| Product: | MicroStation | |
| Version: | CONNECT Edition | |
| Feature: | Help |
| The Situation |
| Have you opened Help only to find that you need to type in the name and search for the tool that you would like to access Help for? |
| Solution |
|
Quickly display Help for the active command. Often, whether a new user or a software veteran, Help is consulted related to commands that are being used. This is a great way to get acquainted with new tools, as well as updated features for a tool that you are already familiar with. |
| Links |
| • YouTube |
Help can be accessed in several ways, including the following:
- The Help ribbon tab
- From the Backstage view
- The Key-in window
But not all ways of accessing Help are the same. A common scenario is to look for help related to the active command. If you open Help from the ribbon tab, generally you must still search for the command you are interested in, choosing the desired selection from the results that are presented. There might be a better way!
When MicroStation is installed, typically by default, Help can be opened using the function key, F1.
Is this any different than using one of the methods already listed? The answer is…Yes! If the Key-in “help” is input while a tool is active, Help automatically opens to the help topic for the active tool.
To facilitate this, the tool settings window for the desired tool must be in focus (highlighted) when the Key-in is initiated. This can be difficult (or impossible) to do if Help is activated from a source other than a function key or a custom tool.
(The tool settings window depicted “in focus” vs. “not in focus”)
Note: The “help” key-in command can easily be assigned to any function key from the Function Keys dialog. A custom tool button can also be created (from the Customize dialog) to perform the same operation.
Display Help for the active command:
- Select the desired tool.
- Verify the tool settings window for the command is “in focus”.
- From the keyboard, press function key F1.
- Help is opened and displayed within a web browser, with the help topic for the active tool automatically displayed.
Note: When Help opens, an Online Help notification window is displayed. This will occur each time Help is accessed. It is possible to disable the display of this dialog by enabling the Do not display again checkbox.