Playing a .wav/.mp3 file at the start of a VB2010 windows form?

audio, vb.net, winforms

Solution

To play a wave file you can simply use this:

        My.Computer.Audio.Play("c:\temp\temp.wav")

If you want to play a mp3, wav, midi you can make some WIN32 API calls. Here's a class I created a few years ago that will allow you to play them easily. Create a class called AudioFile.vb in your project and paste this in. I haven't looked at this code in years though, hehe, it can probably stand to be cleaned up.

''' <summary>
''' This class is a wrapper for the Windows API calls to play wave, midi or mp3 files.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks>
''' </remarks>
Public Class AudioFile
'***********************************************************************************************************
'        Class:  PlayFile
'   Written By:  Blake Pell (bpell@indiana.edu)
' Initial Date:  03/31/2007
' Last Updated:  02/04/2009
'***********************************************************************************************************

' Windows API Declarations
Private Declare Function mciSendString Lib "winmm.dll" Alias "mciSendStringA" (ByVal lpstrCommand As String, ByVal lpstrReturnString As String, ByVal uReturnLength As Int32, ByVal hwndCallback As Int32) As Int32

''' <summary>
''' Constructor:  Location is the filename of the media to play.  Wave files and Mp3 files are the supported formats.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="Location"></param>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub New(ByVal location As String)
    Me.Filename = location
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Plays the file that is specified as the filename.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub Play()

    If _filename = "" Or Filename.Length <= 4 Then Exit Sub

    Select Case Right(Filename, 3).ToLower
        Case "mp3"
            mciSendString("open """ & _filename & """ type mpegvideo alias audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)

            Dim playCommand As String = "play audiofile from 0"

            If _wait = True Then playCommand += " wait"

            mciSendString(playCommand, Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
        Case "wav"
            mciSendString("open """ & _filename & """ type waveaudio alias audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
            mciSendString("play audiofile from 0", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
        Case "mid", "idi"
            mciSendString("stop midi", "", 0, 0)
            mciSendString("close midi", "", 0, 0)
            mciSendString("open sequencer!" & _filename & " alias midi", "", 0, 0)
            mciSendString("play midi", "", 0, 0)
        Case Else
            Throw New Exception("File type not supported.")
            Call Close()
    End Select

    IsPaused = False

End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Pause the current play back.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub Pause()
    mciSendString("pause audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
    IsPaused = True
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Resume the current play back if it is currently paused.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub [Resume]()
    mciSendString("resume audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
    IsPaused = False
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Stop the current file if it's playing.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub [Stop]()
    mciSendString("stop audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Close the file.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Sub Close()
    mciSendString("close audiofile", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
End Sub

Private _wait As Boolean = False
''' <summary>
''' Halt the program until the .wav file is done playing.  Be careful, this will lock the entire program up until the
''' file is done playing.  It behaves as if the Windows Sleep API is called while the file is playing (and maybe it is, I don't
''' actually know, I'm just theorizing).  :P
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Property Wait() As Boolean
    Get
        Return _wait
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As Boolean)
        _wait = value
    End Set
End Property

''' <summary>
''' Sets the audio file's time format via the mciSendString API.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
ReadOnly Property Milleseconds() As Integer
    Get
        Dim buf As String = Space(255)
        mciSendString("set audiofile time format milliseconds", Nothing, 0, IntPtr.Zero)
        mciSendString("status audiofile length", buf, 255, IntPtr.Zero)

        buf = Replace(buf, Chr(0), "") ' Get rid of the nulls, they muck things up

        If buf = "" Then
            Return 0
        Else
            Return CInt(buf)
        End If
    End Get
End Property

''' <summary>
''' Gets the status of the current playback file via the mciSendString API.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
ReadOnly Property Status() As String
    Get
        Dim buf As String = Space(255)
        mciSendString("status audiofile mode", buf, 255, IntPtr.Zero)
        buf = Replace(buf, Chr(0), "")  ' Get rid of the nulls, they muck things up
        Return buf
    End Get
End Property

''' <summary>
''' Gets the file size of the current audio file.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
ReadOnly Property FileSize() As Integer
    Get
        Try
            Return My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFileInfo(_filename).Length
        Catch ex As Exception
            Return 0
        End Try
    End Get
End Property

''' <summary>
''' Gets the channels of the file via the mciSendString API.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
ReadOnly Property Channels() As Integer
    Get
        Dim buf As String = Space(255)
        mciSendString("status audiofile channels", buf, 255, IntPtr.Zero)

        If IsNumeric(buf) = True Then
            Return CInt(buf)
        Else
            Return -1
        End If
    End Get
End Property

''' <summary>
''' Used for debugging purposes.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
ReadOnly Property Debug() As String
    Get
        Dim buf As String = Space(255)
        mciSendString("status audiofile channels", buf, 255, IntPtr.Zero)

        Return Str(buf)
    End Get
End Property

Private _isPaused As Boolean = False
''' <summary>
''' Whether or not the current playback is paused.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Property IsPaused() As Boolean
    Get
        Return _isPaused
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As Boolean)
        _isPaused = value
    End Set
End Property

Private _filename As String
''' <summary>
''' The current filename of the file that is to be played back.
''' </summary>
''' <value></value>
''' <returns></returns>
''' <remarks></remarks>
Public Property Filename() As String
    Get
        Return _filename
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)

        If My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(value) = False Then
            Throw New System.IO.FileNotFoundException
            Exit Property
        End If

        _filename = value
    End Set
End Property

End Class

Here is some example usage of the above class:

    Dim audio As New AudioFile("C:\Temp\YourMP3File.mp3")
    audio.Play()

Problem

Been doing VB2010 for about a year now, have recently started to push the boundary's for what kind of media i can incorporate into my forms. I haven't been able to play .wav or .mp3 files though. I have tried to follow tutorials on microsoft and other coding websites without success. Any help would be appreciated.

Original source

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