Lesson 20: Creating an Audio Player in VB6
Transform your VB6 skills into building a professional music player application
Key Takeaway
By leveraging VB6's Multimedia Control and file system components, you can create a powerful audio player that supports multiple formats and provides an intuitive user interface.
Welcome to Lesson 20 of our Visual Basic 6 Tutorial! Building on your DVD player knowledge from Lesson 19, you'll now learn how to create a professional audio player application. This player will allow users to browse their storage devices, select audio files, and play them with full control over playback.
20.1 Essential Components
To create an audio player, we'll use several key components beyond the Multimedia Control:
File Browsing Controls
DriveListBox, DirListBox, and FileListBox for navigating files
Audio Format Support
Supports WAV, MID, and other audio formats
Playback Controls
Custom buttons for play, pause, stop, and file selection
20.1.1 Required Controls
Our audio player interface includes these essential controls:
1ComboBox
For selecting audio file types (WAV, MID, etc.)
2DriveListBox
To select available drives on the system
3DirListBox
To navigate through directories and subdirectories
4FileListBox
To display available audio files
5TextBox
To display the selected file path
6MMControl
For actual audio playback (can be invisible)

20.2 Building the Audio Player
Our audio player follows a logical workflow to provide a seamless user experience:
1Select File Type
User chooses the audio format they want to play
2Choose Drive
User selects the storage device containing audio files
3Browse Directories
User navigates to the folder containing audio files
4Select File
User chooses an audio file from the list
5Control Playback
User plays, pauses, or stops the audio
AUDIO PLAYER
Now Playing: Select a file...
20.2.1 Implementing the Code
The core functionality is implemented through event handlers for each control. Here's the complete code for our audio player:
Private Sub Form_Load() ' Center the form on screen Left = (Screen.Width - Width) \ 2 Top = (Screen.Height - Height) \ 2 ' Initialize file type options Combo1.Text = "*.wav" Combo1.AddItem "*.wav" Combo1.AddItem "*.mid" Combo1.AddItem "All files" End Sub Private Sub Combo1_Change() ' Set file pattern based on selection If Combo1.ListIndex = 0 Then File1.Pattern = ("*.wav") ElseIf Combo1.ListIndex = 1 Then File1.Pattern = ("*.mid") Else File1.Pattern = ("*.*") End If End Sub Private Sub Dir1_Change() ' Update file list when directory changes File1.Path = Dir1.Path If Combo1.ListIndex = 0 Then File1.Pattern = ("*.wav") ElseIf Combo1.ListIndex = 1 Then File1.Pattern = ("*.mid") Else File1.Pattern = ("*.*") End If End Sub Private Sub Drive1_Change() ' Update directory when drive changes Dir1.Path = Drive1.Drive End Sub Private Sub File1_Click() ' Handle file selection If Right(File1.Path, 1) <> "\" Then filenam = File1.Path & "\" & File1.FileName Else filenam = File1.Path & File1.FileName End If Text1.Text = filenam ' Update now playing display songTitle.Caption = File1.FileName End Sub Private Sub play_Click() ' Play the selected audio file If Combo1.ListIndex = 0 Then AudioPlayer.DeviceType = "WaveAudio" ElseIf Combo1.ListIndex = 1 Then AudioPlayer.DeviceType = "Sequencer" End If AudioPlayer.FileName = Text1.Text AudioPlayer.Command = "Open" AudioPlayer.Command = "Play" End Sub Private Sub stop_Click() ' Stop audio playback If AudioPlayer.Mode = 524 Then ' 524 means not open Exit Sub End If If AudioPlayer.Mode <> 525 Then ' 525 means stopped AudioPlayer.Wait = True AudioPlayer.Command = "Stop" End If AudioPlayer.Wait = True AudioPlayer.Command = "Close" End Sub
20.2.2 Key Functionality Explained
The audio player relies on several important event handlers:
File System Navigation
The DriveListBox, DirListBox, and FileListBox work together to allow users to browse for audio files.
Playback Control
The play button handles different audio formats and initiates playback.
Stopping Playback
The stop button properly closes the audio device to free resources.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you've learned how to create a professional audio player application in VB6:
File System Controls
Using DriveListBox, DirListBox, and FileListBox for navigation
Audio Playback
Implementing play and stop functionality for different audio formats
User Interface
Creating an intuitive interface for browsing and playing audio files
Event Handling
Coordinating control events for seamless user experience
Important Note
For the audio player to work with various formats, users must have the appropriate codecs installed. The application will use the system's default audio playback capabilities.
Practice Exercises
Test your audio player programming skills with these exercises:
Exercise 1: Playlist Functionality
Add a playlist feature that allows users to queue multiple songs for continuous playback.
Exercise 2: Progress Bar
Implement a progress bar that shows the current playback position and allows seeking.
Exercise 3: Volume Control
Add a volume control slider that adjusts playback volume in real-time.
Exercise 4: MP3 Support
Extend the player to support MP3 files using additional libraries or API calls.
Exercise 5: Equalizer
Implement a basic equalizer with bass and treble controls.
Next Lesson
Continue your VB6 journey with Lesson 21: Creating a Picture Viewer Application.
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