# Button to Email A Mimic **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** vision\ **Created:** [September 27, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346 "2011-09-27T15:34:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dodonnell999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Dodonnell999](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dodonnell999)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/1 "2011-09-27T15:34:51Z")
I have a request from a customer to provide a button to do a screen capture and email the screen capture to an email address entered by the user. I've done a button already to email pdf reports to an entered email address but I'm not sure if it would be possible to capture the screen as a jpg or bmp and email it. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![JordanCClark](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/jordancclark/32/83362_2.png) [@JordanCClark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/JordanCClark)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/2 "2011-09-27T16:17:47Z")
Take a look at the [system.print.printToImage](http://inductiveautomation.com/support/usermanuals/ignition/index.html?system_print_printtoimage.htm) function. ---
**Author:** ![f\_jons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc29f/32.png) [@f\_jons](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/f_jons)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/3 "2011-09-28T12:22:07Z")
I do this as a help function in my systems. Basically, when a user clicks the help button, it takes a screen shot then retargets into my help program. Here is a subsection of that code that would reside in the script modules. ```auto def takeScreenShot(event): from system.gui import getParentWindow from system.print import createImage from system.net import sendEmail from java.io import ByteArrayOutputStream from javax.imageio import ImageIO # Get an image of the entire screen as seen by the user. # By using getParentWindow(event).parent, you are grabbing the entire session. # This will include any docked windows. # Is returned as a bufferedImage. Need to convert it to a byteArray. # Instantiate an object of ByteArrayOutputStream. baos = ByteArrayOutputStream(10000) # Write the bufferedImage returned by the getParentWindow(event).parent as a ByteArrayOutputStream. ImageIO.write(createImage(getParentWindow(event).parent), 'jpg', baos) # Flush the stream. baos.flush() # Convert the ByteArrayOutputStream to a byteArray. screenShot = baos.toByteArray() # Close the stream. baos.close() # Send the email. sendEmail(smtp, from, subject, body, html, to, ['screenShot.jpg'], [screenShot]) ``` Will have to replace the variables in the sendEmail call with your specific values. Could be converted to be used in an event handler as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dodonnell999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Dodonnell999](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dodonnell999)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/4 "2011-09-28T15:25:18Z")
Many thanks for the code, it worked a treat! ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Chad\_Campbell](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Chad_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/5 "2023-07-26T21:05:32Z")
> [@f\_jons](#): > > ```auto > def takeScreenShot(event): > from system.gui import getParentWindow > from system.print import createImage > from system.net import sendEmail > from java.io import ByteArrayOutputStream > from javax.imageio import ImageIO > # Get an image of the entire screen as seen by the user. > # By using getParentWindow(event).parent, you are grabbing the entire session. > # This will include any docked windows. > # Is returned as a bufferedImage. Need to convert it to a byteArray. > # Instantiate an object of ByteArrayOutputStream. > baos = ByteArrayOutputStream(10000) > # Write the bufferedImage returned by the getParentWindow(event).parent as a ByteArrayOutputStream. > ImageIO.write(createImage(getParentWindow(event).parent), 'jpg', baos) > # Flush the stream. > baos.flush() > # Convert the ByteArrayOutputStream to a byteArray. > screenShot = baos.toByteArray() > # Close the stream. > baos.close() > # Send the email. > sendEmail(smtp, from, subject, body, html, to, ['screenShot.jpg'], [screenShot]) > > ``` How might this be converted to an event handler? ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/6 "2023-07-26T23:09:24Z")
Best is to **not**"convert it to an event handler". Just place that function in a project library script and **call it** from an event handler (passing it the event). ---
**Author:** ![Charles\_Taylor\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Charles\_Taylor\_II](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Charles_Taylor_II)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/7 "2024-01-26T18:49:58Z")
I am trying to use this code, but it seems I'm doing something wrong. My gateway logs tell me there is no module named gui... Am I missing something here? I created the code in the project library, called it from a button click in Perspective, but it doesn't like me, or I just don't know the magic words. ---
**Author:** ![dkhayes117](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/dkhayes117/32/68344_2.png) [@dkhayes117](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dkhayes117)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/button-to-email-a-mimic/3346/8 "2024-01-26T18:56:05Z")
It will not work with Perspective, which is built on html5, not Java Swing like Vision. See this thread [Perspective Screenshot Capture - Ignition - Inductive Automation Forum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/perspective-screenshot-capture/24312)