The Screenshot Tool let's you in a fast way replace design time screenshots by runtime ones. The advantages of using this tool over standard screenshot tools are:
The Use cases section describes how different setting modes support different types of use.
When InitScreenshotDispatcher function is called on runtime then Help Generator Screenshot Tool Icon is added on the MS Windows system tray - this is photo camera icon marked by blue circle on this picture.
Right-clicking to the Help Generator Screenshot Tool Icon opens Help Generator Screenshot Tool Popup Menu . Another method to open Help Generator Screenshot Tool Form is to double click on Help Generator Screenshot Tool Icon.
Clicking on Show menu entry of this popup menu opens Help Generator Screenshot Tool Form.
Clicking on Show menu entry of this popup menu hides Screenshot Tool dialog.
Text in groupbox explains how to select window using drag-drop. The currently selected window has a thick border around it.
The Help Generator Project file stores the choices the user made in the wizard before generating the Help Project. This info (e.g. what image type, which folder to store the files) is needed when making screenshot (and HTML pages).
Runtime screenshots can be taken in several modes. These modes are defined by manipulating(checking/unchecking) of the options in the Options group box. Checking/unchecking these options also toggles the enable/disable state of the form's controls by thus allowing to modify only the controls' values used in a certain mode.
When the combination of the checked/unchecked options and the controls' values defines allowed set then the
Finder cursor
(
) is made visible and it can be used to drag & drop to select the target screenshot form, control or MS Windows window area.
Clicking on screenshot link (frmCustomers.bmp on the above picture) opens screenshot image in your MS Windows system default image viewer/editor.
Enables the group 'Screenshot' which lets you select name an location of the images.
Generates a HTML file for the form the same way the Help Generator does. Check this if you want a fill new page generated.
When checked it forces the following dialog to be shown after screenshot is taken successfully:
This option let's you take an isolated screenshot of any selected part of the form.
Location where screenshots are saved.
Choose Jpeg or Bitmap. Default value as in Generator.
Name of the forms screenshot
This group let's you control where HTML file will be stored. To enable it select the option 'User defined screenshot location '
Lets you use help project default, or select another folder.
Name of generated HTML file - if any
Hide the screenshot tool. Re-open from System tray.
Show help on this dialog.
Make the form small hiding the options.
Close dialog without taking screenshot.
The following table presents allowed combinations of options checkboxes' values and describes screenshot modes defined by these combinations:
|
Screenshot tool mode |
Option Name |
Screenshot tool mode description |
||
|
User Defined screenshot location |
Generate HTML files |
Take screenshot of selected window only |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mode 1 |
--- |
X |
--- |
Runtime mode screenshots of the forms and their controls replace corresponding screenshots in the Help Generator Project images folder Previously generated HTML archived in \Archive subfolder of the Help Generator Project folder Generated HTML file replaces corresponding HTML file in the Help Generator Project folder. (This and the previous archiving action are performed only if the newly generated HTML differs from the corresponding currently stored in the target folder one.) |
|
Mode 2 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Runtime mode screenshots of the forms and their controls replace corresponding screenshots in the Help Generator Project images folder |
|
Mode 3 |
X |
X |
--- |
Runtime mode screenshots of the forms and their controls replace corresponding screenshots in the user defined images folder Previously generated HTML file archived in \Archive subfolder of the user defined html files' folder Generated HTML file replaces corresponding HTML file in the user defined html files' folder. (This and the previous archiving action are performed only if the newly generated HTML differs from the corresponding currently stored in the target folder one.) |
|
Mode 4 |
X | --- | --- |
|
| Mode 5 | X | --- | X |
|
The values of the Help Generator Screenshot Tool controls are defined based on the rules specified in the following table:
| Screenshot tool form's control name | Screenshot tool mode | ||||
| Mode 1 | Mode 2 | Mode 3 | Mode 4 | Mode 5 | |
| Help Generator Project | .HGP fullpath | .HGP fullpath | |||
| Folder for screenshot images | Help Generator Project images folder | Help Generator Project images folder | User defined images folder | User defined images folder | User defined (/redefined after screenshot is taken) images folder |
| Save screenshot images as | Help Generator Project image type - {{ImageType}} | Help Generator Project image type - {{ImageType}} | User defined image type - {{ImageType}} | User defined image type - {{ImageType}} | User defined image type - {{ImageType}} |
| Captured image filename | {{FormName}}.{{ImageType}} | {{FormName}}.{{ImageType}} | User defined image file name.{{ImageType}} | User defined image file name.{{ImageType}} | User defined (/redefined after screenshot is taken) image file name.{{ImageType}} |
| Folder for generated HTML files | Help Generator Project folder | User defined HTML file folder | |||
| Generated HTML filename | {{FormName}}.html | User defined HTML file name.html | |||
