Starting the Help System

To use the IDL online help system, do one of the following:

Enter the ? command (optionally followed by a routine or object name) at the IDL command prompt

Call the ONLINE_HELP procedure at the IDL command prompt or within an IDL program

If you are running the IDL Workbench:

Select the Help → Help Contents option from the menu bar

Highlight a term in the Editor, Console, or Command Line view and press F1

Highlight a term in the Editor, Console, or Command Line view and select the Help → Help on Selected Item option from the menu bar

To get context-sensitive help on an element in the IDL Workbench interface (as opposed to an IDL routine or concept), press F1 (Windows), Help or Command-? (Macintosh), or Shift-F1 (Linux/Solaris)

Select IDL Help from the Microsoft Windows Start menu

Double-click on the IDLHelp Macintosh icon

Type idlhelp at the UNIX shell prompt

Tip
The IDL help system uses the help facilities provided by the Eclipse-based IDL Workbench, even when the workbench is not running. Depending on your system, the help system may take several moments to start the first time you request help during an IDL session. For tips on reducing the time it takes to start the help system, see Help Server.