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Visual Basic Scripts That Speak

Beginning with Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft introduced the "Speech Application Programming Interface" (SAPI). Applications that use SAPI include Microsoft Office, Microsoft Agent and Microsoft Speech Server among others.

Version History:

SAPI 1.0 - 1995

SAPI 2.0 - 1996

SAPI 3.0 - 1997

SAPI 4.0 - 1998

SAPI 5.0 - 2000

SAPI 5.1 - 2001

SAPI 5.2 - 2004

SAPI 5.3 - Expected to ship With Windows Vista

Note: Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 come with Microsoft Sam but you can also download Microsoft Mary and Microsoft Mike. To find which ones you have installed you can run this Vbs script:

Set objVoice = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")

For Each strVoice in objVoice.GetVoices

Wscript.Echo strVoice.GetDescription

Next

Note: It is important to note that the scripts below will execute and read your default speech as specified in the Windows XP and 2003 Servers control panel. You can find this by looking at the speech properties and checking the Text to speech voice selection name that you have specified.

• This script will read and speak the text specified in the strText string.

Dim strText

'WarGames

strText = "Shall We Play A Game ?"

Set Sapi = Wscript.CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")

Sapi.speak strText

• This script will speak the text that you specify in the strText InputBox.

Dim strText

strText = InputBox("Enter Text To Speak")

Set Sapi = Wscript.CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")

Sapi.speak strText

• This script will read and speak the text specified in the text file MyTextFile.Txt

Const ForReading = 1

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set objText = objFSO.OpenTextFile("MyTextFile.Txt", ForReading)

strText = objText.ReadAll

objText.Close

Set Sapi = Wscript.CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")

Sapi.speak strText

Web Page Links

Microsoft Speech Home Page:

www.microsoft.com/speech

Microsoft SAPI 5.1 SDK:

www.microsoft.com/speech/download/sdk51

Microsoft SAPI 5 Engine

http://download.microsoft.com/download/speechSDK/SDK/5.1/WXP/EN-US/speechsdk51.exe