MCI

Author
Status	Released
Release Date	2006
Last Updated
Available for
Supported Runtimes
License	Free
Attributes	{{{Attributes}}}
Download
Includes Examples	No
Includes Help Files	Yes
Links	Included by default.
Alternates

The MCI object is a Microsoft standard for controlling any multimedia device connected to your computer. MCI objects let you use this Media Control Interface directly from your Clickteam Fusion 2.5 applications. MCI objects work in the background using the Windows multi-tasking system and can send commands to, and read information from, any media device currently running under Windows.

You can use the MCI object to play large .WAV sound samples, run QuickTime or .AVI movie files, and control external devices such as MIDI sequencers and MPEG cards. MCI objects are completely independent from the rest of your Multimedia Fusion 2 applications so you can play music files or movie files independent of any particular frame.

The MCI object works by sending strings containing standard device commands. There are a large number of standard commands that you can use, but you must refer to Microsoft development documentation for more information because they are beyond the scope of this documentation. It is worth noting that Multimedia Fusion 2 provides a range of other objects for playing .AVI animations, QuickTime movie files, and CD-Audio tracks directly. These other objects offer a simple alternative to the MCI object.

Properties

Device name

Device

Enter the name of the device you wish to control.

Options

Pause command

Enter here -if you want- an MCI string that will be sent to the device when the user Pauses the application. Usually, this command should put the device in PAUSE mode.

Resume command

The counterpart of the previous command. Enter the command to send to the device when the user resumes playing after a pause. This command should restart the playback.

Open MCI device at start of frame

If selected, and if you have indicated a device name, it will be automatically opened at start of frame.

Close MCI device at end of frame

If selected and if you have indicated a device name, it will close the device automatically when the frame ends.

Close sound devices before sending commands

If you have sounds or music playing in your application, the MCI commands might not work if the sound devices are used. This option allows you to stop any sound playing prior to sending the command, thus enabling the sound to be played.

Display all error messages

Very useful for debugging: any MCI error message will be displayed on the screen as it occurs.

Conditions

Compare to returned number

Compares the value returned by a previously called MCI command to a number entered into the keyboard.

Compare to returned string

Compares text from the last MCI command to characters of your choice.

Actions

Send a command

Sends the chosen command string to the device. The command string tells the device what to do using simple language.

Destroy

Turns off the selected MCI object for the duration of your application.'

Expressions

The functions that you can retrieve from the MCI object are described below. The Return Value and Return String functions retrieve a number or text string that is generated by MCI as a result of a command which your application sends from an action. An MCI command may generate either a return value, a return string, or neither.

Return Value

The Return Value function retrieves the result of the last MCI operation called from your application. The value depends on the type of command you've called. For example, the commands you could return for the CD-Audio object would include the total playing time or the number of tracks.

Return String

The Return String function retrieves a string of characters from the selected MCI device. The string might represent anything from the current filename to the name of an instrument.

Last Error Number

The Last Error Number function retrieves the last error number from the MCI object. A value of zero indicates that there are no errors. Any other value indicates a problem.

Count

Number of objects

Retrieves the number of MCI objects in the frame.

Contributors to this page

Advaith (8.0%), Lh37 (92.0%)