The features described in this topic are obsolete
and should not be used in new IDL code.

ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX

The ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX procedure displays a searchable index of the IDL PDF documentation set. It is available only on UNIX platforms that support the IDL-Acrobat plug-in. (For more information on the IDL Acrobat plug-in, see "About IDL's Online Help System" in Chapter 16 of the Building IDL Applications manual.)

Warning
ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX is not supported in IDL releases after IDL 6.2.

ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX is a widget-based graphical application. The interface and its controls are described in Using ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX.

Warning
The ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX procedure relies on the presence of the file mindex.txt in the Help subdirectory of the IDL distribution. If this file is not present, ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX will exit with an error.

This routine is written in the IDL language. Its source code can be found in the file online_help_pdf_index.pro in the lib subdirectory of the IDL distribution.

Syntax

ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX [, SearchTerm]

Arguments

SearchTerm

A scalar string containing a term to be located in the IDL master index. SearchTerm will be loaded into the ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX widget application's search field, and the index list will scroll to the top-level index entry that most closely matches SearchTerm.

Note
See The "Always Show This List" Checkbox for information on modifying this behavior.

Keywords

None.

Using ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX

The ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX utility presents a widget interface with two tabs: one that allows searching in and selecting items from the IDL Master Index, and one that allows the user to define topics of interest within the IDL PDF documentation set.

Figure 2-5: The ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX Interface

ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX-5.jpg

Using the Index Tab

The IDL Master Index is a single document that includes index entries for the entire IDL documentation set. It is included in the help subdirectory of the IDL distribution in an Adobe Acrobat PDF version (mindex.pdf) and a text-only version (mindex.txt).

Selecting and Displaying Topics

To use the ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX interface to search for a term in the master index, select the Index tab and type into the Enter a search string field. The index list will scroll automatically to the top-level index entry that most closely matches the string you enter, and the first page number/book abbreviation combination will be highlighted.

To display the selected page in the Adobe Acrobat viewer, click Display, press the Enter key, or double-click on the highlighted entry using the mouse.

To switch between the search field and the index list, press the Tab key. When the index list is selected, change the highlighted item using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Click Done to dismiss the Index widget.

The "Always Show This List" Checkbox

By default, the ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX interface is displayed every time the "?" or ONLINE_HELP command is used, even if SearchTerm is found and displayed in the Adobe Acrobat viewer. Unchecking the Always Show This List checkbox on the Index tab changes this behavior, and only displays the interface if SearchTerm is not found in the PDF documentation set.

Using the Bookmarks Tab

To define personal topics of interest in the IDL documentation set, select the Bookmarks tab.

To display the page associated with a bookmark in the Adobe Acrobat viewer:

  1. Highlight the bookmark using the mouse or arrow keys.
  2. Click Display, press the Enter key, or double-click on the highlighted entry using the mouse.

To add a new bookmark:

  1. Enter a descriptive string in the Bookmark text field.
  2. Select a manual from the IDL documentation set from the Book pulldown menu.
  3. Enter the page number in the Page number field.
  4. Click Add.

To modify an existing bookmark:

  1. Highlight the bookmark in the list.
  2. Make the appropriate changes in the Bookmark text, Book pulldown list, and Page number fields and click Edit.

To delete a bookmark, highlight the bookmark in the list and click Delete.

Note
There must be at least one bookmark. If you delete the only bookmark in the bookmarks list, a new default bookmark will be created for you.

About Bookmarks

Each IDL user on a UNIX system has a personal bookmarks file that can be used to store index-like references to pages in IDL's PDF documentation set.

Note
Bookmarks into the PDF documentation set will work only for the version of IDL with which they were created.

Like index entries, bookmarks refer to a specific page in one of the IDL manuals. Because page numbers generally change when a new version of an IDL manual is released, bookmarks from one release of IDL will typically not point to the same information in the PDF files provided with a different release. This means that when you install and run a new version of IDL, your existing bookmarks will no longer be valid, and they will not be copied to the new bookmarks file.

Examples

On a UNIX platform that supports the IDL-Acrobat plug-in, entering "?" with no search term at the IDL command prompt displays the ONLINE_HELP_PDF_INDEX interface.