How to play beeps in C#

Question

2.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

C#

[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
        static extern bool Beep(uint dwFreq, uint dwDuration);
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {

            Console.WriteLine("Testing PC speaker...");
            for (uint i = 100; i <= 20000; i++)
            {
                Beep(i, 5);
            }
            Console.WriteLine("Testing complete.");
        }

My HP laptop has Windows 8.1 installed in it and I tried the above code on it but it did not work. I wonder if there is a standard library to play music or musical notes via C#.

best regards,

Posted 8-Mar-14 19:39pm

JBobby

Add a Solution

4 solutions

Solution 4

JBobby wrote:
Am new to C#. Please tell me in two lines what are the disadvantages of using unmanaged code?

Sure.

First of all, compared to .NET, unmanaged code is very, very error-prone. Abhinav mentioned just one problem in his comment to Solution 2: memory deallocation. But this is not the biggest problem is you are using unmanaged module in your .NET project.

The biggest problem is this: in most cases, it kills platform compatibility. .NET has one wonderful feature: you can execute your CLI code on different systems, even on different CPU instruction-set architectures, without recompilation. This is possible due to "AnyCPU" target and JIT compilation, which is performed during runtime. Moreover, there are alternative CLR implementations which allows you to do the same on many non-Microsoft OS (most used implementation is called Mono). When you use P/Invoke to use unmanaged code, you, in almost all cases, kill this possibility.

Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-in-time_compilation[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Language_Infrastructure[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Language_Runtime[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_software[^],
http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page[^].

I'll strongly recommend to use only the pure .NET FCL (or even just BCL), possibly with pure-CLI third-party products, especially open-source. Use unmanaged (native) modules only if they are critically important and if there is absolutely no other way (with P/Invoke or C++/CLI).

See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framework_Class_Library[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_Class_Library[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P/Invoke[^],
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/vcmxspec/html/vcmg_PlatformInvocationServices.asp[^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B/CLI[^],
http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-372.htm[^],
http://www.gotw.ca/publications/C++CLIRationale.pdf[^].

[EDIT]

After changes in Microsoft documentation, most adequate link to P/Invoke and C++/CLI implicit P/Invoke is this:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235282.aspx[^].

—SA

Posted 27-Mar-14 10:48am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Updated 9-Apr-15 8:27am

v3

Comments

Abhinav S 27-Mar-14 23:03pm

5!

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 28-Mar-14 1:30am

Thank you, Abhinav.
—SA

Solution 3

C#

class Program
   {
       //[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
      // static extern bool Beep(uint dwFreq, uint dwDuration);
       static void Main(string[] args)
       {

           Console.WriteLine("Testing PC speaker...");
           for (uint i = 100; i <= 20000; i++)
           {
               SystemSounds.Beep.Play();
           }
           Console.WriteLine("Testing complete.");
           Console.Beep();

           // Play a beep with frequency as 200 and duration as 300
           Console.Beep(200, 300);

           Console.Beep((int)523.2, 300);
           Console.Beep((int)523.2, 300);
           Console.Beep((int)523.2, 300);
           // Play the sound associated with the Asterisk event
           SystemSounds.Asterisk.Play();
       }
   }

Finally , I got I was looking for. This code can play frequencies without using third party library.

Posted 8-Mar-14 22:56pm

JBobby

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Abhinav S · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-08T19:59:00

Solution 2

Why are you using unmanaged code?
I would only use managed classes to produce the beep sound.

SystemSounds.Beep[^] provides the exact same feature.

Posted 8-Mar-14 19:59pm

Abhinav S

Comments

JBobby 9-Mar-14 4:34am

I am new to C#. Please tell me in two lines what are the disadvantages of using un-managed code ?

Abhinav S 9-Mar-14 6:04am

If you use unmanaged code, you need to deallocate memory yourself.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:54pm

This is not the most important factor, by far.
I answered in detail. Please see Solution 4.
—SA

agent_kruger 9-Mar-14 5:04am

sir, can i ask what is the difference between solution 1 and 2 and can you explain the disadvantages of using un-managed code as asked by "Mr.JBobby"?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:53pm

I answered in detail. Please see Solution 4.
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:55pm

I voted 5, but you did not mention more basic System.Console.Beep.
The problem with System.Sounds: they are often disabled, user/dependent. Or this is the benefit... :-)
—SA

Abhinav S 27-Mar-14 23:03pm

Thanks for pointing that out SA.

Krunal Rohit · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-08T19:48:00

Solution 1

Why don't you try something like this out:

C#

public void onePing()
{
    SystemSounds.Beep.Play();
}

See MSDN[^]

-KR

Posted 8-Mar-14 19:48pm

Krunal Rohit

Comments

JBobby 9-Mar-14 4:42am

thanks. It worked. :) I would to like to ask you if I want to play music like jingle bells using this standard function , what chance do I have to get succeeded ? i probably will have to use third party library to get the job done ?

Krunal Rohit 9-Mar-14 4:46am

See this : http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/4712/Playing-wav-files-using-C

agent_kruger 9-Mar-14 5:02am

+5 for answering the both questions.

Krunal Rohit 9-Mar-14 5:04am

Thanks man..

-KR

agent_kruger 9-Mar-14 5:05am

you're welcome sir, just told the truth.

Krunal Rohit 9-Mar-14 5:06am

not sir..! :)
just an ordinary student. :) :)

-KR

agent_kruger 9-Mar-14 5:07am

then, me too my dear friend but i am much smaller than you, sir.

Krunal Rohit 9-Mar-14 5:08am

Good to hear that.

-KR

Krunal Rohit 9-Mar-14 5:35am

Why is it downvoted ??

-KR

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:26pm

Certainly this was an unfair down-voted. I up-voted with my 5 (but you did should better mentione very basic System.Console.Beep and perhaps some other)... Good answer, anyway.
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:55pm

The problem with System.Sounds: they are often disabled, user/dependent. Or this is the benefit... :-)
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-14 16:57pm

Besides, you could have mention the benefit of avoiding P/Invoke as Abhinav did. OP asked a question about it; I answered in Solution 4, please see.
—SA