Create a “camera” for screenshots in HASS.AGENT

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Home Assistant Configuration

Currently HASS.AGENT does not provide a way to easily create a screen shot camera entity, but it is possible as follows

Create a Powershell script

$Path = "\\HOMEASSISTANT\config\www"
# Make sure that the directory to keep screenshots has been created, otherwise create it
If (!(test-path $path)) {
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $path
}
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
$screen = [System.Windows.Forms.Screen]::PrimaryScreen.Bounds
# Get the current screen resolution
$image = New-Object System.Drawing.Bitmap($screen.Width, $screen.Height)
# Create a graphic object
$graphic = [System.Drawing.Graphics]::FromImage($image)
$point = New-Object System.Drawing.Point(0, 0)
$graphic.CopyFromScreen($point, $point, $image.Size);
$cursorBounds = New-Object System.Drawing.Rectangle([System.Windows.Forms.Cursor]::Position, [System.Windows.Forms.Cursor]::Current.Size)
# Get a screenshot
[System.Windows.Forms.Cursors]::Default.Draw($graphic, $cursorBounds)
# $screen_file = "$Path\" + $env:computername + "_" + $env:username + "_" + "$((get-date).tostring('yyyy.MM.dd-HH.mm.ss')).png"
$screen_file = "$Path\" + $env:computername + "-screenshot.png"
# Save the screenshot as a PNG file
$image.Save($screen_file, [System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat]::Png)

You might need to change the path. Note it assumes you have the SAMBA plugin enabled on your Homeassistance instance.

Next add this script as a command in HASS.Agent

Now go into Home Assistant and Integrations and add a Generic Camera pointing it as the file using the full url. e.g

http://homeassistant.local:8123/local/EBONY-VIII-screenshot.png

with your computer name where EBONY-VIII is.

Finally set up a simple automation to update the screen shot as often as you want. With a condition to check the PC is on.

This camera can be displayed with the standard Picture Entity Card.

alias: Screenshot Ebony
description: ''
trigger:
  - platform: time_pattern
    minutes: /2
condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: switch.ebony_viii
    state: 'on'
action:
  - service: button.press
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: button.ebony_take_screenshot
mode: single