.net app - problem with multiple helps

[xoggoth]

Cant find nowt on net and no answers on expert boards, maybe someone here knows.

Opening context sensitive main help file as follows:

Help.ShowHelp(Me, HelpProvider1.HelpNamespace, HelpNavigator.KeywordIndex, pr.PicTopics(CurrentView) )

Also using standard Help format for some content elsewhere:
Help.ShowHelp(Me, InstTextFile)

Problem is, if this 2nd help is already open when users click main help, the main help opens twice, once properly and once using the window definition of the 2nd help, i.e. with no contents page. Unfortunately it is this 2nd one that appears on top.

How can I check if help is still running so can close it? (without confusing with any help from another app)

Cheers for any notions.

[AtW]

Perhaps checking the process list should allow you to have some reliable heuristics that would allow you to identify if your help is already open or not?

[xoggoth]

Ah, process list has thrown up a few things on google worth checking out. Cheers atw.

PS
Hmm, can't see it there. That is plainly same list as comes up in 2nd tab of task manager. What I really want is the applications list on 1st tab, does not seem to be one. Pah!

[AtW]

np - check out DDE - it should be possible to send signals to existing window to do that or this, so if you detect help is already open then you can, probably, send signal to open another help chapter. I am suprised it does not do that automatically though.