HTML MUSIC CODE

FOREGROUND MUSIC

To make a music file play when clicked, you simply link it using the following tag, where "filename.mid" is the full name of the sound

file you are using, for example, "midione.mid" or "bvhcop.wav".

If your background music is a midi file (and most are), then you cannot get a foreground midi file to play when requested, as your midi player will be busy playing your background music. However, a foreground wav file can play over a background midi.

<a href="filename.mid"> Play this music!</a>

This should begin to play automatically.

BACKGROUND MUSIC

There can be a conflict between the tags needed for background music with Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers. To make your music accessible to more people, it is wise to include both Netscape and I.E tags.

Netscape supports <embed> tags.

I.E supports <bgsound> tags.

If you want the tags that will be supported by both Netscape and I.E, then use the following, where "filename.mid" is the full name of the sound file you are using, for example, "midione.mid" or "bvhcop.wav".

USER PLAY

</noembed>

This will produce a music player which can be clicked to start and stop the music.

For a smaller music player, change the size tags to width=145 height=35

AUTOMATIC PLAY - ONCE ONLY

</noembed>

This will produce a music player. The music will play automatically once your page has loaded. It will play through once and then

stop.

AUTOMATIC PLAY - CONTINUOUS

</noembed>

This will produce a music player. The music will play automatically once your page has loaded. The music will play continuously.

SMALL CONSOLE CONTROL

For all of your visible play options, you can substitute a small music control console, instead of the larger music player.

Simply use the following code:

</noembed>

This will produce a small console consisting of an "ON" and "OFF" button.

For a slightly larger version, change the size tags to width=144 height=15

HIDDEN BACKGROUND MUSIC

</noembed>

NO music player will appear on your screen. The music will be hidden.

This coding will produce automatic start, continuous play music.

Continuous music that you cannot turn off can get very annoying, so ... for hidden background music that starts automatically, but only plays through once and then stops, use this coding:

</noembed>

Cross-browser code

If you want simple code without having to worry whether someone is using Netscape or something else, here it is:

Automatically play, don't loop:

</NOEMBED>

Automatically play, loop:

</NOEMBED>

Don't automatically play, don't loop:

Don't automatically play, do loop:

The EMBED tag will play on Netscape Navigator, as well as 3.01 and later versions of Internet Explorer, and the current version of WebTV, and is available for

both automatic and manual play. The BGSOUND tag will play on NCSA Mosaic, older versions of WebTV, and earlier versions of Internet Explorer, and is

available for automatic play only. DISPLAY="SONG" supports manual starts for your visitors who use Headspace Beatnik.

Copy this code from your browser screen, not from the source HTML. Replace targetURL with the file name of your MIDI file, including the .mid extension. If

the target MIDI file is in the same directory as your home page, just use the file name, for example, "mysong.mid"; otherwise, use the fully qualified URL, starting

with "http://" and ending with ".mid". Do not use a URL that starts with "/" as it does not work on some browsers.

Note that the 200 by 80 console will support all known MIDI plug-ins. Please don't go below that, since you can't be sure what plug-in your visitors are using, and

you can crash their browser if you set the size too small for their plug-in. (Actually, you can tell what their plug-in is if they are using NN 3 or greater and have

JavaScript turned on, but that's another subject.)