backgrnd proc to dump whole/partial screen to file

[Mark Callow]

In article <9007021722.aa01256 at VGR.BRL.MIL>, pmorris at BBN.COM (phil
morris) writes:
|> Hi,
|> 
|> I'm wondering if there is a way to write a background process that can
|> monitor for some key seq (signal?) that would then take over the display
|> and allow the user to rubberband an area of the screen to dump to a file
|> as either a bit-map or a postscript file.  Anyone know how to do this
|> or has already done it?

Here is a shell archive containing 2 files sp and sp.kill.  sp installs a
lightweight PostScript process that watches the print screen key.  When the
print screen key is pressed, sp invokes the scrsave program.  You can change
"scrsave /usr/tmp/scrsave" to "snapshot" if you want to rubberband out the
area to be saved.  sp.kill removes the lightweight process.

Both files should be made executable.

# This is a shell archive.  Remove anything before this line,
# then unpack it by saving it in a file and typing "sh file".
#
# Wrapped by  on Tue Jul  3 14:41:40 PDT 1990
# Contents:  sp sp.kill
 
echo x - sp
sed 's/^@//' > "sp" <<'@//E*O*F sp//'
#!/usr/NeWS/bin/psh

systemdict begin

/ScreenPrinter {
    newprocessgroup
    createevent begin
	/Name 16#6F9E def	% PrintScreen key scan code
	/Action [/UpTransition /DownTransition] def
	/Exclusivity true def
	currentdict
    end expressinterest
    {
	awaitevent begin
	    Action /UpTransition eq {
		console rand (Saving screen %\n) fprintf
	        (scrsave /usr/tmp/scrsave) forkunix
	    } if
	end
    } loop
} fork def

end
@//E*O*F sp//
chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx sp
 
echo x - sp.kill
sed 's/^@//' > "sp.kill" <<'@//E*O*F sp.kill//'
#!/usr/NeWS/bin/psh

systemdict /ScreenPrinter known {
    ScreenPrinter killprocess
    systemdict /ScreenPrinter undef
} if

@//E*O*F sp.kill//
chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx sp.kill
 
exit 0
--
>From the TARDIS of Mark Callow
msc at ramoth.sgi.com, ...{ames,decwrl}!sgi!msc
"There is much virtue in a window.  It is to a human being as a frame is to
a painting, as a proscenium to a play.  It strongly defines its content."