PLAY.EXE DOCUMENTATION


1.  Introduction to PLAY

PLAY is a little program for playing Windows 3.1
WAV sound files (like the "CHIMES.WAV" file that
comes with Windows 3.1).  You can use PLAY with
the Program Manager or the File Manager.

First copy PLAY.EXE into the directory where you
keep your WAV sound files.  Most people keep WAV
files in the "C:\WINDOWS" directory.  If you use
another directory (e.g., "C:\UTILS\SOUNDS"), then
replace "C:\WINDOWS" in my explanations with the
name of this directory.


2.  Installing PLAY on the Program Manager

Create a new Program Item with these properties:

  DESCRIPTION = Play
  COMMAND LINE = C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE
  WORKING DIRECTORY = C:\WINDOWS
  RUN MINIMIZED = not checked

After that, you can double-click on the PLAY icon
to play randomly ONE of the WAV sound files in the
working directory.

If you check RUN MINIMIZED (or hold down the SHIFT
key as you double-click on the icon), then PLAY
will play in order ALL the WAV sound files in the
working directory.

The "Working Directory" is where PLAY normally
looks for the WAV files.  You can change this to
another directory with WAV files, if you like.

You can specify one or more WAV files in the
command line.  Here are three examples:

  C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE CHIMES

  C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE C:\MACSNDS\BOING

  C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE CHIMES TADA CHORD DING

The first example plays CHIMES.WAV -- you need
not write the ".WAV" part of the filename.  The
second example plays BOING.WAV -- which is in
another directory.  The third example plays
randomly ONE of the four files listed; but if
you have RUN MINIMIZED checked (or hold down
the SHIFT key as you double-click on the icon),
then it plays in order all four sound files.

This command line gives you an "About" box:

  C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE ?

You might like PLAY to play a random sound file
when you start Windows.  If so, install PLAY in
your STARTUP group.  Adjust the Program Item
properties to suit your preferences.  If you've
installed a regular start-up sound, you'll
probably want to remove it (unless you want
TWO sounds when you start up!).  To do this,
click "Control Panel" + "Sound" + "Windows
Start" + "<none>" + "OK."


3.  Using PLAY with the File Manager

If want to be able to play WAV files by double-
clicking on them in the Windows File Manager, go
to the File Manager and highlight a WAV file.
Then click "File" + "Associate," type the path
to PLAY.EXE ("C:\WINDOWS\PLAY.EXE") in the
"Associate with" edit box, and then click "OK."

Then double-clicking on "CHIMES.WAV" in the File
Manager will play the CHIMES sound.  In addition,
you'll be able to install individual WAV files
on your Program Manager by dragging these files
from the File Manager.  PLAY will play them when
you double-click on their icons.

Note that Windows normally regards SOUND RECORDER
as the program associated with WAV files.  This
is inconvenient if you just want to play the sound
-- and don't care about editing it.  If you just
want to play the sound, it's better to associate
WAV files with PLAY.


4.  Sound Drivers

PLAY requires that you have a sound driver
installed.  If you don't have a sound card,
you can use the "Sound Driver for PC-Speaker"
from Microsoft.  This is in the SPEAK.EXE file
(GENIE Microsoft RT file 3175).

The story is that Microsoft didn't include this
with Windows 3.1 because it didn't work properly
on a few computers.  But it works fine on most
machines.  In fact, it sounds amazingly good --
considering the cheap speakers that they put on
our computers.


5. PLAY is Free

I wrote PLAY in Borland's Turbo Pascal 1.5 for
Windows.  PLAY is copyrighted © 1992 by Harry
Gensler (6526 North Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL
60626).  You can use it for free.  Feel free to
put it on other bulletin boards.