Announcement

**Timm Motl** · 4 Jul 2001, 08:24 PM

clay:

searching the forums for mp3 should give you most of what you are looking for. the following link in particular
answers the questions you posed above...
http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pb...ad.php?t=19800

timm

**Clay Clear** · 4 Jul 2001, 08:38 PM

Timm,

Sorry for misstating my question. I already know how to use
mciSendString to play media. I've been doing it for quite a
while, now.

My question is: I *want* to use a Modal Dialog that the end user
can use to select the songs to play. And, I already know how to
make the program abort the song and start a new song if a song
is currently playing and he selects a new one.

What I need to know, when using a Modal Dialog, how to have the
program monitor the song that is currently playing so it knows
when it's done playing, so it knows to close the mci-playing
function. This is ONLY necessary if the song is played to its
end; as stated above, I know how to program it to end the song
IF a new song is selected while the old song is still playing -
that would be handled easily by the %WM_COMMAND.

I already know how to program it do everything needed, IF I use
a MODELESS Dialog. But, I want to get ideas for doing it with
a MODAL Dialog, so I can learn something new that I can use
in future (and this one) programs that have similar
requirements.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

**Lance Edmonds** · 4 Jul 2001, 08:57 PM

The MCI API provides a way for notification messages to be sent to your specified callback... this should be details in www.msdn.microsoft.com - search for "MCI".

Another method would be to create a thread that is launched when the play command is issued, and this thread could poll (monitor) the playback, and post a message back to your modal dialog.

Personally, I'd opt for the MCI notification method.

------------------
Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Clay Clear** · 4 Jul 2001, 09:23 PM

Thanks, Lance! But, before I go to the MS site, I'm going to
check out my MultiMedia Help file, which I downloaded from the
PB Download section quite a while back.

Your reply brings up another question: I've never written a
multithread program, before, so: can a Callback Function, or if
needed, the WINMAIN Function, terminate a thread that is run
from the Callback Function? It it can, then I will study that
approach. I'll use the MCI approach, since you think it'd be
better for this particular program, BUT, I want to learn
about the thread approach for future programs' needs. Don't
worry = I'm not asking you to post code, or go into a detailed
summary; I can most likely figure it out myself from the
win32.hlp, MSDN - January 2000 library, and the PB/DLL Help file.
I just need to know if it CAN be done.

Thanks, Lance!

P.S. A personal question, if you don't mind - do you live
outside of the USA? I've noticed that most of your replies
to postings you post in the early (AM) hours. It's none of my
business, so tell me to "go to heck", if you want. I'm just
curious.

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

**Timm Motl** · 4 Jul 2001, 09:45 PM

Clay:

Check the 14th message in the link I provided above... it will tell you about the following...

Code:

To know when the MP3 playback is finished, you need to have an MM_MCINOTIFY handler in your callback function and include "notify" in your "play" command...


mciSendString "play MP3 notify", "", 0, hDlg


' In your callback function...


SELECT CASE CBMSG
CASE %MM_MCINOTIFY
   ' The Windows Media Control Interface has just sent a notification
   SELECT CASE CBWPARAM
   CASE %MCI_NOTIFY_SUCCESSFUL
      ' MP3 has finished playing successfully
      mciSendString "close MP3", "", 0, hDlg
   END SELECT
END SELECT

Timm

**Lance Edmonds** · 4 Jul 2001, 09:55 PM

It is no secret that I telecommute... I reside in New Zealand.

Yes you can shut a thread down, but it is easiest to use a global variable which the thread can test occasionally to see if it should end itself.

You'll find many examples of creating threads if you search the BBS.

------------------
Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Clay Clear** · 4 Jul 2001, 10:06 PM

Thanks, Lance! Funny thing is, I never thought of a GLOBAL
variable that the thread could poll. I say it's "funny" because
I already use GLOBAL variables, which we sort of discussed in
another topic. OK, once I start working with multithreaded
programs, I'll perview the postings in the Forums, if I can't
figure it out myself (with help from the previously mentioned
Help sources). Thanks, again!

Thanks, Timm! After posting this reply, I'll print out a
hardcopy of this topic for reference. Your posting saved me a
LOT of research, most likely. Normally, I prefer to research
stuff, myself, because in doing so I glean additional
programming tidbits that I can use. But, since I use the MCI
stuff extremely little, your source code will be a big help, so
I don't have to use up too much time in researching stuff that
I hardly ever use.

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

**Clay Clear** · 5 Jul 2001, 12:39 AM

Lance,

Thanks for the tip about the FAQ Forum! I was just reading the
most recent Errata posting that you posted in it, and there's
a whole SLEW of information that I found useful! In fact, I'm
going to print out the whole topic later on today, when I have
the time for such a large printout.

Of particular use that I found was the errata (erratum?) about RESTting
UDT's. I use UDT's extensively in my coding, mainly in my own
private programs, but up until now, I've been brute force clearing
their members. I guess I've got a lot more reading and learning
to do.

Also, and I'm SURE that you already know this, but in case you
don't, I'll tell you so you can help other members with it, I've
found that, if a FUNCTION that is DECLAREd in an INC has an
argument that is "...AS ANY", and the programmer has to pass
"0" or a NULL argument to it, he MUST use BYVAL for that
argument when he calls the FUNCTION. At least, that's what I've
experienced. Sometimes, that may be contraindicated when the
FUNCTION usage requires a string for the argument; in those
cases, I've found using a NULL string literal ("") works.

I just realized that maybe using BYCOPY (by using parentheses)
might have the same effect?

There's no need to reply to this message, unless you need to
correct my observations.

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

**Lance Edmonds** · 5 Jul 2001, 06:17 AM

AS ANY tells PowerBASIC to pass a pointer. That is, AS ANY is a BYREF pass and the target data type is not type-checked. BYCOPY should work fine since a copy of the target is created, and it's address will be passed.

AS ANY places the onus on the programmer to pass the parameter (pointer) correctly.

------------------
Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Clay Clear** · 5 Jul 2001, 06:23 AM

Thanks for clarifying that, Lance!

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

**Russ Srole** · 5 Jul 2001, 08:34 AM

Clay,

Where did you find the Multimedia help file? I've been looking
for quite awhile & haven't found it.

Thanks,
Russ Srole

------------------

**Clay Clear** · 5 Jul 2001, 09:04 AM

Russ,

I'm very sorry, but it's been so long since I acquired the file,
I have no clear recollection of where I got it from. I'm QUITE
sure that I downloaded it from PowerBASIC's Download section.
However, I just checked just about every folder in their Download
section, and I couldn't find it.

No, wait! I'm not sure if it's a "true" memory, but, I *think*
that I found the URL for the download site in a posting in one
of the Forums.

So, you can try a search for HLP or multimedia, with the search
spanning all of the Forums.

Or, as an alternative, since I was going to do it today anyway
(I promised my website visitors that I'd make my website complete
and fully operational today), I can right now upload the
MultiMedia Help file's archive to my website, along with the
HTML page containing the link to download it. I still have the
original archive in its entirety, backed up to Zip diskette.

It is now 12:07 Pm, Central Time Zone, USA. Go ahead and go to my
website at 12:30 PM, same time zone, and it'll be set up so you
can download it.

That's the best I can do for you. Sorry.

BTW, the URL listed in my signature is the one for my website.
That's the one you would need to go to to download the file.

Hope I've been of help!

------------------
Clay C. Clear

http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]
[email protected]

Announcement

How to FORCE CALLBACK action?

How to FORCE CALLBACK action?

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment