusion is incorrect please let me know.
C+ what ? MF who ? What's all that about...must some goofy old language used by a bunch of unix hackers...:) Remember it's C "Sharp" as in the cheese...
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C+ what ? MF who ? What's all that about...must some goofy old language used by a bunch of unix hackers...:) Remember it's C "Sharp" as in the cheese...
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Although I have been using VS.NET for quite some time now, I have only used it for C# development (and it works great, honest). Just recently I started to use it with C++/MFC and I noticed that the context sensitive help “DOES NOT WORK!!” :wtf: In C# (as well as VB.NET) when F1 is pressed when the caret is over a method the fully qualified path to that function is passed to the help system and the correct help appears. But with C++ only the method name is passed. So, if you need help on CRecentFileList.Add, and press F1, only the ‘add’ keyword is sent to the help, which in turn finds the first registered match … which happens to be CImageList.Add. So unless the method name is unique (or you need help on CimageList) the odds of the correct help appearing is extremely low. Now, the Dynamic help window does show all of the entries in the help that match a given keyword … but there are over 50 classes that have an ‘add’ method, so you have to search through this list each time to try and find the correct one. Since the intellisense works fine, that means the editor already knows the fully qualified name of a method …. Why that is not passed to the help system is beyond me. In fact the help files are already setup to recognize the fully qualified names (just view the source of a help topic to see). So in conclusion… F1 help is useless when using C++/MFC… I do not think that this was ever looked at or tested before the product was released. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Although there are many great improvements in VS.NET for C++/MFC development, this problem is a major setback (in my opinion). PS. I have verified this on several different development systems, but if my conclusion is incorrect please let me know.
I fight with the Visual design tool, I edit the code and it just rips it out soon as I try to visual edit it, it fucks up big time. Toolbars/Statusbars bars are the biggest problems, also wierd compilation errors complaining about code which is in error not even related to the line in error? F1 forget it, the help is a shambles, I've installed Oct'2001 it's contains the everthing miss'n from Jan' Apr' Jun' 2002. One thing dont destroy the old MSDN CD's Microsoft have already decided to archived real programming articles eg. VidCap. Normski. - Professional Windows Programmer