Screenshots: a key that works on every screen #83

New Issue

2026-10-07T16:43:20Z

twisla commented

2026-10-07 16:43:20 +00:00

Idea

A key that works on every screen and saves what the screen shows as a PNG on the SD card.

Why

A screenshot can be taken today only by typing screenshot in the Shell (or over a console). From the Shell, "now" is always a picture of the Shell: to get any other screen there is screenshot 5, then five seconds to get there. A key takes the picture of the screen you are looking at, when you are looking at it.

What's known

The saving exists (issue #67): screenshot writes an 8-bit PNG to /screenshots/<date>-<time>.png with no buffer, about 33 KB, and a Toast says so once the file is written, so the Toast is never in the picture.
A global key exists as a pattern: the help key (issue #69) is Key::Help in the key mapper, Fn+h on every screen, text fields included.
The picture should be of the screen as it is: with a dialog, the help panel or a Toast if one is showing.

Questions

Which key? Fn with a letter, as for help (Fn+h): Fn+p ("picture", "print screen")? It has to be free on every screen, text fields included.
The page that shows the Debug Console's token (Settings > Debug Console): a screenshot of it is a copy of the token in a file. Refuse there, warn, or leave it to the user?
No SD card, or a full one: a Toast saying why.
Does it need a setting to switch it off, for a key that can be pressed by accident?
Safe Mode, the first-start Setup, an update in progress: anywhere it should not work?
It joins the "Everywhere" group of the help panel and the key tables of the website.

## Idea A key that works on every screen and saves what the screen shows as a PNG on the SD card. ## Why A screenshot can be taken today only by typing `screenshot` in the Shell (or over a console). From the Shell, "now" is always a picture of the Shell: to get any other screen there is `screenshot 5`, then five seconds to get there. A key takes the picture of the screen you are looking at, when you are looking at it. ## What's known - **The saving exists** (issue #67): `screenshot` writes an 8-bit PNG to `/screenshots/<date>-<time>.png` with no buffer, about 33 KB, and a Toast says so once the file is written, so the Toast is never in the picture. - **A global key exists as a pattern**: the help key (issue #69) is `Key::Help` in the key mapper, Fn+h on every screen, text fields included. - The picture should be of the screen as it is: with a dialog, the help panel or a Toast if one is showing. ## Questions 1. **Which key?** Fn with a letter, as for help (Fn+h): Fn+p ("picture", "print screen")? It has to be free on every screen, text fields included. 2. **The page that shows the Debug Console's token** (Settings > Debug Console): a screenshot of it is a copy of the token in a file. Refuse there, warn, or leave it to the user? 3. No SD card, or a full one: a Toast saying why. 4. Does it need a setting to switch it off, for a key that can be pressed by accident? 5. Safe Mode, the first-start Setup, an update in progress: anywhere it should not work? 6. It joins the "Everywhere" group of the help panel and the key tables of the website. ## Related `docs/milestones/S1.md` (the Shell's `screenshot`, Q209), `docs/milestones/U1.md` (the help key), #17 (screen recording), `lib/files/src/png_rgb332.h`.

twisla added this to the U1 Look and feel milestone 2026-10-07 16:43:20 +00:00

twisla added the

labels 2026-10-07 16:43:20 +00:00

twisla referenced this issue

2026-10-07 19:39:21 +00:00