When you type or click the name of a function, type, etc, and then press F1, QM tries to find and show help for it. The table shows where QM looks for help and where shows it.
| Identifier | On F1 |
| QM intrinsic function, type, etc | Opens associated topic in QM Help. |
| User-defined function | Displays function's help section (see below) in the tips pane. |
| Class name | Looks for macro named "classname help" (here classname is the name of the class) and displays it in tips. |
| API (dll function, type, constant, COM) | Shows help search links in the tips pane. But at first looks for " /?" (at the beginning of a line) in the macro where declared. If there is " /?", opens that macro instead. If there is " /? macro name", shows that macro in the tips pane. |
| Everything from type libraries | Tries to open the topic in the help file associated with the type library. If fails, shows help search links in the tips pane. |
| Unknown (not currently declared) | Shows help search links in tips. |
A user-defined function's help section includes function's text from the beginning to the place where comments end and code begins.The function statement also is included. Comments can contain tip links, styles etc (see below). Comments below " EXAMPLE" are displayed colored. In "See also:" line, macro names enclosed in <> make links to that macros. They are opened in tips. When QM shows a macro in tips, all is similar, but whole macro is shown, and it is not uncommented.
API help search links are customizable. You can right-click in the search links pane and edit them. New text is stored in $my qm$\F1_user.txt. Text of default search links is stored in $qm$\F1.txt, which is replaced when installing QM.
Tips also are customizable, although you probably will never do it. Text for them is stored in $qm$\tips.txt, which is replaced when installing QM.
To show a help topic or a tip or a function in tips can be used function QmHelp.
When you edit search links or tips, you can use certain tags to create links, colored text, etc. Most tags also can be used in help sections of user-defined functions.
QM 2.3.0. Most tags also can be used with the out command, if the text begins with "<>".
Below are examples for all available tags.
<link "http://www.quickmacros.com">open web page</link>
<link "mailto:abc@def.gh?subject=test%20qm%20links&body=test%0Aqm%0Alinks">create
email</link>
<link "notepad.exe">run file notepad.exe</link>
<link "notepad.exe /$desktop$\test.txt">run notepad with command
line parameters</link>
<macro "MyMacro">run macro MyMacro</macro>
<macro "MyMacro /abc">run macro MyMacro; the _command variable
will contain "abc"</macro>
<macro "MyMacro /<keyword>">run macro MyMacro; the _command
variable will contain the search keyword</macro>
<open "MyMacro">open MyMacro</open>
<open "MyMacro /10">open MyMacro and go to position 10</open>
<help "::/qm_help/IDH_QUICK.html">open a topic in QM Help</help>
<help "qm2help.chm">open help file qm2help.chm</help>
<help "qm2help.chm::/qm_help/IDH_QUICK.html>main">open a
topic in a help file, "main" window type</help>
<tip "E_IF">display a tip from $qm$\tips.txt</tip>
<tip "#MyMacro">display a macro or function (only help section)
in tips</tip>
Instead of syntax <tag "attribute">text</tag> can be used <tag>text</tag>. Then text is used as attribute. Example:
<link>http://www.quickmacros.com</link>
<b>bold</b> <i>italic</i> <u>underline</u>
<color "0x00ff00">green color</color>
<b><i><color "0xff">nested tags</color></i></b>
Instead of <color> can be used <c>.
The search keyword (for which was pressed F1):
<keyword>
Function's help section:
<function>
Macro or function:
<code>
int i
for(i 0 5) out 1
</code>
Menu:
<code "1">
abc :run "abc.exe" * icon.ico
abc :run "abc.exe" * icon.ico
</code>
TS menu:
<code "2">
abc :key "abc"
abc :key "abc"
</code>