A mixed format compact disc holds CD-ROM file system data as well as CD-DA track format data. An example of the use of a mixed format disc is an application that contains several symphonies by a famous composer. The actual audio is stored as a series of CD-DA tracks. Also stored on the disc (but in CD-ROM file format) is a program, the actual music score, and perhaps a data base on the composer's life. When the application is started, the audio from a symphony can be played using the CD audio media driver, while the user is allowed to study the music score. Additionally, the user might retrieve facts on the composer, such as how old the composer was when the symphony was written.
By issuing the MCI_GETTOC message with mciSendCommand, an application can retrieve a table of contents (TOC) for a disc. This function is particularly useful for a mixed format disc. The starting and ending addresses (time) of each audio track are listed as well as the type of track. Using the table of contents, an application can immediately determine which tracks can be played using the CD audio device. Additionally, an application can determine the track type by issuing the status command to determine the type of any individual track.
open cdaudio alias mycd shareable status mycd type track 1 wait
Note: The CD audio device processes only CD-DA tracks.