MULTI_MEDIA Control Multimedia Interface

Format

MULTI_MEDIA command$[,var$[,ctl_val]]

Where:

command$	String containing the multi-media command to execute. String expression.
ctl_val	String variable to receive any response or error message.
var$	Optional CTL code to be generated when a NOTIFY signal is returned by the multi-media system. Numeric expression.

Description

Use the MULTI_MEDIA directive to pass commands to the Windows Multi-media Control Interface (MCI). These strings can contain commands that will play WAV files, MID files, AVI files or control various multi-media devices.

Typical commands include:

Command	Function/Purpose
open filename	Opens the specified file and loads the required drivers. You can append an optional "alias name" to change the name of the file and make controlling the file easier.
close filename	Closes the specified files and releases the drivers.
close all	Stops and closes all files.
play filename	Plays the specified file. The file will be opened (if not already opened), played and closed automatically.
rewind filename	Rewinds the file.
stop filename	Stops the playback.

Example

The following examples illustrate the different uses for the MULTI_MEDIA directive:

Example 1:

multi_media "open c:\video\files\emo.avi alias video"

Example 2:

0010 ! Close all previous Multi_media commands for this session
0020 multi_media "close all"
0030 !
0040 ! Assign an Alias to the Wave file for use in the Play command
0050 multi_media "open c:\windows\media\ada.wav alias wavefile"
0060 !
0070 ! Issue the Play command requesting notification of a CTL=100
0080 ! after the wave file has finished
0090 multi_media "play wavefile notify",100
0100 !
0110 ! Wait for the CTL=100
0120 obtain X$
0130 if ctl=4 then stop
0140 if ctl<>100 then goto 0110
0150 print "Multi_media command finished"

Future references to the file could simply use the alias. Two options can be appended to the play command:

	NOTIFY	Send the CTL value when completed.
	WAIT	Wait for the playback to complete.

If an error occurs during processing, it will be returned in the return$ variable.