Does UE support configurable external help (e.g. for programming languages)?

KarstenG · Nov 14, 2020#12020-11-14T14:36+00:00

This is a question of someone who is just about to explore the huge feature set of UltraEdit.

In the past I have been using an editor that supports to associate external help files with a registered language type (similar to the group of files referenced in a UE wordfile).

When working on such a file and asking for context specific help on the word under the cursor, the editor would invoke external help with that keyword and display the related information.

I have not found such a mechanism in UE.
Doesn't UE support this?

Ovg · Nov 14, 2020#22020-11-14T15:25+00:00

UE has a similar feature: You can add chm file or URL address with Help->Add help files, later you can select text and invoke it via F1->Your CHM File/URL Address .

KarstenG · Nov 14, 2020#32020-11-14T16:14+00:00

Many thanks!

Not as perfect as I am used to, but better than doing everything manually.

If the "Add help files" dialog would include a mechanism to link a help file to a file spec, then UE could select the proper file automatically instead of the user doing this for each and every invocation.

Ovg · Nov 14, 2020#42020-11-14T16:35+00:00

You can write you suggestion directly to IDM .... ([email protected])

Mofi · Nov 14, 2020#52020-11-14T21:47+00:00

The word to search for help does not need to be selected manually on not using key F1 to open the user added "help" . UltraEdit selects it automatically before opening the help/webpage on clicking on the appropriate item in menu Help (question mark popup window in ribbon mode) or the appropriate symbol on a customized ribbon tab or a customized toolbar or pressing the hotkey/chord assigned to the appropriate user help. It is enough to have the caret (text cursor) set on word (function, tag, etc.) which should be searched in index of CHM help file or using the URL, except the key F1 is used to open the help. A string must be selected in active document window on using key F1 to open the user help as otherwise the UltraEdit help is opened on pressing F1 with input focus in active document window and no string selected there.

It is not possible to associate a help or URL with a syntax highlighting language or a set of file extensions. Smart templates can be defined individually for each syntax highlighting language. An auto-completion file can be associated with a set of file extensions. But it is possible at Advanced - Settings or Configuration - Key mapping to assign hotkeys or chords to the commands User help 1 to User help 6 to open the appropriate help or webpage and search for the word under caret in help index respectively using the URL.