VARKON Version 1.16 1998-11-03

### VARKON_DOC

Environment variable

Description

Environment variable used by VARKON to find the system documentation. When a user calls for help VARKON first searches the directory specified on the fourth line of the project PID file for the right help file. If not found there VARKON searches $VARKON_DOC instead.

Help files are plain ASCII text files (.txt) or HTML formatted files (.htm). The help system in VARKON is context sensitive meaning that when you ask for help VARKON will try to give you help related to your exact situation. This is done using the following simple rules.

If you are executing a VARKON function the helpfile used will be the one named fnnn.txt or fnnn.htm where nnn is the number of the function. The ZOOM function for example is function 100 and the help text is found in f100.htm. See the special treatment of f25 below.

If no function is active VARKON uses the number of the current menu to find a help file. Menu 66 for example is the "GRAPHICS" menu and its helpfile is m66.htm.

If you are calling or editing a module interactively (the part statement, f25) VARKON uses the name of the module to find a help file. This is a powerful way to provide help for modules you create yourself.

Comments

If VARKON_DOC is not defined a hard coded default will be used.

If VARKON_DOC points to a non existent directory or if read permission to $VARKON_DOC is missing the help files in $VARKON_DOC will not be found.

The contents of $VARKON_DOC should not be altered. Dont edit any files, add any files or remove any files.

Project specific helpfiles should be placed where the application resides for example in $HOME/app/xxx/doc if xxx is the name of the project.

The concept of an active menu is not readily applicable to the Microsoft Windows WIN32 version of VARKON since the treatment of menus is different from that of UNIX and X-Windows.

See also

f153

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