screencapture

[akim]

When calling screencapture in terminal

screencapture -ci

the command responded as expected, and copied the image to the clipboard.

When calling Screencapture from Applescript via “do shell script”

do shell script "screencapture -ci"

the command responded with a strange rectangular tan block and without any screen capture in the clipboard.

Other failed solution attempts included

1. Changing the screencapture destination to a file
2. Preceding the shell script command with “/usr/sbin/”, as in

do shell script "/usr/sbin/screencapture -ci"

Does anyone have a solution to this screencapture conundrum?

[akim]

I am equally flummoxed as to any reason for the failure of my applescript invoked screencapture. I am comfortable with the screencapture shell command as I have successfully employed it, via terminal. I have also attempted to disable screen capture’s shadow, so that now in addition to my prior failed fixes, my list of failed attempts now includes:

3. disabling screencapture’s shadow.

Screencapture defaults invoked by

do shell script "defaults read com.apple.screencapture"

now returns

{
“disable-shadow” = 1;
“last-analytics-stamp” = “634243907.003565”;
“last-messagetrace-stamp” = “606761152.7718821”;
“last-selection” = {
Height = 586;
Width = 638;
X = 121;
Y = 157;
};
“last-selection-display” = 0;
target = file;
}

Possible thoughts on resolving this dilemma:
A. Complications to applescript calling a shell script
B. Complications that produce a rectangular tan box rather than any image in screencapture
C. Underlying preferences that Applescript calls when copying an image, that precede screen capture’s execution

Thanks for your help, and I look forward to any further insights on overcoming this script barrier.

Browser: Safari 605.1.15
Operating System: macOS 10.14

[akim]

I have researched this problem, a little further. I now note that my screencapture command works:
• when called in Terminal
• when called by keyboard command command + shift +4 in any application
• when called in Script Editor

but returns no copied image but only a tan rectangle, whose size appears to match the size of the mouse coordinates, employed when the screencapture command was called.

How might a tan rectangle with mouse coordinates be trigged by something in Applescript when run in Script Debugger?

[Shane_Stanley]

Depending on the version of macOS, you should be prompted to give Script Debugger access to Screen Recording in preferences the first time you try.

[akim]

Thank you, Shane, your solution resolved my problem.