XPost: comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

How to take long Android screenshots from Windows without touching buttons
(and without resorting to unnecessary editing efforts such as stitching).

1. I operate my Android phone from the PC mouse/keyboard/monitor/speaker.
2. All day I use FOSS scrcpy over Wi-Fi to mirror Android onto the PC.
3. My phone can be anywhere in the house as long as it's on the LAN.
4. So I can't screenshot by touching any hardware buttons on the phone.
5. But even if I had the phone in front of me, the whole point is not
to ever need to touch the phone while still using the phone fully.
6. Luckily I can screenshot from Windows without touching the phone.
a. Irfanview:Options > Capture screenshot > fname=$U(%d%m%Y_%H%M%S)_###
b. C:\> adb exec-out screencap -p > C:\tmp\screenshot.png
c. C:\> adb shell screencap -p %phone% && adb pull %phone% %pc%\.
7. But today I needed a _long_ screenshot without touching the phone!
a. This need occurs when you want to screenshot long web pages
b. And when you want to screenshot long folder app shortcuts
c. And when you want to screenshot settings that scroll off screen

I tried to see if adb could take long screenshots but after hacking out
a screenshot batch file "ss.bat", I still couldn't figure out the syntax
to get adb to scroll before taking the shot & bringing it to Windows.

So I used the App Finder to find a scrolling screenshot app for Android.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=scadica.aq>
Using the keywords "screenshot capture long" & filtering out payware,
adware and in-app payware and setting the number of downloads & ratings.

Which found the following free/adfree/inappfree long-scrolling apps
in the following order (which was set to sort by relevance & downloads).
*Screenshot Tile [No root]* by cuzi
free,adfree,inappfree,4.0 star 2.42K reviews 100K+ Downloads
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.cvzi.screenshottile>

*Screenshot Capture, Easy Touch* by Elvia Coleman
free,adfree,inappfree,4.2 star 87 reviews 10K+ Downloads
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.akashelviacolm.screenshotcapture>

*Long screenshot: Longshot* by Lucent Creation
free,adfree,inappfree,10K+ Downloads
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ckt.long_screenshot_longshot_longscreenshot_fullscreen>

*Screenshot Long Scrolling App* by Ujo Soft Tech Apps
free,adfree,inappfree,100+ Downloads
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.screenshot.easy.scrolling.app>

*Screen Recorder - Longshot App* by TABATECH
free,adfree,inappfree,10+ Downloads
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.screen.shot.manual.scroll.captureauto>

After trying them all, I opted for the first in the list above.
*Screenshot Tile [No root]* by cuzi

It has a bajillion settings so I'll simply summarize that I set it to
use the native screenshotting method (there were plenty to choose from)
& to delay 5 seconds (so I can set up a shot) & to count it down.

Optionally I set a floating button with an [x] to close it when done.
This allows me to take a few scrolling screenshots without having to
re-pull down the quick settings tile to initiate the action again.

When it snaps the shot, it gives me the option to scroll by tapping.
And I opted for system storage \Internal storage\DCIM\Screenshots\.

When I'm done for the session, I hit the floating [x] and it disappears
from sight (to be brought back from the quick settings tiles when needed).
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And to contribute to the overall tribal knowledge value of the newsgroup.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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XPost: comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

Wally J <walterjones@invalid.nospam> wrote

6. Luckily I can screenshot from Windows without touching the phone.
a. Irfanview:Options > Capture screenshot > fname=$U(%d%m%Y_%H%M%S)_###
b. C:\> adb exec-out screencap -p > C:\tmp\screenshot.png
c. C:\> adb shell screencap -p %phone% && adb pull %phone% %pc%\.
7. But today I needed a _long_ screenshot without touching the phone!
a. This need occurs when you want to screenshot long web pages
b. And when you want to screenshot long folder app shortcuts
c. And when you want to screenshot settings that scroll off screen

I tried to see if adb could take long screenshots but after hacking out
a screenshot batch file "ss.bat", I still couldn't figure out the syntax
to get adb to scroll before taking the shot & bringing it to Windows.

It's almost embarrassing how crappy I am at shell programming, but I
provide the 'ss.bat' (screenshot.bat) file I hacked out to use adb.

This ss.bat takes screenshots from Windows of the Android display;
but I couldn't figure out the syntax for adb scrolling screenshots.

If you know the syntax to make adb scroll when screenshotting, let me know. Also, you'll probably want to fix the script up for your own use as it
could use some "intelligence" in how it makes if/then/else decisions.

===< below is the ss.bat screenshot batch file >=====
@echo off

REM This will screenshot Android using adb and copy it to your PC.
REM Based on shameless copying of the following script on 20231018
REM <https://tecadmin.net/create-filename-with-datetime-windows-batch-script/>

set CUR_YYYY=%date:~10,4%
set CUR_MM=%date:~4,2%
set CUR_DD=%date:~7,2%
set CUR_HH=%time:~0,2%
if %CUR_HH% lss 10 (set CUR_HH=0%time:~1,1%)

set CUR_NN=%time:~3,2%
set CUR_SS=%time:~6,2%
set CUR_MS=%time:~9,2%

set SSDIR=C:\tmp\ss\%CUR_YYYY%%CUR_MM%%CUR_DD%
if not exist %SSDIR% mkdir %SSDIR%

set SSFIL=%CUR_YYYY%%CUR_MM%%CUR_DD%-%CUR_HH%%CUR_NN%%CUR_SS%
set SSEXT=png
set SSPIC=%SSDIR%\%SSFIL%.%SSEXT%
set SSVID=%SSDIR%\%SSFIL%.%SSMP4%

REM Use this if you don't need a copy on the Android device
REM The Android screenshot will go directly to Windows
adb exec-out screencap -p > %SSPIC%
REM WIP I couldn't get this second method below to work right.
REM Use this if you also need a copy on the Android device
REM set AADIR=/sdcard/Download
REM set AAPIC=%AADIR%/%SSFIL%.%SSEXT%
REM This works to copy to the PC but oddly,
REM it doesn't save anything to Android. Huh?
REM adb shell screencap -p %AAPIC% && adb pull %AAPIC% %SSDIR%\.

REM WIP I couldn't get the video to work right.
REM set SSMP4=mp4
REM Use this if you need to record a video
REM set AAVID=%AADIR%/%SSFIL%.mp4
REM adb shell screenrecord %AAVID% && adb pull %AAVID% %SSDIR%\.
REM This next command doesn't work for some reason.
REM There is no opportunity to hit control+C to stop.
REM adb exec-out screenrecord > %SSVID%
===< above is the ss.bat screenshot batch file >=====

Of course, if you improve that script, then please post it so
that everyone benefits from every action and post on Usenet.
--
The whole point of Usenet is to find people who know more than you do.
And to contribute to the overall tribal knowledge value of the newsgroup.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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XPost: comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

Wally J <walterjones@invalid.nospam> wrote

7. But today I needed a _long_ screenshot without touching the phone!
a. This need occurs when you want to screenshot long web pages
b. And when you want to screenshot long folder app shortcuts
c. And when you want to screenshot settings that scroll off screen

I belatedly realized, while I was moving the Android quicksettings tiles around, that there's a _native_ quicksettings tile dedicated to taking screenshots named, strangely enough "Take screenshot" (of all things).

Doh!
I didn't even look to see if it was there as I hadn't expected it there.

That native tile works fine because it provides the option to scroll,
but it doesn't have the bajillion other options that "Screenshot Tile [No root]" has (the settable delay time being nice as are floating buttons).

In summary, this thread provides value (I hope) in these simple ways...
1. The adb commands to screenshot Android from Windows are provided
(as is a screenshot script which runs those Windows adb commands).
The advantage being there's no screenshot stored on Android at all.

2. Two different methods of taking scrolling screenshots were described.
There is a native quicksettings tile for screenshotting sans buttons.
And there are multiple apps which have a bajillion additional settings.

What would be nice is if someone can figure out the adb commands
so that the screenshotting can be done wholly from within adb.

But otherwise, the original problem of saving scrolling long screenshots
of Android onto Windows without saving onto Android is pretty much solved.
--
The whole point of Usenet is to find people who know more than you do.
And to contribute to the overall tribal knowledge value of the newsgroup.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)