Re: Managed DirectSound resources - C# Discussion Boards

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 11:00

1-Dec-03 11:00

Øyvind Bratland wrote:
I have also examined the C# examples in the DirectX 9.0 SDK, but these are also very beginner.

Okay, I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but if you're looking for tutorials on how to use managed DirectSound...then you are a beginner (at least for managed DirectSound/DirectX)! Learn to walk before you run.

If you're no n00b to DirectSound/DirectX, the principals are still the same - you just don't have to worry about the oodles of code required for even the most trivial functionality.

As far as the warning in the documentation, I'm not sure why it's still there. It's been there for the last 3 or 4 updates to the release code (it's understandable why it's there for alpha/beta code). I seriously doubt they forgot it. Maybe it's just because the managed DirectX library is so infant that they don't want to gaurantee that anything will stay the same.

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.21
GCS/G/MU d- s: a- C++++ UL@ P++(+++) L+(--) E--- W+++ N++ o+ K? w++++ O- M(+) V? PS-- PE Y++ PGP++ t++@ 5 X+++ R+@ tv+ b(-)>b++ DI++++ D+ G e++>+++ h---* r+++ y+++
-----END GEEK CODE BLOCK-----

Oyvind Bratland1-Dec-03 21:07

Oyvind Bratland

1-Dec-03 21:07

Heath Stewart wrote:
Okay, I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but if you're looking for tutorials on how to use managed DirectSound...then you are a beginner (at least for managed DirectSound/DirectX)!

Well, Heath, if you remember some days ago, I asked for DirectSound help in this same message board, and you answered this:
...you can mix and match readers, decoders, mixers, encoders, and writers in practically any way...

Ok, I didn't know what this was (readers, mixers, etc) so I search google. I didn't find any help. Then I tried MSDN/DirectSound. Found some help, but only the basic stuff, nothing on readers, writers, mixers, etc. Then I looked at the samples in SDK, that was not very much help either.

I never said I was anything other than a DirectSound n00b (that cool writing, Heath!). So, do I understand you right with this: If you are familiar with the code in the SDK samples, then you are an advanced DirectSound user?

If the SDK samples are not "walking", then please advice me where to learn to walk. And, when I'm a good walker, where do I learn to run? Definitly not from MSDN or the SDK samples.

I appreciate any help on DirectSound.

Øyvind.

Heath Stewart2-Dec-03 2:51

2-Dec-03 2:51

Øyvind Bratland wrote:
If you are familiar with the code in the SDK samples, then you are an advanced DirectSound user?

Hardly, but it's a good place to start.

Øyvind Bratland wrote:
...then please advice me where to learn to walk.

I learned many different languages and many different APIs/frameworks by reading the documentation and exploring even the most basic samples to see how everything comes together. The documentation might not be great, but it's important to read it and see what all is available. If you actually take the time to read it - and the articles within (which I remember very many good ones on at least other DirectX technologies) - everything should come together.

If not, I remember giving either you or someone else recently this link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx[^]. When dealing with anything that has to do with development, you should always check MSDN as well: http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx[^].

There's many articles in there plus links, an NNTP (newsgroups) web interface, and more.

I also said that CodeProject[^] has many articles on DirectX technologies like DirectShow that you also asked about (which is necessary for decoding / encoding, while DirectSound is typically used to actually play the audio file). Googling for both DirectShow and DirectSound found many, many results - including those here on CP.

implementing IList for a sortedlist

Oyvind Bratland2-Dec-03 20:46

Oyvind Bratland

2-Dec-03 20:46

Heath Stewart wrote:
I learned many different languages and many different APIs/frameworks by reading the documentation and exploring even the most basic samples to see how everything comes together

Of course, me too, I just didn't know which documentation to read.

Heath Stewart wrote:
CodeProject[^] has many articles on DirectX technologies like DirectShow that you also asked about (which is necessary for decoding / encoding, while DirectSound is typically used to actually play the audio file).

Ah! Thanks for clarifying this. I thought all this was DirectSound, but DirectShow... that makes a difference! Actually, I was looking for this in managed DirectX 9, but it looks like I have to do it the way NETmaster does it in his article here at CP.

Thanks for your help,

Øyvind

zuhx1-Dec-03 6:11

zuhx

1-Dec-03 6:11

I looking to have a sortedlist that I can bind to form controls. I can write a class that extends SortedList and implements the IList interface. My first question is the syntax for extending a class and implementing an interface are the same. How does the compiler know to differeniate between the two. My other question is since the SortedList class already implments many of the methods required for the IList interface (e.g. Add, Clear, Contains, etc...) do I have to overwrite these methods?

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 6:41

1-Dec-03 6:41

The compiler knows because the names match up to a single definition. If there are multiple methods with the same signature (based on name and param types) in various interfaces (for which a class can implement many) or in the base class (for which a class can extend only one), then you must use explicit interface methods (which answers another question):

public class MyClass : BaseClass, IMyInterface
{
  // In this example, both BaseClass and IMyInterface have a method called
  // Foo
  public override void Foo()
  {
    DoSomething();
  }
  // Notice that there's no access modifier below.
  void IMyInterface.Foo()
  {
    DoSomethingElse();
  }
}

This is really only necessary when the returns types differ or when you want a method based on one class or interface to do something different when from another interface. Many times, just let both BaseClass.Foo and IMyInterface.Foo refer to the same code (which the compiler handles just fine). Properties are probably benefited from this the most.

zuhx1-Dec-03 9:29

zuhx

1-Dec-03 9:29

So if I'm understanding you correctly. If I write a class and extend SortedList I get all the functionality of a SortedList and implement IList for databinding by doing the following:
public abstract class IndexSortedList: SortedList, IList //Does order matter here?
{
//This is the only IList method not implemented by SortedList
public void Insert()
{
DoSomething();
}

//Do I have to include this method as well and just simply
//tell it to call the Add method from the SortedList?
//This method is already implented in SortedList, but required by IList.
public override void Add()
{
//call SortedList's Add method
base.Add();
}
}
Can you confirm the questions in my comments? Thanks!

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 10:30

1-Dec-03 10:30

If the SortedList alredy implements an Add method with the right signature, you don't need to do anything! It's already done for you. An interface is just a contract that ensures that an implementing class has members defined in the interface. Your class already inherits an Add method (as well as many others) so you don't need to do anything. Just implement Insert and call it good.

zuhx2-Dec-03 5:51

zuhx

2-Dec-03 5:51

Thanks! Much appreciated. I'm gonna give it a try later this afternoon.

SHGFI Flag Info

Tristan Rhodes1-Dec-03 4:02

Tristan Rhodes

1-Dec-03 4:02

I've looked through the documentation on MSDN, and have found the SHGetFileInfo method, and the structure SHFileInfo, which have helped my understanding a great deal.

The one problem I have is locating the SHGFI Flag list. While heath appears to have posted the whole lot, they are not included in the enumeration and variables section of the MSDN library (or anywhere else for that matter), and there are 2 results from google which aren't waht I am looking for.

How did you find out which variables to use and in which order the flags are declared?

Thanks

Cata

Re: SHGFI Flag Info

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 6:35

1-Dec-03 6:35

The_Catalyst wrote:
How did you find out which variables to use and in which order the flags are declared?

Order doesn't matter - the value does, and you can find these in the header files from the Platform SDK. There are many ways to find these, but the most obvious is to search the Platform SDK's includes directory for one of the constant expressions, like SHGFI_ATTRIBUTES.

Beside, why do you need these when I've already given them to you. Seems like a complete waste of time.

Re: SHGFI Flag Info

Tristan Rhodes1-Dec-03 20:44

Tristan Rhodes

1-Dec-03 20:44

Platform SDK? Is that like a development kit for whatever version of windows I am using?

I don't want the specific information, I just want to know where to look to find the flag enumerations for windows dll methods. As I can't find one particular enumeration set on MSDN, then It stands to reason that it does not list them all, and I'd like to be able to look up those that aren't listed if I need them.

Cata

Re: SHGFI Flag Info

Heath Stewart2-Dec-03 2:33

Urgent!!! Using pointers in C#

2-Dec-03 2:33

The Catalyst wrote:
Platform SDK? Is that like a development kit for whatever version of windows I am using?

No, it's the software development kit for all versions of Windows up until the one it's labeled with (like the recent Windows 2003 Platform SDK is good for everything up till - and including - Windows 2003.

The Catalyst wrote:
I just want to know where to look to find the flag enumerations for windows dll methods.

Like I said - in the headers. Welcome to software development! Research awaits. Smile | :)

Not all the preproc defs (not enums, actually) are not documented, nor is every function or macro. Even if you don't know C/C++, reading preproc defs shouldn't be hard. Searching for information - especially that which is undocumented - is just part of development. In real, unmanaged languages like C/C++ (as opposed to VB which just wraps everything) there's often a lot of this that's necessary. To make it easier for me, I use CTAGS which you can use to index various file types, including C/C++, in a way that is specific to a language (CTAGS properly tokenizes things, as opposed to how IIS does it). Along with GViM, it's an extremely powerful tool for finding preproc defs and more.

rasarit171-Dec-03 3:32

rasarit17

1-Dec-03 3:32

I'm new to C# and here is my problem!

In C++ my class would look like this!
public class Timetable //it's the timetable for a room
{
Timetable *next;
//every timetable has a pointer to the next least costly timetable
int booking [max_rooms][days_in_week][hours_in_day];
....
}

public class Colony
{
Timetable *first;//points to the least costly timetable in the colony
Timetable *last;//points to the most costly timetable in the colony
....

}

To use pointers in C# I know I have to mark these classes as "unsafe" .
How can I fix the objects??? If I don't use "fixed", at runtime I'll have an invalid pointer because the object will be relocated!

I read that I can use "ref" but I don't really now how
Please help me!
If anyone has sugestion ....

Sorry for my bad english!
Thank you for your time! Smile | :)

Re: Urgent!!! Using pointers in C#

leppie1-Dec-03 6:09

leppie

1-Dec-03 6:09

Dont bother with pointers, all but a few classes are all managed pointers anyways. SO just remove the stars Smile | :)

(and you dont need unsafe then either)

leppie ::AllocCPArticle("Zee blog");
Seen on my Campus BBS: Linux is free...coz no-one wants to pay for it.

Re: Urgent!!! Using pointers in C#

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 6:45

new webform inside another

1-Dec-03 6:45

To be more precise (based on what leppie said), all reference types (pretty much everything) are like pointers - they are references to a class object. Value types - the intrinsics like int (Int32), long (Ing64), etc., DateTime, enums, and other classes deriving from ValueType - are just that - values. When using these in parameters, ref types are automatically pass-by-ref and value types are automatically pass-by-value. If you need to pass a reference to a value type, you can use the ref or out keyword. Rarely do you / should you use these for reference types (typically only necessary when P/Invoking native methods that take a pointer to a pointer to a type).

You should probably read the C# language documentation in VS.NET / MSDN and get familiar with it before running into problems like these. Walk before you run. Smile | :)

krisman1-Dec-03 2:36

krisman

1-Dec-03 2:36

Hi. I'm trying to open a new webform inside another active webform, sort of like a pop-up. THe idea of the smaller form is that the user can select a street for an address to go with the city that was selected on the main form. Once the street is selected, the pop-up closes and the data is moved to the main form. Now, I've been able to do all of this with datagrids on the main form (we use SQL SERVER here), but it is not very nice to the eye. Anyway, my question is thus: Is there a way to have C# open a new, smaller form, without haveing to resort to Javascript in the HTML of the main ASPX page.

Krisman

Re: new webform inside another

Heath Stewart1-Dec-03 2:54