Microsoft KB Archive/249871

= BUG: Errors when Switching to a New MSDN Library Collection =

Article ID: 249871

Article Last Modified on 8/15/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * MSDN 2003 Universal Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 Enterprise Edition

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This article was previously published under Q249871



SYMPTOMS
After changing the active MSDN Library collection, you may experience the following problems when launching Help from within Visual Studio:
 * The Start page for the MSDN Library is from the previous collection.
 * Launching Help from the Index tab displays content from the previous collection.
 * The Help window title still names the previous collection.



CAUSE
These problems may occur when the MSDN Library and Visual Studio products are running when the active collection is changed.



RESOLUTION
Close the MSDN Library and any Visual Studio products before switching to a new collection. If the active collection was changed without doing this, closing and reopening the Visual Studio products should fix any of the problems described above.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
The active MSDN Library Collection is the one that Visual Studio 6.0 uses when Help is launched. There are two main ways to change the active collection. The first is through Visual C++ by clicking Options on the Tools menu. The Help System tab of the Options dialog box allows the user to change the active collection.

As of the October 1999 MSDN Library, a new Collection Settings tool is available. On the Start menu, point to Programs. Under Microsoft Developer Network, click MSDN Library - Collection Settings.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
The following information provides specific information on how to reproduce each problem described in the SYMPTOMS section of this article:

The Start Page for the MSDN Library is from the Previous Collection
 * 1) Install any Visual Studio 6.0 product.
 * 2) Install the MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 3) Install one of the other MSDN Library collections (for example October 1999 or January 2000).
 * 4) Use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 5) Launch the Visual Studio product.
 * 6) On the Help menu, click Contents. Note that the contents pane shows the correct Start page for the MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 7) Close the MSDN Library, but leave the Visual Studio product open.
 * 8) Use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to a different collection.
 * 9) On the Visual Studio product's Help menu, click Contents. Note that the contents pane still shows the Start page for MSDN Library -Visual Studio 6.0a. However, the title bar and the table of contents match the active collection setting.

Launching Help from the Index Tab Displays Content from the Previous Collection
 * 1) Install Visual C++ 6.0.
 * 2) Install the MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 3) Install the MSDN Library January 2000.
 * 4) Use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 5) Create a Visual C++ project that contains the word "DialogBox".
 * 6) Without closing MSDN Library, use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - January 2000.
 * 7) In MSDN Library, select the Index tab, and then type "DialogBox". Click the Display button. Note that the content displayed is from the previous MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a instead of the new MSDN Library - January 2000. Note that F1 Help for DialogBox brings up the correct page from the new active collection.

The Help Window Title Still names the Previous Collection.
 * 1) Install Visual C++ 6.0.
 * 2) Install the MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 3) Install the MSDN Library January 2000.
 * 4) Use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 5) Create a Visual C++ project that contains the word "DialogBox".
 * 6) Click on the text "DialogBox" and press F1. The title of the MSDN Library window is "MSDN Library Visual Studio 6.0".
 * 7) Without closing the MSDN Library, use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - January 2000.
 * 8) Repeat step 6. The title of the MSDN Library window is "MSDN Library - January 2000".
 * 9) Without closing MSDN Library, use the Collection Settings tool to set the active collection to MSDN Library - Visual Studio 6.0a.
 * 10) Repeat step 6. Note that the title still remains the same ("MSDN Library - January 2000").

Keywords: kbbug KB249871

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