SAMPLE: Using MCI Commands in Visual Basic

 Last reviewed: August 5, 1996
Article ID: Q116082
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows, version 3.1
  • Microsoft Video for Windows Development Kit, version 1.1
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows, version 3.0

SUMMARY

The VBMCI sample shows how to use the function "mciSendString()" in Microsoft Visual Basic to play multimedia files. This sample also uses the custom control "MMControl" from the MCI.VBX custom-control file to play multimedia files. You may find it easier to use MMControl to manipulate multimedia files than to use mciSendString() commands.

MORE INFORMATION

This sample demonstrates only a few of the features of MMControl and a few of the commands strings that mciSendString() can use. The "Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Features," Book 1, contains a complete description of all of the features of MMControl.

The following files are included in the file VBMCI.EXE: 

   FORM1.FRM
   FRMABOUT.FRM
   GLOBAL.BAS
   MCIVBX.FRM
   OPENDLG.FRM
   README.TXT
   VBMCISTR.MAK
Download VBMCI.EXE, a self-extracting file, from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL) on the following services:
  • Microsoft Download Service (MSDL) 

          Dial (206) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
      Download VBMCI.EXE (size: 23094 bytes)
  • Internet (anonymous FTP) 

          ftp ftp.microsoft.com
      Change to the \SOFTLIB\MSLFILES directory
      Get VBMCI.EXE (size: 23094 bytes)

REFERENCES

You can find more information on command strings that you can send by using mciSendString() in the following resources:

  • "Multimedia Programmer's Reference," included with the Windows 3.1 Software Development Kit (SDK).
  • "Multimedia Programmer's Guide," included with the Windows 3.1 SDK.
  • MCISTRWH.HLP, a Windows Help file included with Microsoft Visual C++, Professional Edition, version 1.X.
  • DK_DOC.MVB or DK_DOC.HLP, Windows Help files included with the Video for Windows Development Kit, version 1.1. (NOTE: These Help files also contain information on the controls in the MCI.VBX and MCIWNDX.VBX custom-control files.)

The "Microsoft Video for Windows Development Kit," version 1.1, comes with a robust sample of how to use the features of the custom-control file MCIWNDX.VBX. This sample is called "VBMCITst".

In addition, there is a helpful topic in both the DK_DOC.HLP and DK_DOC.MVB files titled "Comparing MCIWNDX.VBX to MCI.VBX".

Additional reference words: 3.10 1.10 3.00 softlib VBMCI.EXE
KBCategory: kbmm kbprg kbfile kbwebcontent
KBSubcategory: MMMisc

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Last reviewed: August 5, 1996
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