WinWav Help

What is WinWav?

WinWav Setup...

Hints and Troubleshooting


General
General Information

WinWav is an application that allows you to associate and attach sounds to applications and events in Microsoft Windows.  Any application can be specified by module, such as WINFILE.EXE, or by the title that the main window of the application is created with.  WinWav will allow you to attach any valid .WAV sound to various events that occur for an application.  These events include application start and exit, and general window manipulation events including moving, sizing, minimizing, maximizing and restoring the appplication's window(s).

WinWav will also let you attach sounds to your PC's system Clock.  Sounds may be attached to (played at) each hour of the day as well as each quarter hour.  The standard Windows System events can also be set up from WinWav.


WinWav Setup
The WinWav Setup Dialog Box

Click on a control below for help on that control.


Hints and Troubleshooting

As you might expect, WinWav's magic is not entirely bulletproof.  The key to how and when WinWav determines that an application has begun is centered around the application's window.  Some applications create their windows with empty titles, and then set them before they appear on the display.  Likewise, some applications have their windows created by a module or DLL other than the module you select to execute.  This can cause WinWav to 'miss' an application that you have specified during Setup and attach the default sounds to it instead.  Other applications do not exit windows in a clean fashion which may cause WinWav to 'miss' and application's termination and fail to play the exit sound.

Also, some applications start server applications or create hidden windows before creating their main window, which WinWav may interpret as a default application starting.  This may cause WinWav to play a portion (or all) of the default application's start sound, followed by the application's specified start sound.  There are a couple of methods to avoid this problem.  You can leave the default start sound specification empty, or If you have a reletively fast machine, you can choose a default start sound that has a small amount of silence at the start.  This will give the application time to create its main window, and WInWav will then recognize it as a specified application.

At any time, you can cause WinWav to 'Re-Initialize' itself with all currently executing applications simply by bringing up the Setup... dialog box and pressing the OK button.  WinWav will then attach sounds based on the current window titles and modules that are running at that time.  Note that this may cause a conflict for DOS applications that have been specified by title.  Remember that a DOS application will be created with the window title specified in the appication's .PIF file, which may be different than the title of the window when it is displayed on the screen.  If you have any active DOS applications whose .PIF titles differ from the title shown on the icon in the Program Manager, WinWav may 'miss' the currently running DOS app.  The best way to ensure stability is to specify the same window title in the application's .PIF file as is specified in the icon shown in the Program Manager.

If you have an application that you wish to have NO sounds attached to, simply add the application to the Application Modules list, and leave all of its events blank.

You can stop any sound that WinWav is playing simply by clicking in the upper left corner of the Desktop.

WinWav was designed mainly for PC's that are able to play asynchronous sounds.  Although it will work with PC's that do not have asynchronous sound cabability, you may notice some sound duplications during certain events.


Directory (Application Modules)

This is the current drive and path reflected by the Application Modules Files, Directories, and Drives listboxes.


Application Modules
Application Modules Drop Down Listbox

This drop down listbox (or combobox) contains the list of applications to which winwav will attach sounds.  The first three entries, System, Clock and default, are always present in this list.  They can not be removed.  All other applications that you add to WinWav via Add Module or Specify Title will be listed below these two.  When you change selection in this listbox, the Event Sound File edit box will update to reflect the sound to be played for the application event currently selected in the Event Listbox.

System

This item lets you modify the Windows System event sounds.  The sound events listed in the Event Sound File edit box are the same events that appear in the Sound dialog of the Control Panel.

Clock

This item does not represent the CLOCK.EXE application, but instead allows you to play sounds at certain times based on the system clock.  You will notice that the Event listbox changes its contents when this item is selected to reflect the clock events that you may attach sounds to.  The first four events, Hourly, 15 Min. past the hour, 30 Min. past the hour, and 45 Min. past the hour, will work exactly like quarterly chimes.  The rest of the events reflect each hour of the day.  For example, at 1:15, 2:15, 3:15, etc., the sound specified in the Event Sound File edit box for 15 Min. past the hour will be played.  At 4:00 pm, the Hourly sound will be played, followed by the 4 pm sound.

default

This item represents any application that is not specified in the applications drop down listbox.  For example, if you do not have NOTEPAD.EXE specified in the applications drop down listbox, the sounds specified for the default application events will be played when NOTEPAD.EXE is executed.  Note that the default start sound may be played inadvertently by applications whose launching sequence involves starting other applications or creating title-less windows before creating its main window.  See the Hints and Troubleshooting section for more information on this.


Remove

This button will remove the application currently shown in the Application Modules drop down listbox.  Note that System, Clock and default can not be removed.


Add Module

This button will add the currently selected application module in the Files (Application Modules) listbox to the Application Modules drop down listbox.


Specify Title

This button allows you to specify an application to attach sounds to based on the title of the main window created by that application when it is launched.  When you press this button, a small dialog box appears that allows you to type in a string (up to 31 characters) to be searched for in the window title.  The string is case sensitive, but does not have to include the full title.  For example, the string "Manager" will match both "File Manager" and "Print Manager".  If you specify two strings that appear in the same window title, the string nearest the end of the list (the most recently added string) will match.  For example, if you specify "File Manager" and then specify "File", the sounds attached to "File" will be played when the File Manager is executed.

For DOS applications, this method of specifying applications is very useful.  Simply specify the title that appears in the "Window Title" section of the DOS programs .PIF file.  Note that this title can be different than the title that appears on the icon for the application in the Program Manager, which is also the title used for the window when the window appears.  To work properly, you must use the title that is specified in the .PIF file.  If you want different sounds for different instances of the same DOS program, simply copy its .PIF file, change the title in the .PIF file, and add it to one of your Program Manager groups.  Then specify the new title in WinWav, attach your desired sounds, and you're all set.

This method of recognizing applications by window title is not without its flaws, as well as recognizing applications by module filename.  For suggestions please refer to the Hints and Troubleshooting section.


Files (Application Modules)

This listbox lists ALL files in the current Application Modules drive and directory.  You can add an application module to the Application Modules drop down listbox either by selecting a file in this listbox and pressing the Enter key or the Add Module button, or simply by double-clicking on the filename in this listbox.


Directories (Application Modules)

This listbox lists any directories found in the current Application Modules drive and directory.  You can change the current directory by selecting the desired directory and pressing the Enter key or simply by double-clicking on the directory name.


Drives (Application Modules)

This drop down listbox contains the list of drives available on your PC.  The selected drive reflects the current Application Modules drive.  You can change the current drive simply by selecting a different drive from this listbox.


Directory (Sound)

This is the current drive and path reflected by the Sound Files, Directories, and Drives listboxes.


Event Sound File Edit Box

This edit box specifies the sound that will be played upon the currently selected event in the Event Listbox below for the currently selected application (or Clock) in the Application Modules


Play (Sound File Edit Box)

This button will play the sound specified in the Event Sound File edit box.


Event Listbox

This listbox contains events to which WinWav will attach and play sounds for.  When System is selected in the Application Modules listbox, the event listbox will contain the standard Windows System events.  When Clock is selected in the Application Modules listbox, the event listbox will contain event names for quarter-hour sounds and for each hour of the day.  For applications (including default), the listbox contains events that let you play sounds when the application starts, exits, is minimized, restored, maximized, moved, and sized.

System	Clock	Application

As you change selection in the listbox, you will notice that the Event Sound File edit box changes to reflect the sound to be played for that event.

How do I attach a sound to an event?

You can attach a sound to an event by first selecting the event in the Event Listbox and then selecting the sound in the Files (Sound) and clicking the Assign button or by simply double-clicking on the sound filename in the Files (Sound) listbox.  You can also place the cursor (click) in the Event Sound File edit box and type in the sound filename, including the full pathname.


Assign

This button assigns (or attaches) the currently selected sound in the Files (Sound) listbox to the currently selected event in the Event Listbox.


Files (Sound)

This listbox lists .WAV files in the current Application Modules drive and directory.  You can add a sound filename (including path) to the Event Sound File Edit Box by selecting a file in this listbox and pressing the Enter key or the Assign button, or simply by double-clicking on the filename.


Play (Sound File listbox)

This button will play the sound specified in the Files (Sound) listbox.


Directories (Sound)

This listbox lists any directories found in the current Sound drive and directory.  You can change the current directory by selecting the desired directory and pressing the Enter key or simply by double-clicking on the directory name.


Drives (Sound)

This drop down listbox contains the list of drives available on your PC.  The selected drive reflects the current Sound drive.  You can change the current drive simply by selecting a different drive from this listbox.


OK

This button closes the WinWav Setup dialog box and saves all changes made.  It also 'Re-Initializes' WinWav with all currently running applications.


Cancel

This button closes the WinWav Setup dialog box and discards any changes made.  No 'Re-Initialization' is done.


Help

This button loads WINWAV.HLP into WINHELP.EXE.