VB.NET Language in a Nutshell

Class

Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject

Syntax

Err.HelpFile

Description

A read/write String property that contains the fully qualified path of a Windows Help file.

Rules at a Glance

The HelpFile property is automatically set by the Err object when an error is raised.

Example

See Err.HelpContext Property.

Programming Tips and Gotchas

• You can display a topic from the Visual Basic Help file by using the MsgBox function with the vbMsgBoxHelpButton constant and passing Err.HelpFile as the HelpFile argument (as shown in the example for the Err.HelpContext Property). While this is a simple and very effective way to add more functionality to your applications, bear in mind that some of your users could find the explanations within the VB Help file somewhat confusing. If time and budget allow, the best method is to create your own help file (for which you will need the Help compiler and other Help file resources from the full version of VB) and to pass both the HelpContext and HelpFileName to MsgBox .

• Some objects that you may use within your application have their own help files, which you can access using HelpFile to display highly focused help to your users.

• Remember that once the program encounters an Exit... statement or an On Error statement, all the properties of the Err object are reset; this includes the Help file. You must therefore set the Err.HelpFile property each time that your application needs to access the help file.

See Also

Err.HelpContext Property, Err.Number Property