AVIRSCE.EXE Plays an AVI Stored in a Resource .dll File

• Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

This article shows you how to play an AVI file stored in a resource .dll file through Visual Basic. Although you can add an AVI file to a resource file in Visual Basic and then compile the Visual Basic project into a .dll file, the AVI file is accessible only through Visual Basic.

An AVI file stored in a resource .dll file compiled in Visual C++ has two advantages:

• The file is accessible from more than one application written in several different programming languages, such as both Visual C and Visual Basic.



• If you need to change the resource file because you need to change the AVI file, you only have to change one file. That file can reside on a server and become accessible to all programs using that file.

MORE INFORMATION

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. Click the file names below to download the files:

Avirsce.exe

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp

Q119591 : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

 - Avirsce.vbp (1Kb)-the project file
 - Avirsce.vbw (1Kb)-the workspace file
 - Form1.frm   (2Kb)-the form file
 - Module1.bas (5Kb)-the module file
 - Readme.txt       -you are reading this file 

Steps to Create the Sample

   #define IDR_AVI1     101 

Q178199 : HOWTO: Create a Resource DLL File Containing an AVI

1. Start a new Standard EXE project. Form1 is created by default.



2. Add a CommandButton to Form1.



3. Copy the following code to the Code window of the Form1 form. (Add the AVI file identifier and the path to the resource .dll file in the lines marked with the comment <<<< ):
   

   
         Option Explicit
         Private Sub Command1_Click()
            Dim hRsrc As Long
            Dim hGlobal As Long
            Dim lpString As String
            Dim strCmd As String, strReturnVal As String
            Dim nbuf As Long
   
            'Identifier for the AVI in the resource file from the resource.h
            'file of the resource dll, which must be preceded by '#'.
            lpString = "#101" '                                       <<<<
   
            'Loads the resource
            'Change the filename argument in the next line to the path and
            'filename of your resource dll file.
            hInst = LoadLibrary("<Path resource dll file name>") '    <<<<
            hRsrc = FindResource(hInst, lpString, "AVI")
            hGlobal = LoadResource(hInst, hRsrc)
            lpData = LockResource(hGlobal)
            fileSize = SizeofResource(hInst, hRsrc)
   
            Call mmioInstallIOProc(MEY, AddressOf IOProc, _
                                   MMIO_INSTALLPROC + MMIO_GLOBALPROC)
            nbuf = 256
   
            'Play the AVI file
            strCmd = "open test.MEY+ type avivideo alias test"
            strReturnVal = mciSendString(strCmd, 0&, 0&, 0&)
            strCmd = "play test wait"
            strReturnVal = mciSendString(strCmd, 0&, 0&, 0&)
            strCmd = "close test"
            strReturnVal = mciSendString(strCmd, 0&, 0&, 0&)
   
            Call mmioInstallIOProc(MEY, vbNull, MMIO_REMOVEPROC)
            FreeLibrary hInst
         End Sub
    




4. From the Project menu, click Add Module to create a new module.



5. Copy the following code to the code window of the Module1 module.

   
         Option Explicit
         Public lpData As Long
         Public fileSize As Long
         Public hInst As Long
   
         Public Const MMIO_INSTALLPROC = &H10000   'mmioInstallIOProc:install
                                                   'MMIOProc
   
         Public Const MMIO_GLOBALPROC = &H10000000 'mmioInstallIOProc: install
                                                   'globally
   
         Public Const MMIO_READ = &H0
         Public Const MMIOM_CLOSE = 4
         Public Const MMIOM_OPEN = 3
         Public Const MMIOM_READ = MMIO_READ
         Public Const MMIO_REMOVEPROC = &H20000
         Public Const MMIOM_SEEK = 2
         Public Const SEEK_CUR = 1
         Public Const SEEK_END = 2
         Public Const SEEK_SET = 0
         Public Const MEY = &H2059454D   'This is the value of "MEY " run
                                         'through FOURCC
   
         'Create a user defined variable for the API function calls
         Public Type MMIOINFO
            dwFlags As Long
            fccIOProc As Long
            pIOProc As Long
            wErrorRet As Long
            htask As Long
            cchBuffer As Long
            pchBuffer As String
            pchNext As String
            pchEndRead As String
            pchEndWrite As String
            lBufOffset As Long
            lDiskOffset As Long
            adwInfo(4) As Long
            dwReserved1 As Long
            dwReserved2 As Long
            hmmio As Long
         End Type
   
         'Finds the specified resource in an executable file. The function
         'returns a resource handle that can be used by other functions used
         'to load the resource.
         Public Declare Function FindResource Lib "kernel32" _
            Alias "FindResourceA" _
            (ByVal hInstance As Long, _
             ByVal lpName As String, _
             ByVal lpType As String) _
            As Long
   
         'Returns a global memory handle to a resource in the specified
         'module. The resource is only loaded after calling the LockResource
         'function to get a pointer to the resource data.
         Public Declare Function LoadResource Lib "kernel32" _
            (ByVal hInstance As Long, _
             ByVal hResInfo As Long) _
             As Long
   
         'Locks the specified resource. The function returns a 32-bit pointer
         'to the data for the resource.
         Public Declare Function LockResource Lib "kernel32" _
            (ByVal hResData As Long) As Long
   
         'Loads the specified dll file and maps the address space for the
         'current process.
         Public Declare Function LoadLibrary Lib "kernel32" _
            Alias "LoadLibraryA" (ByVal lpLibFileName As String) As Long
   
         'Frees the specified .dll file loaded with the LoadLibrary function.
         Public Declare Function FreeLibrary Lib "kernel32" _
            (ByVal hLibModule As Long) As Long
   
         'Copies a block of memory from one location to another.
         Public Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" _
            (hpvDest As Any, _
             hpvSource As Any, _
             ByVal cbCopy As Long)
   
         'Installs or removes a custom I/O procedure. This function also
         'locates an installed I/O procedure, using its corresponding
         'four-character code.
         Public Declare Function mmioInstallIOProc Lib "winmm" _
            Alias "mmioInstallIOProcA" _
            (ByVal fccIOProc As Long, _
             ByVal pIOProc As Long, _
             ByVal dwFlags As Long) _
             As Long
   
         'Sends the specified command string to an MCI device.
         Public Declare Function mciSendString Lib "winmm.dll" _
            Alias "mciSendStringA" _
            (ByVal lpstrCommand As String, _
             ByVal lpstrReturnString As Long, _
             ByVal uReturnLength As Long, _
             ByVal hwndCallback As Long) _
            As Long
   
         'Returns the size, in bytes, of the specified resource.
         Public Declare Function SizeofResource Lib "kernel32" _
            (ByVal hInstance As Long, _
             ByVal hResInfo As Long) As Long
   
         'Accesses a unique storage system, such as a database or file
         'archive. Install or remove this callback function with the
         'mmioInstallIOProc function.
         Public Function IOProc _
            (ByRef lpMMIOInfo As MMIOINFO, _
             ByVal uMessage As Long, _
             ByVal lParam1 As Long, _
             ByVal lParam2 As Long) _
             As Long
   
         Static alreadyOpened As Boolean
   
         Select Case uMessage
            Case MMIOM_OPEN
               If Not alreadyOpened Then
                   alreadyOpened = True
                   lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = 0
               End If
               IOProc = 0
   
            Case MMIOM_CLOSE
               IOProc = 0
   
            Case MMIOM_READ:
               Call CopyMemory(ByVal lParam1, ByVal _
                               lpData + lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset, lParam2)
               lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset + lParam2
               IOProc = lParam2
   
            Case MMIOM_SEEK
   
            Select Case lParam2
               Case SEEK_SET
                  lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = lParam1
   
               Case SEEK_CUR
                  lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset + lParam1
                  lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = fileSize - 1 - lParam1
   
               Case SEEK_END
                  lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset = fileSize - 1 - lParam1
            End Select
   
            IOProc = lpMMIOInfo.lDiskOffset
   
            Case Else
               IOProc = -1 ' Unexpected msgs.  For instance, we do not
                           ' process MMIOM_WRITE in this sample
         End Select
   
         End Function ' IOProc
    




6. Press the F5 key to run the project. Click the command button to play the AVI file.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q124947 : Retrieving Palette Information From a Bitmap Resource

Q155360 : How to use MCI to Play AVI/WAVE Files From Memory

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbfile kbsample kbVBp500 kbDSupport kbhowto
Version : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo