How to Play an .AVI File Using FoxPro for Windows

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0
• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, version 2.6a

SUMMARY

This article shows by example how to play a video .AVI file using FoxPro for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

The code example below employs the FOXTOOLS.FLL library to register a Windows system function, MMSYSTEM.DLL. MMSYSTEM.DLL ships with Windows versions 3.1 and later. The library is usually located in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory. After the REGFN() function registers the multimedia function, MciSendString, the AVI file plays within a window defined by the program.

Sample Code

1. Install Video for Windows on the computer that will be used to run the sample code.

2. Create a program containing the following code, and run it:

   IF ! 'FOXTOOLS' $ SET('LIBRARY')

         SET LIBRARY TO SYS(2004)+"FOXTOOLS.FLL" ADDITIVE
   

   ENDIF

   x="" avi=REGFN("MciSendString","@C@CII","I","mmsystem")

   foxwh=mainhwnd() cmd="open c:\fpw26\tazmovie.avi type AVIVideo alias "+ ;

          "Animation parent "+LTRIM(STR(foxwh))+" style "+LTRIM(STR(12345))
   

   *open the avi file ret = CALLFN(avi,@cmd,@x, 0, 0) IF ret > 0

         WAIT WINDOW "Problems"
   

   ENDIF

   * Put the window at location 10 10 relative to the parent window * with a size of 200 200 cmd="put Animation window at 20 20 200 200" ret = CALLFN(avi,@cmd,@x, 0, 0) IF ret > 0

         WAIT WINDOW "Cannot create child window"
   

   ENDIF

   * The wait tells the MCI command to complete before returning * control to the application. cmd="play Animation wait" ret = CALLFN(avi,@cmd,@x, 0, 0) IF ret > 0

         WAIT WINDOW "Cannot play AVI"
   

   ENDIF

   * Close windows so they don't crash when you exit the application. cmd="close Animation" ret = callfn(avi,@cmd,@x, 0, 0) IF ret > 0

         WAIT WINDOW "Cannot close AVI window"
   

   ENDIF

   SET LIBRARY TO