Find out time a midi file plays?

Anon

Can this even be done? If so, how?

theslinky

If you are using Windows, there is a nice DOS exe program which will print out info on a midi file.

Goto: http://www.gnmidi.com

Scroll down to the Free Files section and download mididir.zip

To use the command:

$info = system("mididir.exe -l filename.mid");

For example, I invoked this command on a file called: glaubean.mid and the program returned this output:

C:\Documents and Settings\hehe\My Documents\glaubean.mid: Wir glauben as Christkind (Günter Nagler, 14.11.1998) (83 kb, format 1, 14 tracks, 4:11)

As you can guess, the last part of the string (4:11) is the length. Now, just use some kind of regular expression (or explode into array using the space character) and access the time.

The mididir program is very fast and you can enter multiple filenames (i think). So it should take a long time to get time values.

hope this comes to use if you (or anyone) is using windows!
-sridhar

Anon

That is kind of a dumb way to go about finding the time of a track in windows...especially as merely right clicking on the file and choosing properties will give you the time...There is also the option of this...you have played the midi file before, you must have unless you are using one you have never heard, which is not smart...so whatever player you used has the time too...
Or you can set the play time in php for how much of the midi it plays,
There are so many ways to find this in windows it makes me want to cry if you want to find the track time this way, which i really doubt...
My assumption is you are trying to gauge something based on "wait this long, then execute this too..." so just plug in the minutes and sceonds(I always would round up 1 second) and let 'er whirl...

As for trying to use php to find the time a midi plays, I can't help you there.

theslinky

Hmm,

The original question was how to find out time of track in PHP NOT windows. I mean, why the heck would anyone post a non-pHp related question in this board?

And of course there are a billion ways to find out the time of a midi file. And also "merely right clicking on the file and choosing properties" will NOT give you any info if you don't have a MIDI player or something associated with it. I'm running windows 2000 and the only program that recognizes MIDI on my system is Winamp. and when I right click midis, it doesn't give any info.

-sridhar

Anon

Ya, but I need the time from php. It's for an online playlist

Anon

that is actually a brilliant way to go about finding the time of a track on windows!!

i am guessing this is for a community based midi collection where everyone can upload midi files and it will list them all and their play times.

do you even know what php is used for?! cause you found "a pretty dumb way" to answer his question.

theslinky

Sorry for the reposts, but whose reply is "a pretty dumb way"? Sridhar's (mine) or "Newbie to PHP"?

If my idea sounds dumb: well... perhaps it is long, but I can write you a PHP script to do it now if you like to see.

-sridhar

Anon

Sridhar, I am going to use your method to build the database on my windows machine, and then dump the database to the internet. Thanks bud!

Anon

actually it wont work since I use long filenames..

theslinky

Akido,

The README for mididir says the source is available, but I don't see it in the ZIP. So perhaps you can contact the author and ask for the source. It is in C/C++. What I can do is recompile it for you (or you can do it yourself) under Linux and use it there.

-sridhar

Anon

I could, but I don't know how 🙁

Anon

no... you were right, newbie was dumb.