Can vb play mp3's as easy as winamp can?

Want another type of scrolling? Here we go:

VB Code:

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
    Static A As Integer, B As Boolean
    'this code will change the caret's position inside the textbox
    'first check there is text in the textbox; if not, just exit
    If Len(Filename.Text) = 0 Then Exit Sub
    'then move caret back or forward depending of the direction
    'if B = True then move caret left, if False then to the right
    If B Then A = A - 1 Else A = A + 1
    'check we're not overlapping
    If A >= Len(Filename.Text) And Not B Then A = Len(Filename.Text): B = True
    If A <= 0 And B Then A = 0: B = False
    'and now, lastly, move the caret
    Filename.SelStart = A
End Sub

This will scroll text back and forward if the text is longer than the textbox. If it isn't, the text doesn't scroll. If you wish to hide the caret, look for HideCaret and ShowCaret API :)

The code you provided would work better with a label with AutoSize = True, since you require extra coding to get the length of the text in the textbox and resize it accordingly. Also, instead of using hard coded values such as -2160, you could use -Filename.Width and FrameTheFilenameIsIn.Width. And the code above I posted might give some ideas to enhance it in other way as well :)

Heh, you can make up a lot of text just of a text scrolling! :D

Filename is a label and labels dont have the .SelStart option

If you really want it to look like label, just get a textbox and set its background colour to the form colour and loose the border.

Ah, I thought you were using a textbox. But there was that label too... forgot already, I'm now working with another example app (which will let me improve the ID3v2 support, as I can see all the information I need).

Wonder if I'm gonna make a somekind of advanced player... heh, my brains started already on figuring out how to make it as fast as possible :rolleyes: I'm hopeless.


Edit

I found a ID3v1 and ID3v2 reader & writer at vbAccelerator, but it is made in a cheaty way. It doesn't provide a true support for ID3v2, merely a one that works fine for most files. It lacks support for any special features of ID3v2, which I've tried to include (though am not done with them... there are some things to be implemented).

Why it is cheaty:
- it doesn't read the flags and determine anything based on them (no check for extended header: any file with extended header will not work)
- it can only read mp3 tags
- it tries to find ID3 tag anywhere in the file, but it can be in only in the beginning or in the end: that's why there can be a footer in ID3v2 (I'm not done with a footer support yet, but it shouldn't be hard to implement)
- it can't handle multiple frames with the same id (even I have files with multiple frames with the same id: atleast WCOM, PRIV...)

Anyways, if someone is interested to see it, there's the link.


More edit

I found out more about the MCI error. It seems like MCI doesn't like all ID3v2 tags. Or maybe some of my MP3s have a corrupt start block. Nevertheless, MCI does play all the MP3s once you seek a few milliseconds (with my problematic songs this varied between 250 and 750 ms). This problem might be possible to skip by copying the MP3 without the tags to another name before opening. The problem is not everyone have as fast and big cached hd as I... it would make up a delay and we know we hate delays.

Atm I can't figure out any other way to solve the playing problem.

I had a feeling that you were going to say that so I went and made it a textbox. Alls it did was made were you clicked go back and foward and not make the text itself move.

I found out more about the MCI error.

edit: MCI? what is this?


edit 2: Hey, this post had a 5 star rating for a while, I wonder who made it like that and who bumped it down to 3 stars :confused:

Yeah, it works with textbox if the text in the textbox is longer than the textbox.

MCI is the way used in the class module to play MP3 files. So always when you call something related to playing the MP3, you're calling MCI. There is mciSendString command used in OpenMP3, PlayMP3, Position, etc. commands in the class module :)

And well, I don't care about the rating. Actually, I think rating system is pretty useless.

Hmm... I'm still not done with ID3v2 writing. I've been working with the other sample program (slowly though) to find more about ID3v2 file structure. I'm getting further.

Hey merri, I noticed that in the program some of the files sound a little weird. It sounds like its been compressed in a weird kind of way. Like whenever there is bass in a song or high pitches it tends to add a little something to the playing mp3, why is that?

I can only guess MCI doesn't decode MP3s too well in all cases. I've been thinking to switch to DirectX (= make a completely new module). It would require an extra reference to the program though, but in the other hand the module could play everything Windows is able to play (all AVI, MPG, MP3, WMA, WAV, even OGG if the support is installed).

Whoa thats sweet. I feel a little guilty though, after all you wouldnt be doing this had I not made this thread. I mean before you said something about going threw 10 hours of reading how the tags work and a lot of other stuff. I feel like your overworked and underpaid.

Thanks for doing all this

The funny part is, I'm not sure why I started doing this. I've made a ID3v2 reader before, but I didn't have enough experience at the time (and I guess I used VB4!) and ended up discontinuing it as it was a cheatty reader.

I have done some minor stuff before, so it makes it easier to embed this predone code in to the project. I have made an DirectX-using player for example. And I had a previous tag reader. So the class module is a combined version of my own old code, code by someone else and the new code made for the module itself :)

I should some day go through my code archive. There's just so much junk and stuff it'd be a pain :D


Free is the best, eh? I think the only paid software in my comp is XP and VB6 (not including software what I got with some of the hardware I havev bought).

I think the only paid software in my comp is XP and VB6

Heh, funny story. The only software in my pc I paid for...Hmm...Better not finish that one ;)


jk, that'll be :eek: up if I didnt pay for anything on this pc

And an update. Still no writing support.

- now supports ID3v2.2 (and of course the good old 2.3 and 2.4!)
- fixed some bugs: I guess now there is no data you can't access
- a new sample project which lets you take a view to ID3v2 world: Tag Manager
- a lot of things I can't remember I have done

http://koti.mbnet.fi/keskimaa/kuvat/_thb_tagman.png


Yeah, I should consider writing a changelog.

heh, I noticed you took out the "simple" phrase out of the file

Multimedia Class Modules

I started a new topic at CodeBank. There's a successor for the MP3 Class Module. Actually many of them as you can read. I prolly don't reply to this topic anymore, since the question is answered and so on :)