Getting to the bottom of screenshots in Qubes OS

[Logan]

Hi Everyone,

Speaking with a colleague earlier today, I heard "Qubes is great, but
the no screenshots problem makes it a 'hard' no for me".

As a Qubes user and advocate, this stung.

Surely, I thought, if clipboard can take copy+paste between Qubes, then
it should be able to move screenshots?

Requesting input on the following concept:

- import screenshot.png allows you to take a screenshot from an x window.

- qvm-run lets you launch apps in a specific VM from a command placed in
dom0.

- Using / Adding shortcuts on the panel achieves this by using the
following syntax

" qvm-run -q -a --service QUBE_NAME qubes.StartApp+AppName "

Where:
-q is quiet/non-verbose
-a is autostart

- Assigning that command under System Tools > Keyboard > Application
Shortcuts works to launch it just fine.

What is the syntax needed to launch "import" and how can I tell Dom0 to
launch it in the Qube currently in focus?

Is there any "current AppVM in focus" variable? Or does dom0 have no
knowledge of this for security purposes? It seems unlikely to me.

Also, what is the reason we can have global clipboard and qvm-move, but
not a similar function for screenshots?

Cheers,
Logan

[Manuel Amador (Rudd-O)]

On 20/06/2020 10.29, Logan wrote:

Hi Everyone,

Speaking with a colleague earlier today, I heard "Qubes is great, but the no screenshots problem makes it a 'hard' no for me".

As a Qubes user and advocate, this stung.

Yeah, it's hard.

Honestly, in my humble opinion, the secure copy and paste keyboard shortcuts should work with image data as well, not just text data.  That way the screenshot problem is solved -- I can screenshot in one VM, copy directly from that app (usually Firefox), and paste in another VM at will.

-- 
    Rudd-O
    http://rudd-o.com/

[haaber]

A solution discussed here some months ago: in dom0 have 2 files:
1.) screenshot.sh

#!/bin/bash
qvm-copy-to-vm $(zenity --entry --title='Send to VM' --text='Destination
VM') "${BASH_ARGV[@]}"


2) and userapp.screenshot.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=1.0
Type=Application
NoDisplay=true
Exec=/home/put-your-username-here/screenshot.sh %f
Name=screeenshot.sh
Comment=Sends screenshot directly to a given AppVM


after hitting PrintScr, check "open with" and select screenshot.sh,
(will be memorised for next time). Then type the destination AppVM & its
there. No autocomplete offered, sorry.

[Eva Star]

Just use my tool https://github.com/evadogstar/qvm-screenshot-tool and forget about all problems

[Ulrich Windl]

When I tried it, "Open with" just has an empty pull-down list. Is there
any additional step to do?

>

[Qubes]

Why not just use the tool suggested by Eva Dogstar, the users own
developed tool, https://github.com/evadogstar/qvm-screenshot-tool, it
works fantastic. Check it out! It solve all of your screenshot
headaches. I would definitely vote to have it baked into the next Qubes
release.

The only 'problem' that I have, maybe Eva can answer, is after using the
tool it pops up a menu asking what you want to do with the screenshot.
If I don't make any selections my logic tells me the screenshot should
not be saved anywhere, as you specifically need to select to keep it in
dom0. But not selecting anything and clicking ok still saves the
screenshot to dom0.