Use of SAPI Voice When Opening Workbooks

[golf4]

Hi, everyone -

After speaking with several people, including Jake (Thanks), a
suggestion was made to try and use the SAPI built-in voice to speak in
Excel rather than wav files. I've included some test code below:

Sub test()
Dim s As Object
Set s = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")
s.Speak "Greetings. How are you?"
Set s = Nothing
End Sub

I'm currently using Excel 2000, which, I guess, is limited to only one
voice. I had to do the Tools - References to Microsoft Speech Object
Library and it works.

If anyone has tried this, I'm wondering:

[1] is there a way to modify the code so that I could insert it by way
of a Workbook_Open placement and the voice would announce the name of
the file?

[2] Has anyone had any success in playing with this aspect so that the
voice sounds more "normal" rather than the typical computer voice?

Thanks so much for the help,

Golf

 

[Rockee052]

Hi Golf,

For question 1, you can use something like the following:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Dim s As Object
Set s = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")
s.Speak Me.Name
Set s = Nothing
End Sub

Question 2, you got me.... It would be interesting to find out!
I'm sure some of the gurus will enlighten us.

Good luck

Rocke

 

[Steve Garman]

No real help for your voice question, except to say SAPI is very tricky
to use directly and versions 4 and 5 are very different.

I recommend trying to install and choose voices outside Excel.

I do, however, have a comment on your code.

If you're sticking with Excel 2000 and don't need backward
compatibility, you shouldn't need the SAPI references at all

Application.Speech.Speak "Greetings. How are you?"

 

[Steve Garman]

I forgot to say if you really want to get to grips with the SAPI there
are lots of VB examples (not specifically VBA) in the helpfile at

http://download.microsoft.com/download/speechSDK/SDK/5.1/WXP/EN-US/sapi.chm

 

[Dave Peterson]

But that speech stuff was added in xl2002--not xl2k.

No real help for your voice question, except to say SAPI is very tricky
to use directly and versions 4 and 5 are very different.

I recommend trying to install and choose voices outside Excel.

I do, however, have a comment on your code.

If you're sticking with Excel 2000 and don't need backward
compatibility, you shouldn't need the SAPI references at all

Application.Speech.Speak "Greetings. How are you?"

Hi, everyone -

After speaking with several people, including Jake (Thanks), a
suggestion was made to try and use the SAPI built-in voice to speak in
Excel rather than wav files. I've included some test code below:

Sub test()
Dim s As Object
Set s = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")
s.Speak "Greetings. How are you?"
Set s = Nothing
End Sub

I'm currently using Excel 2000, which, I guess, is limited to only one
voice. I had to do the Tools - References to Microsoft Speech Object
Library and it works.

If anyone has tried this, I'm wondering:

[1] is there a way to modify the code so that I could insert it by way
of a Workbook_Open placement and the voice would announce the name of
the file?

[2] Has anyone had any success in playing with this aspect so that the
voice sounds more "normal" rather than the typical computer voice?

Thanks so much for the help,

Golf

 

[Steve Garman]

Apologies,

Dave's quite right. My memory's terrible at the moment, so I should have
checked befor posting.

But that speech stuff was added in xl2002--not xl2k.

<snip>

 

[golf4]

Hi, guys -

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate the help.

Continuing to experiment, instead of the using "the voice" in opening
the workbook itself, I went ahead and inserted the code into my splash
screen to run simultaneously with the splash:

Private Sub UserForm_Activate()
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
DoEvents

Dim s As Object
Set s = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")
s.Speak "hi rick??? welcome to" & ThisWorkbook.Name
Set s = Nothing

Application.OnTime Now + TimeValue("00:00:02"), "KillTheForm"
End Sub

Seems to work really well. I threww a couple question marks, in the
code, because that seems to help with the voice's inflection (at least
a little).

Steve -

I know I have Excell 2000 at home (where I do most of my
"development"), but I can never remember the version we have at work.
I believe it is also 2000. I'll have to check it out on Monday
morning. I'll also check out the Microsoft SAPI stuff. The thing I'd
be concerned about is, if I were to install additional voices, they
would only be installed on my machine at home, right? Not exactly a
systems person (CAN YOU TELL???), I think I would have to install
extra stuff on the work computers as well. With all the viruses and
incompatability issues out there, we're real hesitant about installing
any "extra" stuff - especially for this purpose. I'll check it out
though.

Thanks for the help,

Golf

 

[golf4]

SORRY FOR THE SPELLING ERRORS..... PREVIEW, PREVIEW, PREVIEW.... UUUGGG!!!!!