--- a/MenuPanel.st	Tue Jan 30 20:04:41 2018 +0100
+++ b/MenuPanel.st	Wed Jan 31 00:06:12 2018 +0100
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+"{ Encoding: utf8 }"
+
 "
  COPYRIGHT (c) 1997 by eXept Software AG
 	      All Rights Reserved
@@ -7066,19 +7068,38 @@
 activeHelpText
     "get the active helpText or nil if not yet resolved"
 
-    |app key|
+    |app key tryItemValue text|
 
     "/ explicitly assigned (probably dynamic)
     activeHelpText notNil ifTrue:[^ activeHelpText].
 
+    tryItemValue := false.
+
     "/ activeHelpKey, or - if unassigned - the nameKey as fallback
     (key := self activeHelpKey) isNil ifTrue:[
-        key := self nameKey
+        key := self nameKey.
+        key notNil ifTrue:[
+            tryItemValue := true.
+        ] ifFalse:[
+            self itemValue isSymbol ifTrue:[
+                key := self itemValue
+            ].
+        ].
     ].
     (key notNil and:[(app := menuPanel application) notNil]) ifTrue:[
-        ^ app helpTextForKey:key.
-    ].
-    ^ nil
+        text := app helpTextForKey:key.
+        text isNil ifTrue:[
+            tryItemValue ifTrue:[
+                self itemValue isSymbol ifTrue:[
+                    text := app helpTextForKey:self itemValue.
+                ].
+            ].
+        ].
+    ].
+    text isNil ifTrue:[
+        ^ self rawLabel
+    ].
+    ^ text
 !
 
 activeHelpText:aText