Can you play a WAV file in PBDOS by a SHELL to a PBCC program?

[Emil Menzel]

On my system, program 1 works fine if it is run in PBCC, but if it's run in PBDOS the only output is a "bad command or file name" error message.
If there is a way to correct the error, please let me know.

'===================================================
'Program 1: Run this in PBDOS &/or compile it & run it in PBCC

CALL PBMAIN 'delete or REM-out this line for PBCC
SUB PBMAIN
SHELL "PLAYSOUND.EXE"
END SUB
'===================================================
'Program 2: Compile this in PBCC as PLAYSOUND.EXE

'PLAYSOUND
'by Mike Doty, PB Forums, 2009
'for PBCC
DECLARE FUNCTION PlaySound LIB "WINMM.DLL" ALIAS "PlaySoundA" (lpszName AS ASCIIZ, _
BYVAL hModule AS DWORD, BYVAL dwFlags AS DWORD) AS LONG

%NULL = 0
%SND_SYNC = &H0 ' play synchronously (default)
%SND_ASYNC = &H1 ' play asynchronously

FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG
Play ""
SLEEP 3000 ' %SND_ASYNC if ASYNC
END FUNCTION

SUB Play(sFileName AS STRING) EXPORT
LOCAL zFileName AS ASCIIZ * 128
IF LEN(sFileName) = 0 THEN sFileName = "tada"
zFileName = sFileName + $NUL
CALL PlaySound(zFileName, %NULL ,%SND_ASYNC) 'use sync so sound file completes
END SUB

[Michael Mattias]

but if it's run in PBDOS the only output is a "bad command or file name" error message.
If there is a way to correct the error, please let me know

Your MS-DOS program cannot find the PLAYSOUND.EXE file named in the SHELL line.

You are probably in the wrong directory when you run the program. See CURDIR$ (I think that's in PB-DOS).

[Emil Menzel]

>>Your MS-DOS program cannot find the PLAYSOUND.EXE file named in the SHELL line.

I don't think that's it. Thus, for example, if Program 2 PLAYSOUND.BAS were to read
SUB PBMAIN()
PRINT "Hello world"
END SUB

there is no problem.
Also, the problem occurs even when both PLAYSOUND.EXE and the .WAV file to be played can be recognized as present by DIR$.

[Mike Doty]

Does fully qualifying the path work?
Example: SHELL ("C:\FOLDER\PLAYSOUND.EXE")

If not, the command processor might be needed in the shell.

PBCC method (not sure how to do this with DOS program.)
SHELL ENVIRON$("COMSPEC") + " /C DIR *.* > filename.txt"

[Michael Mattias]

"Bad Command or Filename" is recognizable by anyone who ever spent any time using (REAL) MS-DOS.

It's been replaced in the Win/XP command shell CMD.EXE with

C:\Documents and Settings\Michael>askdas
'askdas' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Documents and Settings\Michael>

Operating systen not specified.

MCM

[Mike Doty]

Emil,
I tried shelling from a PDS 7.1 program and get the same error.
Thinking ...

[Mike Doty]

SHELL "cmd.exe /c playsound.exe" (works with XP)

As Michael mentioned the operating system should be checked to see which command processor to use in the shell.

[Emil Menzel]

Thank you!

P.S. I've only been working with MS-DOS since the days of DOS 2.0, so I must still be a "newbie".

[Emil Menzel]

The good news is that the PBDOS SHELL can play the WAV file; the bad news is on my graphics-screen program, it badly messes up the graphics display. Hopefully there's a fix for that too.

[Scott Slater]

Just curious. Have you tried searching for "native" DOS based code for a playwave function? I'm sure that there has to be one around somewhere.

[Mike Doty]

At a command prompt:
cmd /? > me.txt
notepad me.txt
Hopefully one of the switches.

[Emil Menzel]

Scott:
I have found QB and PBDOS programs that will play a WAV file, but they have problems of their own -- e.g., they cannot play synchronously.

Mike:
Thanks again

[Mike Doty]

Did a switch fix the problem?
If not, maybe a shell to another program that shells to playsound.

[Emil Menzel]

Mike: No luck so far.
I could always copy the graphics screen before SHELLing, and refresh it afterwards, but my program is a graphics game program & I'm trying to get it to "click" up to at least 15 times a second (whenever mouse or joystick motion is detected). Fifteen SHELLs per sec sounds unlikely, but 15 graphics screen copies & refreshes on top of that sounds wild.

Coincidentally, none of the DOS joystick drivers I have used function anymore in PBDOS when it is run under Windows XP. (Haven't tried Vista or Windows 7, but my hopes for them would not be high). Fortunately, that problem can be whipped with the shareware program "Total Game Control" (about $20) or the freeware program "JOYCUR.BAS", and doubtless others as well.

[Mike Doty]

A background PBCC program could be loaded with the
PBDos program. If the PBDos program creates an
event the background PBCC program could playsound
without the need to shell.

[Mike Doty]

#COMPILE EXE  'monitor.bas
#DIM ALL
#INCLUDE "win32api.inc"
GLOBAL gDirectoryToWatch AS ASCIIZ * 64
GLOBAL gExitTimeout AS LONG
$FileName = "c:\junk.txt"
FUNCTION PBMAIN AS LONG
  LOCAL hThread???, var&, h&, x&, lResult&
  gDirectoryToWatch  = "c:\"
  gExitTimeout = 3000   'check for exit every 3-seconds
  THREAD CREATE WatchDirectory(var&) TO hThread???
  THREAD CLOSE hThread TO lResult
  DO:    SLEEP 1000:  LOOP WHILE THREADCOUNT > 1
END FUNCTION
FUNCTION WatchDirectory (BYVAL x AS LONG) AS LONG
  LOCAL lDir AS DWORD, found AS DWORD
  DO
    'lDir = FindFirstChangeNotification(gDirectoryToWatch, 0, %FILE_NOTIFY_CHANGE_SIZE)
    lDir = FindFirstChangeNotification(gDirectoryToWatch, 0, %FILE_NOTIFY_CHANGE_LAST_WRITE)
    Found = WaitForSingleObject(lDir, gExitTimeout)
    IF found = 0 THEN  CALL PlaySound("tada", %NULL ,%SND_ASYNC)
    FindCloseChangeNotification(lDir)
  LOOP WHILE ISFILE($FileName)
END FUNCTION

 
  CLS
  sFile$ = "c:\junk.txt"
  h = FREEFILE
  OPEN sFile$ FOR OUTPUT AS #h
  CLOSE #h
  DO
    PRINT "DosPgm press a key to open file or ESC to exit"
    x$ = INPUT$(1)
    IF x$ = CHR$(27) THEN EXIT DO
    h = FREEFILE
    OPEN sFile$ FOR OUTPUT AS #h
    CLOSE #h
  LOOP
  KILL sFile$

[Michael Mattias]

have found QB and PBDOS programs that will play a WAV file, but they have problems of their own -- e.g., they cannot play synchronously

???

They launch another program and return immediately? Sounds like you can cut out the middlemand and launch it yourself.

If you want it ASNYCHRONOUSLY (SHELL returns immediately and music plays in background), from your DOS program you can "SHELL START playsound.exe" and that's what will happen.

[Emil Menzel]

Michael:
I got sync & async confused. Thank you for setting that straight, and for the other tips.

Mike:
Your "No SHELL, PBCC in the background" solution looks good. In fact, it might be tweaked to solve the joystick problem too!

[Edwin Knoppert]

PLAYSOUND.EXE is more than 8 chars before the extension.
(8.3)

[Mike Doty]

A windows program could start the DOS program.
This windows program would eliminate the DOS shell and could also read commands to execute from the DOS program.

#COMPILE EXE  'monitor.bas
#DIM ALL
#INCLUDE "win32api.inc"
GLOBAL gDirectoryToWatch AS ASCIIZ * 64
GLOBAL gExitTimeout AS LONG
$FileName = "c:\folder\change\monitor.txt"
 
FUNCTION PBMAIN AS LONG
  LOCAL hThread???,  h&, x&, lResult&
 
  lRESULT = SHELL("DOSPGM") 'start dos program
  gDirectoryToWatch  = "c:\"
  gExitTimeout = 3000   'check for exit every 3-seconds
  THREAD CREATE WatchDirectory(x) TO hThread???
  THREAD CLOSE hThread TO lResult
  DO:    SLEEP 1000:  LOOP WHILE THREADCOUNT > 1
  ? "Monitor ended"
END FUNCTION
FUNCTION WatchDirectory (BYVAL x AS LONG) AS LONG
  LOCAL lDir AS DWORD, found AS DWORD
  DO
    'lDir = FindFirstChangeNotification(gDirectoryToWatch, 0, %FILE_NOTIFY_CHANGE_SIZE)
    lDir = FindFirstChangeNotification(gDirectoryToWatch, 0, %FILE_NOTIFY_CHANGE_LAST_WRITE)
    Found = WaitForSingleObject(lDir, gExitTimeout)
    IF found = 0 THEN  CALL PlaySound("tada", %NULL ,%SND_ASYNC)
    FindCloseChangeNotification(lDir)
  LOOP WHILE ISFILE($FileName)
END FUNCTION