Using SndPlaySound to Play Wave Files

This article was previously published under Q133064

3.10 | 3.50 WINDOWS | WINDOWS NT kbmm kbcode

The sndPlaySound() multimedia API function is capable of playing memory images using the SND_MEMORY flag if the waveform audio exists as a .WAV file, a wave resource, or is dynamically constructed by the application.

When using the SND_MEMORY flag, the data must be allocated from global memory using the GPTR and GMEM_SHARED flags and possess both the RIFF and PCM information.

The following code demonstrates how to use the SND_MEMORY flag.

   {  // Sample code to demonstrate SND_MEMORY flag and memory files.

      // Sound resource bound within executable.

      if (hWaveRes = FindResource(ghInst,"TADA","WAVE"))

         {   // Resource intact; load into GLOBAL MEMORY/GMEM_SHARED memory

            if (hGlobMem = LoadResource(ghInst,hWaveRes))

               {  // Load resource into global memory and play.

                  // Play sound resource via sndPlaySound() using
                  //  SND_MEMORY flag.

                  // Application waits until sndPlaySound completes
                  //  given SND_SYNC.

                  // SND_MEMORY (first parameter is ptr to memory image
                  //  vs. filename).

                  sndPlaySound((LPSTR)LockResource(hGlobMem),
                                                   SND_SYNC | SND_MEMORY);

                  FreeResource(hGlobMem);  // Required in 16-bit
                                           //  applications.


               }  // Load resource into global memory and play.

               else MessageBox(NULL,"No resource!","Multimedia Sampler!",
                               MB_ICONHAND);

            GlobalFree(hGlobMem);

         }  // Resource found.

         else MessageBox(NULL,"Lost resource!","Multimedia Sampler!",
                         MB_ICONHAND);

   }