Excel 2003 VBA Help not working when automating via VB 6

  • Thread starter Thread starter Howard Kaikow
  • Start date Start date
H

Howard Kaikow

In a Win 2000 system, among other things, the following are installed:

1. VB 6 Enterprise.
2. MSDN October 2001 Library
3. Office 2003 Professional
4. VS .NET 2003 Professional.

When I highlight a VBA statement, and hit F1, or enter, say,
Collapse, in the object browser, I get a message that says "Unable to
display Help".

I realize that the MSDN Oct 2001 library has nothing for Office 2003.
How can I get VB 6 to display Help for Office 2003 critters?
The critters get listed in the object browser, but no help can be obtained
 
I've met this problem, too. Never tracked it down to ultimate causes, but it
seems to relate to the way in which the products were installed: eg if you
installed everything as Administrator, then run things as a plebeian user
(or vice versa?). Quick fix is to find the help files and create desktop
shortcuts. Doesn't fix the F1 issue, but at least the help is readily to
hand.
 
My account is part of the Administrator group, so that should not be the
problem.

Rather than creating shortcuts, I start an instance of Word/Excel, in
addition to the VB 6 design window.
But this is a crock that MSFT needs to fix ASAP.

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
Jezebel said:
I've met this problem, too. Never tracked it down to ultimate causes, but it
seems to relate to the way in which the products were installed: eg if you
installed everything as Administrator, then run things as a plebeian user
(or vice versa?). Quick fix is to find the help files and create desktop
shortcuts. Doesn't fix the F1 issue, but at least the help is readily to
hand.
Click to expand...
 
Howard Kaikow said:
My account is part of the Administrator group, so that should not be the
problem.

Rather than creating shortcuts, I start an instance of Word/Excel, in
addition to the VB 6 design window.
But this is a crock that MSFT needs to fix ASAP.
Click to expand...

You're right, but I wouldn't hold your breath.
 
In the process of investigating whether I had a proper vshelp.dll file, I
found something interesting.

System is a multiboot system, with a different Office in each boot system.

Using windoze explorer, I did a search for vshelp.dll,
A copy was found on the C and F drives, but none on the G and J drives.
So I manually looked for the file on the G and J drives. Files are present.

So, one bug is that windoze explorer missed listing the files in the Search
on the G and J drives.

Office 2003 is in the OS on the J drive.

I searched thru the registry and found that vshelp.dll was already
registered on the J drive, but I ran regsvr32 anyway.
The F1/Help problem continues.

MSFT needs to issue a fix, not tell us to do tumblesaults as in KB article
216109.

MSFT has greatly improved the functionality, performance and ease of use in
Office over the years, but they still need to get their act together on
installation issues.
 
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