The Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) is the standard file format used for storing multimedia files. RIFF enables audio, image, animation, and other multimedia elements to be stored in a common format. RIFF is also used as the basis for defining new file formats for OS/2 multimedia software.
RIFF file I/O provides simple functions to locate, create, enter, exit, and access the RIFF chunk-the basic building block of a RIFF file. You can open, read from, and write to RIFF files the same way as other file types. Blocks of data are identified by tags. An advantage of tagged file formats is that an application can process blocks that it understands while ignoring blocks that do not concern it. RIFF can also be expanded upon (by adding new tags) without breaking existing applications.
A RIFF file created with mmioOpen can hold a single data object or, if it is built as a compound file, multiple data objects. Data objects in a compound file are referred to as chunks. Chunks in a compound file are its table of contents, and the multiple data objects stored in the resource group.
Note: Refer to the OS/2 Multimedia Programming Reference for detailed information on how to define an application using the RIFF tagged file structure.