Wait a minute!
If you want to screenshot only components, use my new [F/OS] 🖼️ ViewUtil: Convert a component into an image! extension.
Also, this extension is not capable of screenshooting surface views (e.g. realtime camera view). The view will be black if you screenshot it.
Introduction
A non-visible extension to take screenshots.
Package name: com.gordonlu.screenshot.aix
Version: 2
Release date: 2022-03-23T10:00:00Z
I hae looked into Taifun's source code and made a few changes:
-
now, you can save the screenshot anywhere you want, even in the /storage/emulated/0/Download/ folder. However, the block will now require an absolute path.
-
I changed the
Bitmap.CompressFormatthing, so now, you can also use PNG screenshots. -
added a new event to handle errors.
-
added blocks for the ASD and detecting whether the write permission is granted. (note: you will need the read permission if you want to save the screenshot in somewhere else, but since this is not mandatory, I will not add a block for this.)
-
now, you have an option to set the quality of the screenshot (Taifun's extension is 100).
Find his extension here.
@Taifun It's OK if you want to apply the source code of this extension into yours.
Documentation
Event blocks
Failed
This event is fired when the extension has encountered an error in taking the screenshot. Possible reasons are: wrong path, wrong quality value, etc.
Parameters: error = text
SavedScreenshot
This event is fired when the extension has taken a screenshot in the given path.
Parameters: path = text
Method blocks
ApplicationSpecificDirectory
Returns an absolute path of the application specific directory of this application.
Returns: text
IsWritePermissionGranted
Checks whether the application has the permission to write external storage. This permission is mandatory if you use this extension.
Returns: boolean
TakeScreenshot
Takes a screenshot of the current app. The compressFormat parameter shall be either JPEG or PNG, else by default, it will be JPEG. The quality parameter is a value between 0 and 100. The path parameter shall be an absolute path.
Parameters: quality = number (int), compressFormat = text, path = text
Property blocks
Jpeg
A compress format block.
Returns: "JPEG"
Png
A compress format block.
Returns: "PNG"
WebP
A compress format block.
Returns: "WEBP"
Downloads
AIX:
com.gordonlu.screenshot.aix (8.7 KB)
AIA:
Screenshot_1.aia (9.9 KB)
Open Source
Since Taifun provided his extension open-sourcely in his website, I am also going to make this open source. (because even if I don't, someone would be able to guess the source code because it is available in Stack Overflow.)
package com.gordonlu.screenshot;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Context;
import com.google.appinventor.components.annotations.*;
import com.google.appinventor.components.common.ComponentCategory;
import com.google.appinventor.components.runtime.AndroidNonvisibleComponent;
import com.google.appinventor.components.runtime.ComponentContainer;
import com.google.appinventor.components.runtime.EventDispatcher;
import com.google.appinventor.components.runtime.AndroidViewComponent;
import android.view.View;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import android.graphics.Bitmap.CompressFormat;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.os.Environment;
import java.io.File;
import java.lang.Enum;
@DesignerComponent(
version = 2,
description = "A non-visible extension to take screenshots.",
category = ComponentCategory.EXTENSION,
nonVisible = true,
iconName = "https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/e/2PACX-1vQCI87PHLBF0jb8QWyYmIRQSjjNW3EFXf-qpsWCvBYkUQ9vEgPAB8SpxcMpblxNpbIYrjCjLrRLIU2c/pub?w=16&h=16")
@SimpleObject(external = true)
//Libraries
@UsesLibraries(libraries = "")
//Permissions
@UsesPermissions(permissionNames = "")
public class Screenshot extends AndroidNonvisibleComponent {
//Activity and Context
private Context context;
private Activity activity;
public Screenshot(ComponentContainer container){
super(container.$form());
this.activity = container.$context();
this.context = container.$context();
}
@SimpleFunction(description = "Takes a screenshot of the current app, with the given quality, compressFormat and saves the screenshot as the given path.")
public void TakeScreenshot(int quality, String compressFormat, String path) {
try {
String mPath = path;
CompressFormat cp = CompressFormat.JPEG;
if (compressFormat == "PNG") {
cp = CompressFormat.PNG;
} else if (compressFormat == "WEBP") {
cp = CompressFormat.WEBP;
}
View v1 = activity.getWindow().getDecorView().getRootView();
v1.setDrawingCacheEnabled(true);
Bitmap bitmap = Bitmap.createBitmap(v1.getDrawingCache());
v1.setDrawingCacheEnabled(false);
File imageFile = new File(mPath);
FileOutputStream outputStream = new FileOutputStream(imageFile);
bitmap.compress(cp, quality, new FileOutputStream(path));
SavedScreenshot(imageFile.toString());
outputStream.flush();
outputStream.close();
}
catch(Throwable e) {
Failed(e.getMessage());
}
}
@SimpleProperty(description = "A compress format block.")
public String Jpeg() {
return "JPEG";
}
@SimpleProperty(description = "A compress format block.")
public String Png() {
return "PNG";
}
@SimpleProperty(description = "A compress format block. This block will only work for devices smaller than Android 10.")
public String Webp() {
return "WEBP";
}
@SimpleEvent(description = "This event is fired when the extension has failed to take the screenshot.")
public void Failed (String error) {
EventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(this, "Failed", error);
}
@SimpleEvent(description = "This event is fired when the extension has taken the screenshot in the given path.")
public void SavedScreenshot (String path) {
EventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(this, "SavedScreenshot", path);
}
@SimpleFunction(description = "Returns whether the application has the write permission. This is mandatory if you use this extension.")
public boolean IsWritePermissionGranted() {
String permission = android.Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE;
int res = context.checkCallingOrSelfPermission(permission);
return (res == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED);
}
@SimpleFunction(description = "Returns an absolute path of the application specific directory of this app.")
public String ApplicationSpecificDirectory() {
String pkgName = context.getPackageName();
return "/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/" + pkgName + "/files/";
}
}
Tests
All of these tests are successful in saving the image in storage/emulated/0/Download and the ASD (application-specific directory).
Companion:
- Android 11 API 30, Xiaomi 11 5G NE Lite.
APK:
-
Android 8.1 API 27, Google Pixel XL emulator.
-
Android 9 API 28, Google Pixel 5 emulator.
-
Android 11 API 30, Xiaomi 11 5G NE Lite.
-
Android 11 API 30, Google Pixel 2 emulator.
Requirements:
-
In Screen1 properties, set DefaultFileScope to Legacy.
-
You must have the write external storage permission
android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE(a.k.a. Files/photos and media). -
For details on how to read external storage, please search the forum.
If you have any bugs, reply here.
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Made with Niotron IDE.
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Gordon Lu
Message
Website
E-mail
Bug fix for outputStream.