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# NSHelpManager

An object for displaying online help for an app.

```
@MainActor class NSHelpManager
```

## Overview

The [`NSHelpManager`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager) class provides an approach to displaying online help. An app contains one [`NSHelpManager`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager) object.

## Topics

### Getting the Help Manager

[`sharedHelpManager`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/shared)

Returns the shared [`NSHelpManager`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager) instance, creating it if it does not already exist.

### Displaying Help

[`-  findString:inBook:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/find(_:inBook:))

Performs a search for the specified string in the specified book.

[`-  openHelpAnchor:inBook:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/openHelpAnchor(_:inBook:))

Finds and displays the text at the given anchor location in the given book.

[`AnchorName`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/AnchorName)

[`BookName`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/BookName)

### Dynamically Adding Help Books

[`-  registerBooksInBundle:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/registerBooks(in:))

Registers one or more help books in the given bundle.

### Configuring Context-Sensitive Help

[`-  setContextHelp:forObject:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/setContextHelp(_:for:))

Associates help content with an object.

[`-  removeContextHelpForObject:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/removeContextHelp(for:))

Removes the association between an object and its context-sensitive help.

### Displaying Context-Sensitive Help

[`-  contextHelpForObject:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/contextHelp(for:))

Returns context-sensitive help for an object.

[`-  showContextHelpForObject:locationHint:`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/showContextHelp(for:locationHint:))

Displays the context-sensitive help for a given object at or near the point on the screen specified by a given point.

[`ContextHelpKey`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/ContextHelpKey)

[`contextHelpModeActive`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/isContextHelpModeActive)

### Notifications

[`NSContextHelpModeDidActivateNotification`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/contextHelpModeDidActivateNotification)

Posted when the application enters context-sensitive help mode. This typically happens when the user holds down the Help key.

[`NSContextHelpModeDidDeactivateNotification`](/documentation/AppKit/NSHelpManager/contextHelpModeDidDeactivateNotification)

Posted when the application exits context-sensitive help mode. This happens when the user clicks the mouse button while the cursor is anywhere on the screen after displaying a context-sensitive help topic.

## Relationships

### Conforms To

[`NSObjectProtocol`](/documentation/ObjectiveC/NSObjectProtocol)

[`Equatable`](/documentation/Swift/Equatable)

[`CustomStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomStringConvertible)

[`CustomDebugStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomDebugStringConvertible)

[`CVarArg`](/documentation/Swift/CVarArg)

[`Hashable`](/documentation/Swift/Hashable)

[`Sendable`](/documentation/Swift/Sendable)

### Inherits From

[`NSObject-swift.class`](/documentation/ObjectiveC/NSObject-swift.class)

---

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