BUG: MCIWndGetPositionString Makes Time Format Milliseconds

• Microsoft Video for Windows Development Kit version 1.1
• Microsoft Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Calling MCIWndGetPositionString causes the time format (set with MCIWndSetTimeFormat) to change to milliseconds. This applies only to devices that have tracks.

WORKAROUND

To work around the problem, reset the time format after calling MCIWndGetPositionString as follows:

#ifdef _WIN32

TCHAR pszFormat[30]; // Use a TCHAR in Win32 TCHAR pszPosition[30];

#else // Not Win32

char pszFormat[30];
char pszPosition[30];

   // Get the time format - hWnd is the hWnd of the MCIWnd
   MCIWndGetTimeFormat(hWnd, pszFormat, sizeof(pszFormat));

   // Get the position - hWnd is the hWnd of the MCIWnd
   MCIWndGetPositionString(hWnd, pszPosition, sizeof(pszPosition));

   // Reset the time format - hWnd is the hWnd of the MCIWnd
   if (0 == MCIWndSetTimeFormat(hWnd, pszFormat))
      // Successful
   else
      // Could not reset time format

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.