wx.adv.ExtHelpController

This class implements help via an external browser.

It requires the name of a directory containing the documentation and a file mapping numerical Section numbers to relative URLS.

The map file contains two or three fields per line: numeric_id relative_URL [; comment/documentation]

The numeric_id is the id used to look up the entry in DisplaySection/DisplayBlock(). The relative_URL is a filename of an html file, relative to the help directory. The optional comment/documentation field (after a ‘;’) is used for keyword searches, so some meaningful text here does not hurt. If the documentation itself contains a ‘;’, only the part before that will be displayed in the listbox, but all of it used for search.

Lines starting with ‘;’ will be ignored.

See also

wx.HelpController

Class Hierarchy

Inheritance diagram for class ExtHelpController:

Methods Summary

__init__
DisplayBlock	Display help for URL (using DisplayHelp) or keyword (using KeywordSearch)
DisplayContents	Display list of all help entries.
DisplayHelp	Call the browser using a relative URL.
DisplaySection	Display help for id sectionNo.
GetFrameParameters	Obtains the latest settings used by the help frame and the help frame.
Initialize	This must be called to tell the controller where to find the documentation.
KeywordSearch	Search comment/documentation fields in map file and present a list to chose from.
LoadFile	If file is “”, reloads file given in Initialize.
OnQuit	Does nothing.
Quit	Does nothing.
SetFrameParameters	Allows one to override the default settings for the help frame.
SetViewer	Tell it which browser to use.

Properties Summary

FrameParameters

See GetFrameParameters

Class API

class wx.adv.ExtHelpController(HelpControllerBase)

Possible constructors:

ExtHelpController(parentWindow: Optional[Window]=None) -> None

This class implements help via an external browser.

Methods

__init__(self, parentWindow: Window | None = None)

Parameters:

parentWindow (wx.Window)

Return type:

None

---

DisplayBlock(self, blockNo: int)

Display help for URL (using DisplayHelp) or keyword (using KeywordSearch)

Parameters:

blockNo (long)

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

DisplayContents(self)

Display list of all help entries.

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

DisplayHelp(self, relativeURL: str)

Call the browser using a relative URL.

Parameters:

relativeURL (string)

Return type:

bool

---

DisplaySection(self, *args, **kw)

Overloaded Implementations:

---

DisplaySection (self, sectionNo : int)

Display help for id sectionNo.

Parameters:

sectionNo (int)

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

DisplaySection (self, section : str)

Display help for id sectionNo – identical with DisplaySection .

Parameters:

section (string)

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

---

GetFrameParameters(self, size: Size | None = None, pos: Point | None = None, newFrameEachTime: bool | None = None)

Obtains the latest settings used by the help frame and the help frame.

Parameters:

• size (wx.Size)

• pos (wx.Point)

• newFrameEachTime (bool)

Return type:

Frame

---

Initialize(self, dir: str)

This must be called to tell the controller where to find the documentation.

If a locale is set, look in file/localename, i.e. If passed “/usr/local/myapp/help” and the current wx.Locale is set to be “de”, then look in “/usr/local/myapp/help/de/” first and fall back to “/usr/local/myapp/help” if that doesn’t exist.

Parameters:

dir (string) – directory name where to fine the help files

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

KeywordSearch(self, k: str, mode: HelpSearchMode = HELP_SEARCH_ALL)

Search comment/documentation fields in map file and present a list to chose from.

Parameters:

• k (string) – string to search for, empty string will list all entries

• mode (HelpSearchMode) – optional parameter allows the search the index (wx``wx.HELP_SEARCH_INDEX``) but this currently only supported by the wx.html.HtmlHelpController.

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

LoadFile(self, file: str = '')

If file is “”, reloads file given in Initialize.

Parameters:

file (string) – Name of help directory.

Return type:

bool

Returns:

True on success

---

OnQuit(self)

Does nothing.

Return type:

None

---

Quit(self)

Does nothing.

Return type:

bool

---

SetFrameParameters(self, titleFormat: str, size: Size, pos: Point = DefaultPosition, newFrameEachTime: bool = False)

Allows one to override the default settings for the help frame.

Parameters:

• titleFormat (string)

• size (wx.Size)

• pos (wx.Point)

• newFrameEachTime (bool)

Return type:

None

---

SetViewer(self, viewer: str = '', flags: int = HELP_NETSCAPE)

Tell it which browser to use.

The Netscape support will check whether Netscape is already running (by looking at the .netscape/lock file in the user’s home directory) and tell it to load the page into the existing window.

Parameters:

• viewer (string) – The command to call a browser/html viewer.

• flags (long) – Set this to wx.HELP_NETSCAPE if the browser is some variant of Netscape.

Return type:

None

Properties

FrameParameters

See GetFrameParameters