Search in the Help menu

Since upgrading to Leopard I've been
a) mystified by the point of the Search function in the Help menu
b) increasingly frustrated by how it gets in the way of what I want to do
Perhaps I'm missing the point and someone can set me straight!
The Help menu has been around for a while - a standard menu to the right of all the other menus in any given application. It's part of the application menus rather than the generic menus over to the right which access system functions, so there's definitely the sense that it belongs to the application rather than the system. Different applications populate it according to need - often making using of the Apple Help infrastructure.
In Leopard a Search box inserts itself in the Help menu above the standard application populated items. It looks like a Spotlight search - so am speculating that it is. So what does it search? Well what I expected was a search of that application's help. However, whatever application I'm in it seems that it searches the whole Apple help system rather than the application I'm in and on which I need help.
Worse - the search results show up in the help menu and blow away all the application specific items. The net result is that I end up with a lot of hits unrelated to the application - and then completely unable to access that application's help. I guess there may be shortcuts to get back out of the mess - but life's too short - it needs to more intuitive.

Hi
Yes it is the Spotlight search field & just below that search box in, say Firefox, the top option is Firefox Help. Clicking that takes me to the Help specifically for Firefox.
Spotlight will search almost everything. It won't, AFAIK, search your Home, System or Library folders (to do that you need to use Finder's Find (Cmd-F) which is more thorough).
Is my answer helpful or do you need more
Steve

Similar Messages

  • How do I change Text Colour in a Spreadsheet?  The Help menu doesn't help.

    Simple question whcih i cannot find the simple answer to:  How do I change Text Colour in a Spreadsheet?  The Help menu doesn't help.

    Hi Lecia,
    You have several choices.
    Use the first set of controls in the Format Bar. One of these is a Color well (red in the image). Select the cell(s) in which you want the text coloured, then click the well to open its Color palette, and choose your colour.
    Use the Text Inspector. Open the inspector, click the Text button (T), and use the tools there (similar to the set in the Format Bar).
    Press command-T to open the Fonts Window. This offers a few more options than are available in the Inspector or the Format bar.
    Regarding "Help": I'd recommend using the Numbers '09 User Guide, which you can download via the Help menu. Easier to search, and easier reading than the individual Help articles. search 'text color' to quickly get to instructions on applying colour to text.
    Regards,
    Barry

  • HT5654 where is the help menu in itunes

    where is the help menu on the itunes page

    "The fact that people have to resort to searching on the internet just to find the help menu is a testament to the failure of iTunes"
    Good point (though I wouldn't go as far as "failure").  It is surprising that Apple haven't followed the conventions used (for example) in Microsoft's Office products where Help (via the question-mark-in-a-circle icon) is always available in the UI irrespective of the user's choices of enabling/disabling the menu bar, toolbars, ribbon, etc.  Having the menu bar default to disabled also seems counter-productive - Apple may see this as "simplification" but I can't imagine that any users, other than those who make the bare minimum use of iTunes, would not want to have the functions available via the menus available at all time.
    https://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html allows you to submit feedback with respect to bugs, errors, omissions, and enhancements to the iTunes development team (though the degree to which this influences development is a matter of conjecture).

  • Problems with the help menu.

    Hi. I'm a new iMac user and have had problems using the help menu on my computer. Every time I click on help and search a topic I get a blank untitled window. Nothing ever opens up in the window and then the spinning beach ball comes up. It is only in the blank window and I am still able to use the computer normally. I am unable to close or force quit the program and have to restart to get rid of it. I have called tech support and spent over an hour on the phone with no help and ended up reinstalling the operating system. Still having the same problem. Anyone have some advice or have had a similar problem?

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    Try reindexing the hard drive via Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight.
    Drag the hard drive into the Privacy section, and the select it in that section, and select the minus sign in the bottom left corner below the field holding the drive.
    Click then on Spotlight every half hour to wait until the Indexing status no longer shows up.
    If Help still doesn't come up entirely, try clicking on the clear jewel in the upper right corner of the Help menu. It may reveal the search field. If it doesn't, quit from the Help Viewer application menu, and then go to com.apple.helpviewer.plist and delete it. Help should then load normally.
    If it still doesn't, try repairing permissions with Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility.
    In the end, if that still doesn't work, let us know, and we might suggest something else.

  • Elements 13 will not update from the help menu

    Hi, Just installed elements 13, updates does not work from the help menu, adobe application manager opens and the search for updates is continuous, just keeps searching.
    cheers
    Darryl

    Have you tried it on more than one date? Sometimes the site shuts down temporarily.
    Have you tried from both Premiere Elements and the Elements Organizer -- or even Photoshop Elements? It's all the same updates.
    Are you logged in with your Adobe ID?
    What operating system are you using?

  • How do I set the HELP menu to use Indesign's local HELP files on the hard drive and not the web?

    How do I set the HELP menu to use Indesign's local HELP files on the hard drive and not the web?
    CS 5.0 launches the internet browser.  > TO SLOW I DONT WANT THIS.
    CS 3.0 uses the local help files > I WANT THIS FOR 5.0.

    You're not speaking to the right forum for your request. Help is a Suite-wide feature and here is the forum where the Help application is discussed, and where the proper Adobe people hang out:
    Community Help Application

  • Error when opening Find Examples under the Help menu

    Today when I tried opening the Find Examples under the Help menu in LabVIEW 6.1, it would not open correctly. The Find Examples window appears and then an error window appears on top of it with the following description -
    "Error 1 occurred at open or create file (function 1)."
    Then ther is a list of possible reasons.
    I have had this version of LabVIEW installed for over 6 months and had no problems until today. I tried running the installation program for LabVIEW and repairing LabVIEW but had no success.
    What should I do next? Is there a file/s I can delete and then install manually?
    Thanks,
    Rodney

    I've never actually heard of this error ocurring with the Examples Finder before. If it continues, I would probably just reinstall LabVIEW. That should clear up the problem.
    J.R. Allen

  • Help with the help menu

    I´m a big fan of the help menu function. I use it all the time in all the Adobe applications.
    Suddenly, it just stop working in InDesign. The others still work.
    The way it´s supposed to work is that if you know the name of a command but not the keyboard shortcut or where the command is located – you start typing the name of the command in the help menu. If you type "convert to" the help menu suggest "convert to profile" and others. If you click a suggestion InDesign should execute the command.
    That was before. Now it just plays the system error sound and does nothing.
    Does anyone have a tip for me on how to get my beloved help menu back on track?
    Cheers
    InDesign CS4
    Mac OSX 10.6.7

    Double posting (could not find a "edit" button)
    Heres a video of what I mean:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGGj9500Hg0

  • How to enter the purchased license if the "Activate" option does not appear in the Help Menu?

    My lightroom test period expired so I acquired the license.   I purchased it and got a Serial number.  but I do not find the way to activate my  serial number.  It suppose that in the Help Menu there should be a "Ativate" option but it is not.  (It is not even as a "locked option"  I mean.. it is not at all)

    If you are on Version 11.0.1 rather than 11 Apple put it back in
    View > Show Duplicates
    Option + View > Show Exact Duplicates
    so if you are on 11 upgrade to 11.0.1 and you will have it

  • Can someone tell me how to import c.d's faster.  I've tried all the stuff listed on the help menu.

    Can someone tell me how to import c.d's faster.  I've already tried all the stuff they told me to do on the help menu.  edit, pref., general, import settings, deselect "use error correction when reading audio c.d.s.  It wasn't even selected in the first place.  Wiped off c.d.  Isn't there a way to speed up the importing?  Thanks for any support on this.

    I tried to rip from Windows Media & it took exactly 1 hour to rip a 1 hour c.d.  Something's not right here.  It's got to be something on my computer.  I'm just a little old aerobics instructor trying to rip music to itunes so I can then make a playlist to put on my ipod for my class.  I'm also not very knowledgeable about computers & what makes them run etc.  Would appreciate any help.  Thanks.

  • I have CS6 and I just got a new Leica D-LUX and can not view my RAW (.RWL) images in Bridge what do I do? I already tried updating Bridge  from the Help menu.

    I have CS6 and I just got a new Leica D-LUX and can not view my RAW (.RWL) images in Bridge what do I do? I already tried updating Bridge  from the Help menu.

    Did you use the Migration Assistant to help set up the new iMac using some of the files in the older PC? Some likely won't mean much, unless you have applications that can use or convert them. There's also a way to use the software Time Machine to import data files from an external or another computer, so you may have used that, too.
    Hopefully someone with experience in a similar issue will reply...
    Good luck & happy computing!

  • Using the Microsoft help icon (?) in a customised tab integrated in the help menu

    I am using the Visual Studio and customizing it for my company. I want to use their help icon in a tab in the help menu which is personalized and integrated with the Visual studio build. I am unable to find the image (?) used. Can anyone help me in locating
    the image and how to reference it so that I can use it for my integrated menu.

    Hi Emon205,
    The real issue is that which VS version you were using.
    For the VS2010, it has the VS2010ImageLibrary.zip. This file is typically installed in … \Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\VS2010ImageLibrary\1033\.
    Please Extract All for this zip file, and then follow the directions to extract the images.
    You could get the help image here:
    ...\VS2010ImageLibrary\_Common Elements\Objects
    But like VS2013, as James's suggestion, you would download it by yourself.
    Best Regards,
    Jack
    We are trying to better understand customer views on social support experience, so your participation in this interview project would be greatly appreciated if you have time. Thanks for helping make community forums a great place.
    Click
    HERE to participate the survey.

  • I am having a problem using the help menu in Adobe elements 5

    I am having a problem using the help menu in Adobe elements number five.
    When I open the help menu, the dialogue box defaults to an unreadable display font. Is there any way to change that default font? Using the help menus to find a solution is not possible for I cannot read what it is displaying.

    For product, there is an option in preferences where we can set fonts. There are two options: One is application font and other is system font. I am talking about elements 8 which I have but not sure that will solve your problem which is help related.
    Hope Help in 5th version is html which opens in Browser? Please confirm.

  • I can't pass from the trial version of adobe CC to the paid one, and i try every advices on the help menu. someone know something about that ?

    hello !
    so, i've just paid for adobe CC, on a student profil. When i install photoshop or illustrator, it doesn't work, saying that i've already tried the software, and that i need an activation key. But  i subscribe on a monthly paiement, so, normally, my adobe id is the key, but it doesn't work. i tried all the advices on the help menu, and it doesn't work neither. Someone did have the same problem ? is there a solution ?
    thanks per advances !

    Some general information for a Cloud subscription
    Log out of your Cloud account... Restart your computer... Log in to your paid Cloud account
    -Sign in help http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/account-password-sign-faq.html

  • Why I can't find the update menu in the Help menu for Photoshop Elements 10 on my Mac?

    Why I can't find the update menu in the Help menu for Photoshop Elements 10 on my Mac?
    I can't manually update the saw plug-in either. I am stuck!

    Authorization and Deauthorization
    Macs:  iTunes Store- About authorization and deauthorization.
    Windows: How to Authorize or Deauthorize iTunes | PCWorld.
    In iTunes you use the Authorize This Computer or De-authorize This Computer option under the Store menu in iTunes' menubar. For Windows use the ALT-S keys to access it. Or turn on Windows 7 and 8 iTunes menus: iTunes- Turning on iTunes menus in Windows 8 and 7.
    More On De-authorizing Computers (contributed by user John Galt)
    You can de-authorize individual computers, but only by using those computers. The only other option is to "de-authorize all" from your iTunes account.
      1. Open iTunes on a computer
      2. From the Store menu, select "View my Account..."
      3. Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
      4. Under "Computer Authorizations" select "De-authorize All".
      5. Authorize each computer you still have, as you may require.
    You may only do this once per year.
    After you "de-authorize all" your authorized computers, re-authorize each one as required.
    If you have de-authorized all computers and need to do it again, but your year has not elapsed, then contact: Apple - Support - iTunes - Contact Us.

Maybe you are looking for