Modifying the Appearance of the Help Window

A local help window is created every time the help system is called. The local help window is copied from the global help window, which is initialized in vv_init(), and #defined as HELP_WNP. You can change any member of HELP_WNP, just as with any window.

Caution: The help window and message window cannot overlap.

For instance, you can have "Help Information" appear in the center of the top border in logical attribute LHIGHLITE, by calling:

sw_title("Help Information", LHIGHLITE, TOPCENTER, HELP_WNP);

You can also modify the size and location of the help window. For instance, to place the window on the upper part of the screen and make the window eight rows instead of six rows:

wn_mod(0, 0, 8, vs_colq(), HELP_WNP);

wn_mod()is a function that changes the size and location of a window. vs_colq() is a function that returns the number of columns on the screen.

For other things you can do to change the appearance of the window, see Chapter 25, "Changing the Appearance of Windows."

Warning: Do not change the size or location of the help window while it is being displayed on the screen.

We strongly recommend that you do not explicitly use the help window in your programs, but reserve it for system use. If you do use it, always call wn_dn(HELP_WNP) before reading a form.