HOW TO: Install interactive XLL Plus help in Visual Studio 2019

How do I install interactive XLL Plus help in Visual Studio 2019

Issue

When I installed XLL Plus for Visual Studio 2019, it was not possible to install the integrated XLL Plus help, because the Visual Studio help was not initialised. How can I now install the help without reinstalling XLL Plus?

Procedure

To install the help, follow the steps below.

1. Install Visual Studio Help

   Start Visual Studio Installer, and press Modify (which may be contained under More). Select the Individual components tab, and locate the Code tools group. If necessary, put a check against Help Viewer and press the Modify button to close the dialog and update your Visual Studio 2019 installation.

2. Open Visual Studio Help

   Start Visual Studio 2019, and click on the Help > Add and Remove Help Content menu item.

3. Find the XLL+ documentation

   Under Installation source:, click Disk:, click on the ... button and navigate to the XLL+ installation directory (usually [Program Files (x86)]\Planatech\XllPlus\7.0\VS16.0), and then to the docs\vshelp sub-directory. Select the file helpcontentsetup.msha and click Open.

4. Select the content to install

   In the Add and Remove Content screen, scroll down (if necessary) until you see "XLL+ Documentation", and click on the "Add" link next to it.

5. Install the content

   Click on the Update button.

   You may need to click Yes on a User Account Control dialog and a Security Alert screen.

   When the update completes, return to Visual Studio 2019.

6. Select the Help Viewer

   In Visual Studio 2019, click on the Help > Set Help Preference > Launch in Help Viewer menu item.