The Starlink portable help system (HLP) is used to provide help if ? or ?? is typed in response to a parameter prompt. Instructions for creating help libraries and navigating through them may be found in SUN/124.
Interface File entries specifying help libraries may be given as standard pathnames e.g.:
Note that the file extension .shl
is optional.
The system will also accept environment variables and ˜ in the help library name, e.g.:
$KAPPA_DIR/kappahelp.shl
or $KAPPA_HELP
or ˜/help/myprog
For historical reasons, so that the same Interface File entry will work with both Unix and VMS, the VMS form:
KAPPA_DIR:kappahelp.shl
or KAPPA_HELP:
will be accepted.
If the VMS form is used, the environment variable name will be forced to upper case, and the filename to lower case for interpretation. Unix-style specifications will be interpreted as given.