Configuring SQL Server Books Online

Upon installation, when SQL Server Books Online is opened from within SQL Server Management Studio, it opens in a separate document window. This window is still associated with the Management Studio, it can respond to some of your Management Studio actions, and when you close Management Studio, Books Online will close as well. Opening Books Online externally this way is particularly useful when you are using two monitors, because you can drag the Books Online window to the second monitor.

You can also open Books Online as a document window inside Management Studio. This can be best when you have limited screen space and want to take advantage of its ability to hide windows.

If you want Books Online to behave independently, open Books Online from the Start menu, and it will not react to your actions in the Management Studio environment.

Launching Books Online in a Separate Window

By default, the Help and Books Online document windows display external to Management Studio.

To demonstrate external Books Online behavior

  1. In Management Studio, on the Help menu, click Contents.

    A new window opens, and displays the Books Online table of contents.

  2. Close Books Online.

Launching Books Online as an Internal Document Window

To launch Help and Books Online inside Management Studio

  1. In Management Studio, on the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. In the Options dialog box, expand Environment, expand Help, and then click General.

  3. In the Show Help Using box, click Integrated Help Viewer, and then click OK twice.

  4. Close and restart Management Studio.

  5. In Management Studio, on the Help menu, click Contents. The Books Online table of contents opens inside Management Studio.

Tip

Not enough room to read the Books Online comfortably? Click a Books Online topic, and then press SHIFT+ALT+ENTER to toggle between full-screen mode and regular mode.

Floating the Browser Window

Some document windows can leave the borders of Management Studio.

To create a floating Books Online page

  1. Continuing the previous exercise, with Books Online in Integrated Help Viewer mode, expand the SQL Server Books Online table of contents, and click the second section, "What's New." The topic appears in a document window.

  2. If Management Studio is maximized, click the Restore Down button in the upper-right corner of the title bar to reduce the size of the entire Management Studio window.

  3. Right-click the title bar of the What's New window, and then click Floating.

  4. Click and drag the title bar of the Help window out of Management Studio.

Displaying the document window separately is particularly helpful when you are using a large monitor, or have dual monitors configured.

The document window is still part of Management Studio: the taskbar does not show the floating document window as a separate program, and closing Management Studio closes the floating document window.

To return Help and Books Online to the external Help Viewer

  1. In Management Studio, on the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. In the Options dialog box, expand Environment, expand Help, and then click General.

  3. In the Show Help Using box, click External Help Viewer, and then click OK twice.

  4. Close and restart Management Studio.

Next Task in Lesson

Adding Next and Previous Buttons to Help