I've tested on a clean install of mirc 6.34, but i think i've seen the bug appears before this version.

I use win xp, and I've installed the clean mirc on a directory with a empty mirc.ini.In the directory, i've two help file, the mirc.chm and another, mirc.hlp (the file name don't change anything)

1)I've opened the clean mirc
2)I type /mirc.hlp, a shortcut to /winhelp, it open the mirc.hlp, as expected.
3)I close the mirc.hlp file and now I type /help and, as expected, the mirc help file opens.
4)I close the mirc help file, and now, retype /mirc.hlp, but nothing happen, even if mirc fake to be busy as if he should open the mirc.hlp file.

Also, i have a suggestion related to this, since /help open the mirc help file, would be nice to have /mirc not gave priority to the mirc.chm if a mirc.hlp is here.

im using 6.34 and the help files in my $mircdir are mirc.chm and ircintro.chm.

* /mirc.hlp: not connected to server

but /mirc.chm IS a command, yet i could not confirm this bug, windows XP sp2

And when I tried it, while connected to a server, I got , other than that, the help file opened properly using either /mirc.chm or /help

Since you don't have a help file mirc.hlp, don't you think it is normal ? You have to try with a .hlp file that is in the .exe directory.

RusselB, do you have a mirc.hlp in the same directory as mirc.exe ?

Note : even in the menubar, under Help > Help file, it won't work.

i dont understand what the problem is, because the help file is mirc.chm where does mirc.hlp come into play? mirc.hlp isnt a mIRC file is it?

edit:

is it is an old mirc help file? if it is, it is outdated, as it was replaced by mirc.chm. i cannot remember if mirc used .hlp files in prior versions.

MIRC.HLP Unknown command
* /winhelp: insufficient parameters

/help works
/mirc.chm works

Vista.

/mirc.hlp is not a command, as people have all been implying.

What exactly is the bug?

What's the problem with my post lol, no one seems to get it at all.

I have multiple help file in my mirc directory (i'm not using application data folder), mirc.chm, the official mirc help file and some others .HLP file, the bug is about .hlp file...

So you need a .hlp file, that HAVE TO BE in the same folder as the mirc.exe.In my exemple, my help file is mirc.hlp but we don't care about the name, we don't even care about what type of help file it is (here, it's a french mirc help file, that group a lot of tuto, old and non used $ident\command etc..).

The /winhelp as a shortcut in mirc, so it's possible to open a help file by calling it's name file as an alias.For exemple, if you have a file called GaisGA.hlp, /GaisGa or /GaisGa.hlp will open the help file.

To reproduce my bug, you need the mirc help file, mirc.chm, and another help file, but a .hlp.

I'm not sure this is for me, but the bug is that when mirc.chm is called one time, you can't open any other .hlp file, with the /winhelp command, or even with the menu Help, only /run file.hlp will work

.hlp files are deprecated in windows and no longer supported by the operating system. It's likely that .chm and .hlp files don't co-exist well on a system. This is a windows issue, not mIRC.. I'm positive this happens when you simply open the file without mIRC involved.

You're probably right about coexisting part.But you're wrong about your last statement, I can have mirc running during long time, run my .hlp file as i want, by the menu, by /winhelp, or by window itselft.And it's only when i run the mirc help file that i can't run .hlp inside mirc (by the menu or winhelp),I can open it with /run or with "window" without any problem.And I'm sure it has worked before.I don't said clearly it's not a window bug, but i've simply some difficulty to said why it worked with previous version of mirc.

Facts:
1. /mirc.hlp is not a command.
2. /winhelp needs a 2nd parameter. use: /winhelp mirc.chm.
3. /mirc.chm is not the official command as mirc.hlp is deprecated.

TaDa! No bug.

You're funny, i never stated that mirc.hlp was a command, i already know how /winhelp works, and again, never stated that mirc.chm was an official command.You seems to miss the point :
Imagine i'm using a dll called cwnd.dll, i have a help file for this dll, cwnd.hlp that is in the same folder as mirc.exe, Now i run mirc, and in the menubar : Help > Help file and i choose cwnd.hlp, i close this help file and by the same method, i open mirc.chm, then i close the mirc help file and reopen the cwnd.hlp and TADA, it won't open.So nothing about any command, right ?

Edit : it's not something to mirc.chm, but rather with all .chm file, so maybe it is not a mirc bug but still annoying.

One little known feature in mIRC is that by typing /<anything> mIRC will run any help file in the mIRC directory that has the filename <anything>, if that command doesn't already have another purpose.

Try this test alias to see what I'm talking about:



You can also omit the .hlp|.chm file extension and just use /versions instead.

This is also why /mirc and /ircintro open their respective help files.

Edit: this is more of a reply to everyone stating that /mirc.hlp isn't a command rather than to you Wims.

Yes, i have already stated the feature before in this thread, but i'm sure it's a good thing you said it again.Btw, i'll make some test under other $version...

I've tested under mirc 6.21, were mirc.chm was added, and there is no problem.

Edit : also working on 6.3 6.31 and 6.32, i can confirm the behavior on 6.33 and 6.34, so for me, it's definitively a mirc bug.

Another bug with /winhelp :
But using like that, it will act as /something.hlp some, only the first word is used

I'm wondering why this bug is being reported on mIRC's help site, when it's obviously a bug with Microsoft's help system.
Microsoft brought in /winhelp and Khaled/mIRC uses that access, not the other way around.

Calling "/winhelp mirc.chm on action" work and is the same as /mirc.chm (the same as /mirc) and the bug isn't when using /winhelp directly but when calling an alias that will be parse by mirc as a winhelp thing (i guess).