Help index

[peterm]

Where do I find the help files for AutoCAD 2018?

In other words, where should the Help location search path point to?

[imadHabash · Accepted solution]

Him

does this help from OPTIONS command.

[GrantsPirate]

Options>Files, expand Help and Misc File Names

[peterm]

Hi Imad,

What I need to know is the location of the help index file so that I can point to it.

[sthompson1021]

I may be wrong and if I am I'm sure someone will jump in to correct me but if you are looking for the help files saved on your computer, I don't believe there are any. I seem to remember something about help being available online only. In the past you could download help but I'm not sure if you can anymore or not.

[peterm]

Okay. So when I press the little question mark in the top right hand of my screen, why does it say it can't find the file?

[imadHabash]

Hi,

you may need to download offline help files to your local drive. >> Click <<

all the best ,, 

[peterm]

So, where should this point to then?

[sthompson1021]

Couple more thoughts on this.

1. My help location points to the same place except it stops at help. It doesn't have the \webbrw.chm behind it.

2. Below the help location, is your default internet location set to http://www.autodesk.com

3. On the Systems tab in options, under help, is the access online content box checked?

[peterm]

Okay, I changed the help file location and checked the internet location:

I can't see anything to do with Help or online content under the system tab:

This is what I get when I click on the question mark:

[GrantsPirate]

On mine the path is

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2018 Help\English\Help\index.html

[peterm]

That doesn't work for me as it is looking for a .chm file.

[sthompson1021]

Are you using plain Autocad or one of the verticals. My system tab looks like this

[peterm]

It's vanilla AutoCAD, but came as part of the Mechanical installation.

[sthompson1021]

Does Help work if you are running as Mechanical?

[peterm]

Wierd. AutoCAD Mechanical works as it is using a .html file:

Also, the System tab shows the online help bit as well:

So the question remains: how do I access help files in AutoCAD 2018 (not mechanical)?

[gotphish001]

I'm not sure about the help, but I know if you remove all the paths for where palettes are stored and apply and close. When you open options again it put the default locations back in. Maybe try and just remove what you have and apply and close, maybe a restart of autocad. If nothing is there it might re-add the default.

EDIT: I just test it. I changed my help location to some random stuff I just smashed on the keyboard. Applied and saved and closed options. Reopened options and my new location was still there. I removed that location and left it blank, applied and closed options. Reopened options and it put back in my original location instead of rolling it back to the location that I had just removed and made up anyway.

[sthompson1021]

Not sure if you can directly from the program. This post is from 2016 so not sure if its the same or not.  https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-mechanical-forum/how-to-view-autocad-2016-help-in-mechancial-... You might want to post in the Mechanical forum.

[peterm]

I tried that. The problem is that the default location doesn't work.

The AutoCAD Mechanical files are stored as a HTML file, but vanilla AutoCAD is looking for a CHM file which doesn't exist.

What I need is a help file called index.chm.

[peterm · Accepted solution]

Well, I finally gave up and went the long way round.

Instead, I've moved over to AutoCAD Mechanical where the help file works and I've tweaked everything to look and work the same as standard AutoCAD.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.