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Explain the use of audio tags in HTML with an example

Explain the use of audio tags in HTML with an example

Ravi Vishwakarma 142 07-Jun-2024

The HTML <audio> tag is used to attach sound content to the web pages. It provides a direction to include audio files that can be played directly in the browser. 
Here’s a vast guide on how to use the <audio> tag:

Basic Usage

The basic syntax for the <audio> tag is:

<audio controls>
  <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
  Your browser does not support the audio element.
</audio>

Attributes

  1. controls: Adds audio controls like play button, pause button, and volume up and down.
  2. autoplay: The audio will start playing as soon as it is ready.
  3. loop: The audio will start over again, every time it is finished.
  4. muted: This is used to cut the sound of the audio output.
  5. preload: Specifies if and how the author thinks that the audio should be loaded when the page loads. It can have the following values:
  •          auto: The browser should load the entire audio file when the page loads.
  •          metadata: The browser should only load metadata when the page loads.
  •          none: The browser should not load the audio file when the page loads.

 

Example with Attributes

<audio controls autoplay loop muted preload="auto">
  <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
  <source src="audio-file.ogg" type="audio/ogg">

</audio>

Multiple Source Formats

To ensure compatibility with one-of-a-kind browsers, you can offer multiple supply files in extraordinary formats:

<audio controls>
  <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
  <source src="audio-file.ogg" type="audio/ogg">

</audio>

Adding Text as a Fallback

In case the browser fails to support  the <audio> tag, you can provide a fallback message to the browser:

<audio controls>
  <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
  <source src="audio-file.ogg" type="audio/ogg">
  Your browser does not support the audio element. <!--fallback message-->
</audio>

JavaScript Control

You can also control the audio with JavaScript. Here’s an example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Audio Player Example</title>
  <style>
    /* Style the audio element */
    #myAudio {
      width: 300px; /* Adjust the width of the audio player */
    }
    /* Style the buttons */
    button {
      margin: 5px;
      padding: 10px;
      background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green background */
      color: white; /* White text */
      border: none; /* No border */
      cursor: pointer; /* Pointer cursor on hover */
    }
    button:hover {
      background-color: #45a049; /* Darker green on hover */
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  
  <!-- Audio element with controls -->
  <audio id="myAudio" controls>
    <!-- MP3 audio source -->
    <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
    <!-- Message if audio tag is not supported -->
    Your browser does not support the audio element.
  </audio>
  
  <!-- Buttons to control the audio playback -->
  <button onclick="playAudio()">Play</button>
  <button onclick="pauseAudio()">Pause</button>
  <button onclick="stopAudio()">Stop</button>
  
  <script>
    // Get the audio element by its ID
    var audio = document.getElementById("myAudio");
    
    // Function to play the audio
    function playAudio() {
      audio.play();
    }
    
    // Function to pause the audio
    function pauseAudio() {
      audio.pause();
    }
    
    // Function to stop the audio and reset to the beginning
    function stopAudio() {
      audio.pause();
      audio.currentTime = 0; // Reset to the beginning
    }
  </script>

</body>
</html>

Explanation:

HTML Structure:

  • The <!DOCTYPE html> declaration defines the document type.
  • The <html> element is the root element of the document.
  • The <head> the element contains meta-information about the HTML document, including its character set, viewport settings, title, and styles.
  • The <body> element contains the content of the HTML document.

Audio Element:

  • <audio id="myAudio" controls>: This creates an audio player with controls like play, pause, and volume buttons.
  • <source src="audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">: This specifies the audio file and its format. You can add more <source> elements for different formats (like .ogg) to ensure better compatibility across different browsers.
  • "Your browser does not support the audio element.": This text is displayed if the browser fails to load the audio element on the webpage.

Buttons:

  • The buttons are used to control the playback of the audio. Each button has an onclick attribute that calls a specific JavaScript function when clicked.

JavaScript Functions:

  • var audio = document.getElementById("myAudio");: This gets the audio element and assigns it to the audio variable.
  • function playAudio() { audio.play(); }: This function plays the audio.
  • function pauseAudio() { audio.pause(); }: This function pauses the audio.
  • function stopAudio() { audio.pause(); audio.currentTime = 0; }: This function stops the audio and resets the playback to the beginning.

 

Conclusion

  • Use the <audio> tag to attach audio files on the webpage.
  • Provide multiple source formats for better browser compatibility on different browsers.
  • Use attributes like controls, autoplay, loop, muted, and preload to control the audio behavior.
  • Use JavaScript to manipulate audio playback programmatically.

Updated 07-Jun-2024
Hi, my self Ravi Vishwakarma. I have completed my studies at SPICBB Varanasi. now I completed MCA with 76% form Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University Jaunpur. SWE @ MindStick | Software Engineer | Web Developer | .Net Developer | Web Developer | Backend Engineer | .NET Core Developer

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