---
title: showsHelp
framework: appkit
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Property
path: appkit/nsalert/showshelp
---

# showsHelp

Specifies whether the alert has a help button.

## Declaration

```swift
var showsHelp: Bool { get set }
```

## Discussion

Discussion Set this property’s value to true to specify that the alert has a help button, or false to specify it does not. When a user clicks an alert’s help button, the alert delegate (delegate) receives an alertShowHelp(_:) message. The delegate is responsible for displaying the help information related to this particular alert. Clicking an alert’s help button can alternately cause the openHelpAnchor(_:inBook:) message to be sent to the app’s help manager with a nil book and the anchor specified by the helpAnchor property, if any of the following conditions are true: There is no alert delegate. The alert delegate does not implement alertShowHelp(_:). The alert delegate implements alertShowHelp(_:) but returns false. When this is the case, an exception is raised if no help anchor is set.

## See Also

### Configuring Alerts

- [layout()](appkit/nsalert/layout().md)
- [alertStyle](appkit/nsalert/alertstyle.md)
- [accessoryView](appkit/nsalert/accessoryview.md)
- [helpAnchor](appkit/nsalert/helpanchor.md)
- [delegate](appkit/nsalert/delegate.md)