OK, I fixed one issue: xHelp.dat got a prepended path from GetModuleFileName, because when xHelp was launched from elsewhere, it couldn't find the settings in xHelp.dat - and that could indeed produce a half-hidden IE mini window in the upper left corner.
xHelp is tested with the
MasmBasic editor (RichMasm), and there it works chained with the MasmBasic guide, i.e. it first tests if e.g.
SendMessage is a MasmBasic command (it's not, of course), then passes the search string on to xHelp, which finds several matches in \masm32\help and, if the user wishes so, offers also Win32.hlp (still the best choice for many API calls because the SendMessage page pops right into your face).
PostMessage would not have matches for \masm32\help\*.chm, so xHelp will show you directly the Win32.hlp page, except when launched the first time: then it displays the dialog, and you have to hit Return.
Re redirection, as said earlier it shouldn't be an issue because 1. why should an editor redirect the search string if none of the bloody M$ search products returns info on whether searching was successful and 2. xHelp does not use StdIn or StdOut, it's a plain Windows app.
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