SoFunction
Updated on 2025-03-07

Detailed steps to play audio files in C#

To access the run directory in the codeResources\audioMP3 files in the folder, you need to build the relative or absolute path to the file. Since your MP3 file is located in the run directory, using relative paths is an easy and common way to do this.

Here are a few steps to note:

  • The correct path: Make sure your path string points to the audio file correctly. For example, if the audio file name issong.mp3, and it is locatedResources\audioIn the folder, your relative path will beResources\audio\song.mp3。
  • Use relative paths: In the code, you can use this relative path directly because by default, the relative path is relative to the application's running directory.
  • Processing path strings: Use backslash (\) either use a double backslash (\\), or prefix the string@symbol.

Here is a useMediaPlayerSample code for class loading and playing the MP3 file:

using ;
MediaPlayer mediaPlayer = new MediaPlayer();
// Build relative pathsstring relativePath = @"Resources\audio\song.mp3";
// Set the audio source and play it(new Uri(relativePath, ));
();

In this example, assumesong.mp3is your audio file name, which is located inResources\audioin folder. Make sure that the folder and files are in your project and are copied to the output directory at compile time. You can set the Copy to Output Directory property of the file to Always Copy or Copy if newer in Visual Studio.

When you add a file (such as an MP3 audio file) to a Visual Studio project, you need to set the "Borrow Action" property of the file so that the file is processed correctly when compiling and publishing your application. For audio files or other resource files (such as pictures, text files, etc.), there are usually two commonly used "generate operations" settings:

  • Content: This is the most commonly used setting for resource files. When the "Borrow Action" of the file is set to "Content", this means that the file is copied to the application's output directory, leaving its relative path in the project unchanged. This applies to files you want to access from the output directory while the application is running.

To set to Content, select the file in Solution Explorer, and then set Generate Action to Content in the Properties window.

  • Embedded Resource: This setting is used to embed files into the final assembly (.exe or .dll file). This option can be selected when you want to package the resource with the executable file of your application. However, accessing embedded resources is a little bit more complicated than accessing content files, because you need to use a specific API to read them from the assembly.

To set to Embed Resource, select the file in Solution Explorer, and then set Build Action to Embed Resource in the Properties window.

For most cases, especially when dealing with audio files, pictures, etc., selecting "Content" is the most direct and simple way. Make sure that Copy to output directory is also set, usually select Always Copy or Copy if newer to ensure that the file is copied to the output directory at compile time.

This is the end of this article about C# playing audio files. For more related C# playing audio files, please search for my previous articles or continue browsing the related articles below. I hope everyone will support me in the future!