How to Play Waveform (.WAV) Files in FoxPro for Windows

 Last reviewed: April 29, 1996
Article ID: Q102585
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5 and 2.5a

SUMMARY

The code example below shows how to play waveform (.WAV) files from within FoxPro for Windows. This code can be placed in several different snippets including SETUP, VALID, WHEN, and MORE.

MORE INFORMATION

The example below uses the FoxTools library to call a function in MMSYSTEM.DLL. This dynamic-link library (DLL) is shipped with Windows 3.1 and is located in the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory (usually C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM). 

   SET LIBRARY TO SYS(2004)+"FOXTOOLS.FLL"
   MREGISTER=REGFN("SndPlaySound","CI","I","mmsystem")
   MWAVE="Chimes.wav"
   MFLAG=1
   MCALL=CALLFN(MREGISTER,MWAVE,MFLAG)
The sndPlaySound() function plays a waveform sound specified by a filename or by an entry in the [Sounds] section of the WIN.INI file. If the sound can't be found, it plays the default sound specified by the SystemDefault entry in the [Sounds] section of the WIN.INI file. If there is a now SystemDefault entry or if the default sound can't be found, the function makes no sound and returns FALSE.

MWAVE specifies the name of the sound to play. The function searches the [Sounds] section of the WIN.INI file for an entry with this name and plays the associated waveform file. If no entry by this name exists, it assumes the name is the name of a waveform file. If this parameter is NULL, any currently playing sound is stopped. (For example, MWAVE="SystemStart" will play the waveform file associated with Windows starting, and MWAVE=0 will stop any currently playing sound.)

MFLAG specifies options for playing the sound using one or more of the following flags: 

   0 - The sound is played synchronously and the function does not
       return until the sound ends (all programs stop processing until
       the sound is done playing).

   1 - The sound is played asynchronously and the function returns
       immediately after beginning the sound. To terminate an
       asynchronously played sound, call the sndPlaySound() function
       with MWAVE set to NULL. (The program will continue operation
       with the sound playing at the same time.)

   2 - If the sound can't be found, the function returns silently
       without playing the default sound.

   9 - The sound will continue to play repeatedly until sndPlaySound()
       is called again with MWAVE set to NULL.

  16 - If a sound is currently playing, the function will immediately
       return FALSE without playing the requested sound.

   NOTE: To use more than one option, add the numbers together. [For
   example, use 11 to play the sound repeatedly; if the sound cannot
   be found, sndPlaySound() will not play the default sound.]
The sound must fit in available physical memory and be playable by an installed waveform audio device driver. The directories searched for sound files are, in order: the current directory; the Windows program directory; the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory; the directories listed in the PATH environment variable in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file; the list of directories mapped in a network.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Windows with Multimedia "Programmer's Reference," version 1.0

Additional reference words: VFoxWin 3.00 FoxWin 2.50 2.50a wave form WAV
wave
KBCategory: kbmm kbsound kbprg kbcode
KBSubcategory: FxprgFoxtools

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Last reviewed: April 29, 1996
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