Jon00 Homeseer PC Screen Capture Utility

[jon00]

Versions for Homeseer 2 and Homeseer 3 available!

This package is a supplement to my HTML to Image utility which allows you to capture standard web pages and save them as an image. There are occasions however, where this will not capture the web page correctly, due to specific plugins required, activeX controls, HTML5 code etc. You also may have a requirement to capture an image of a Windows application running on your PC where it shows information not available elsewhere.

This utility tries to overcome all these issues by optionally loading an application (such as a web browser with the suitable plugins installed) on your HS PC, displaying the relevant page and then taking a screen grab of the resultant display.

It is ideally suited to HS installations where the PC/server is left attended or in a VM environment.

The utility has the following features:

» Allows the capture your Homeseer PC/Server desktop and save it as an image.
» Has the option to minimise all other windows before capture and restore them afterwards.
» Has the option to first run an application maximised (with start-up parameters) before capture.
» Has the option to simulate key presses on the application to operate buttons etc before capture.
» Has the option to simulate mouse moves/clicks on the application to operate buttons/scroll bars etc before capture.
» Has the option to close the application that has been run after capture.
» Has the option to crop the image to save a specific area of the captured image.
» Has the option to resize the captured image (after crop if used).
» Has the option to save the image file as a jpg, gif or png with optional date/time stamp as the filename.

Uses:

» Capture of complex web pages that cannot be grabbed using my HTML2Image Utility
» Capture of bespoke applications that provide useful information for display in Homeseer/HSTouch etc.

Non standard uses:

» Operation of Windows and applications on the HS server via Homeseer using the key press and mouse control functionality.

Limitations:

Screen capture will be limited to the screen resolution of your Homeseer PC/server. For best results, set the display resolution to the maximum allowed with your hardware.
This utility is not really suitable if you use your Homeseer PC as your regular desktop due to the screen capture process taking control of the desktop when the package is run.

The capture process is shown below.

:

[jon00]

A small bug was identified when calling captures with Optional Parameters. This has now been corrected and V1.01 is now available.

[Pete]

So today I do a custom "montage" view of XX security cams via Firefox. I can scale it automatically to just about any size.

I kind of do this today with my HSTouch screens but each view is a unique process and having say 12 on one screen really is pushing it.

Events currently trigger individual "snapshots" from the ongoing security cam shots but no real montage views. I can via a link bring up custom XX camera montage views with a combination of any of the security cams (number of camera views, scale per montage view as defined by the link).

Would it be less resource intensive to say utilize your new application to bring up a custom scaled multiview security cam shot and save that as a result of a motion event?

[jon00]

Obviously it would be less resource intensive as you are only showing images. Why not give it a try?

[Pete]

First I have to figure out exactly what the command line will need to be to get my "montage" view in firefox to how I want it to be kind of elminating moving the mouse piece. Adding a touch more to the php command line view pieces.

IE:
Here is one montage view to one group defined. I have to figure out how to scale the view in the same command line.

http://www.xxx.yyy.zzz/zm/index.php?view=montage&group=1

plus what is required for custom scaling of the view.

[Pete]

Doing a quick test and search I can create a custom mobile skin sized accordingly for a great snapshot based on the already provided mobile phone "skins" in the ZM directory.

This actually would eliminate a custom command line as the work will be done on the ZM box instead.

So will do a custom mobile skin, then utilize your application to bring up the custom montage view using the custom ZM mobile skin and I should be set to go.

[drozwood90]

Wow, put a bug in your ear regarding trying to capture Google Maps with traffic information and BANG a solution comes out.

Jon, you are awesome!

--Dan

[jon00]

Wow, put a bug in your ear regarding trying to capture Google Maps with traffic information and BANG a solution comes out.

Jon, you are awesome!

--Dan

It was for a good cause!

[drozwood90]

Sure is! Helps me keep from going crazy by avoiding traffic!

--Dan

[jon00]

Obviously you got it working then!

[drozwood90]

Not yet, installed it last night. Have not tried it yet. I tend to leave a LOT of IE windows open and do not want them to get accidentally closed by my messing with the script.

Will be using it, since I really like having that traffic information for driving home.

--Dan

[jon00]

There should not be an issue with IE...the script will only close the instance it opens so don't worry about that one!

[drozwood90]

REALLY? That was why I didn't run anything yet...I was waiting to test that very thing.

AWESOME! I'll have to get it running ASAP.

--Dan

[jon00]

Homeseer 3 version now available!

I've now updated the Homeseer 2 version of this package to work under Homeseer 3.

In addition to the HS2 version, you can now send key presses to the application. For example, sending F11 to Chrome, Firefox etc, will place it in full screen mode ready for screen capture.

The new capture process is shown below.

As always, it is available from my site. Click on my banner below.

[sparkman]

Hi Jon,

Just trying this out to capture a Google Traffic image. I get the following errors in the log (it's always one or the other not both at the same time):

Nov-11 1:46:32 PM	 	Jon00_Capture2Image	Error in Main Subroutine Block 6 (Illegal characters in path.)
Nov-11 1:44:10 PM	 	Jon00_Capture2Image	Error in Main Subroutine Block 6 (The handle is invalid)

Here's my INI file:

[Info]
Version=1.0.0
[Capture1]
App=iexplore.exe
AppProcessName=iexplore
Parms=https://maps.google.ca/maps?ll=51.099857,-114.084435&spn=0.183039,0.527&t=m&layer=t&z=12
AppWaitTime=60
KeyCtl=
MouseCtl=
KeyCtl1=
AppClose=1
MinimizeApps=0
Crop=
ImagePath=c:\program files\homeseer hs3\html\traffic.jpg
DelFile=1

I can watch it do its magic (opens IE, goes to the correct google page and then closes IE), but no image is generated. Any ideas on what is wrong or what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks
Al