=====Listing available voices=====

//by Richard Russell, October 2008//\\ \\  The supplied example program **SPEAK.BBC** provides the capability of choosing the 'voice' to be used (for example **Microsoft Sam** or **Microsoft Mary**), however you need to know in advance which voices are available; if you select one which isn't available it won't work. This is a particular problem given that the available voices may differ between versions of Windows, for example Windows Vista may only have **Microsoft Anna** which isn't usually available on other versions of Windows.\\ \\  The code below lists the available voices (it uses SAPI5, typically installed on Windows 2000, XP and Vista and later):

<code bb4w> 
        INSTALL @lib$+"COMLIBA"

        ON ERROR ON ERROR OFF : PROC_comexit : PRINT 'REPORT$ : END
        ON CLOSE PROC_comexit : QUIT

        PROC_cominit

        tts% = FN_createobject("SAPI.SpVoice")
        nvoices% = FN_getvalueint(tts%,"GetVoices.Count")
        DIM voice$(nvoices%-1)
        FOR n% = 0 TO nvoices%-1
          voice$(n%) = FN_getvaluestr(tts%,"GetVoices.Item("+STR$n%+").GetDescription")
          PRINT voice$(n%)
        NEXT
        PROC_releaseobject(tts%)

        PROC_comexit
</code>

You can of course use the returned list of voices in other ways, such as presenting them to the user in a **List Box**, or selecting one according to a set of preferences. \\ \\  Note that this code requires **COMLIB** (or **COMLIBA**) version **3.3** or later, as supplied with //BBC BASIC for Windows// version 5.90a.