When a device is opened, it can be given an alias, or alternate name. The primary use of a device alias is to simplify the specifying of subsequent commands to control the device through the string interface. A device alias is referenced only from the string interface, and it is valid only within the process that opened the device context.
For example, the following strings can be passed with mciSendString:
open horns.wav alias honk play honk
A secondary use of the device alias is to differentiate between device contexts opened by the same process. For example:
open horns.wav alias honk open bells.wav alias ring play ring wait play honk wait
Note: The maximum length for an alias is 20 characters. Placing an alias in quotation marks is permitted.
When a device is opened using the string interface, a device context ID is returned. If the application provides a return buffer in the call to mciSendString, the ID can be used to issue commands to the device context using the mciSendCommand interface, when necessary.