Webcam Capture with Iptanus File Upload Plugin

Webcam Capture is a feature of the Iptanus File Upload plugin that captures screenshots or video from the device’s camera and uploads them to the website.

When the Webcam option is enabled in the plugin’s visual editor, a live feed from the webcam appears on the page.

Overlay buttons control the webcam: switching camera, taking a screenshot, recording video and playing it back. Depending on the Capture Mode the administrator has set, users can:

• record video with the red button in the bottom-left corner of the webcam window
• take a screenshot with the yellow button in the bottom-right corner
• switch between the front and rear camera with the white button in the top-left corner
• turn the webcam on and off with the white button in the top-right corner.

Video recording

While recording, the red button flashes and a stop button appears, along with a timer showing how long the recording has run. When recording stops, playback buttons appear so the user can review the video, and the Upload Media button below the webcam window becomes available:

From here the user can preview the video with the playback buttons, upload it with the Upload Media button, or return to the live feed.

Capture settings

Administrators control webcam capture through these settings:

Note that the preferred settings are applied only if the camera supports them.

Allow File Selection

When the Allow File Selection setting is enabled, the user can also choose a file with the Select File button, as shown below:

Only one file can be selected; multiple selection is disabled in this mode. If the file is an image, it is previewed inside the capture window:

Screenshot capture

When the yellow ‘aperture’ button is pressed, the live feed freezes and the Upload Media button below the webcam window becomes available. Pressing it uploads the screenshot to the website as a PNG image.

Switch Camera button

When the Switch Camera Button setting is enabled, the user can switch between the front and rear camera of their device with the button in the top-left corner of the capture window.

There is also a Webcam Switch Camera Mode setting in the plugin’s Dashboard area, in the Advanced tab. It controls what the Switch Camera button does, and takes two values:

• side — the default. The device switches between its front and rear cameras, where it supports that.
• device — the device cycles through every camera available to it. On a phone with one front and one rear camera this behaves exactly like side; on a phone with a second rear camera, it will reach that one too.

device mode is particularly useful on laptops and desktops with several USB cameras connected, since it is the only way to switch between them.

If you have questions about webcam capture, please contact us.

The Iptanus team