Registering Help System for Windows SDK Documentation with Visual Studio
It is explained on Windows SDK blog how to integrate the updated Windows SDK with Visual Studio. However, how about the documentation and help integration with Visual Studio or even the search for API references ? I was using the online SDK until I figured out a work around.
Here are the steps to enable the updated help collections system for Windows SDK with Visual Studio. So at the end, the internal help function will will work with the updated help if necessary.
- In Visual Studio , use the menu to navigate to Help -> Index
- This will run up Microsoft Document Explorer (and yes it is different than MSDN)
- Make sure that the results are unfiltered, in the “Look for” field search for “Collection Manager”,
- On the results tree click to collection manager -> Help
- Than select the Microsoft Windows SDK Collection checkbox. You can also have additional help integrated with the document explorer.
- Update VSCC.
That’s it. Instead of the chm file it is useful to use from Visual Studio with the search capabilities.
Many thanks, previously I could only access the SDK documentation in a seperate window.
Thanks for the tip.
Wouldn’t it be so much more simple and flexible and useful if the help system was a simple set of HTML files, viewable with whatever browser and searchable with whatever indexer?? Argh…
Most helpfull information ever. Even help for OpenGL commands is working now as they are part of the Platform SDK.
Thank you!
Worked perfectly in VS2008, but in 2005 i did not fiend the “Collection manager”. Damn.
here is the url for the “Collection Manager” in VS2005 where it is called Combined Help Collection Manager.
ms-help://MS.VSCC.v80/dv_vscccommon/local/CollectionManager.htm