How to Play MIDI Files Using API Calls from Visual Basic

Step-by-Step to an Application that Plays a .MID File

1. Start Visual Basic, or if Visual Basic is already running, click New Project on the File menu (ALT, F, N). Form1 is created by default.
2. Add a Command Button (Command1) to Form1.
3. Add the following code to the Command1_Click event of Form1:

      Private Sub Command1_Click()
      Dim ret As Integer
   
      ' The following will open the sequencer with the C:\WIN31\CANYON.MID
      ' file. Canyon is the device_id.
   
      ret = mciSendString( _
      "open c:\windows\CANYON.MID type sequencer alias canyon", 0&, 0, 0)
   
      ' The wait tells the MCI command to complete before returning control
      ' to the application.
   
      ret = mciSendString("play canyon wait", 0&, 0, 0)
   
      ' Close CANYON.MID file and sequencer device
   
      ret = mciSendString("close canyon", 0&, 0, 0)
   
      End Sub
   
   						

4. Add the following code to the general declarations section of Form1:

      #If Win32 Then
   
      Private Declare Function mciSendString Lib "winmm.dll" Alias _
      "mciSendStringA" (ByVal lpstrCommand As String, ByVal  _
      lpstrReturnString As Any, ByVal uReturnLength As Long, ByVal _
      hwndCallback As Long) As Long
   
      #ElseIf Win16 Then
   
      Private Declare Function mciSendString Lib "mmsystem" (ByVal _
      lpstrCommand As String, ByVal lpstrReturnStr As Any, ByVal _
      wReturnLen As Integer, ByVal hCallBack As Integer) As Long
   
      #End If
   
   						

5. On the Run menu, click Start (ALT, R, S) or press F5 to run the program.

Back to the top

• The Multimedia Programmer's Reference on page 3-26.
• Command strings described on pages 7-23 to 7-93 and in the WIN31MWH.HLP file shipped with the Windows 3.1 Software Development Kit (SDK).

Back to the top