Browser Screenshots
Automate the process of taking website screenshots.
The facts
- Rating
- 4.8★ from 19
- Active installs
- 3k+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 30 Jan 2024
- Added
- Oct 2012
- Requires WP
- 4.0
- Tested up to
- WP 6.5.0
- Downloads
- 105,787
Our analysis
AI-assistedBrowser Screenshots is a WordPress plugin that automates the process of taking screenshots of websites using the [browser-shot] shortcode. It integrates with the TinyMCE editor for easy shortcode creation and stores the images on WordPress.com servers for non-commercial use.
The plugin allows you to specify various parameters, such as image width, height, and captions. Screenshots are cached for approximately 24 hours before being regenerated, making it suitable for users who need to display website previews without saving images locally.
Best for: This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who want to display website screenshots easily.
What it does well
- ✓Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
- ✓Integrates with TinyMCE for easy shortcode creation
- ✓Uses WordPress.com functionality for screenshot generation
- ✓Allows various parameters for customisation
- ✓Multisite compatibility
Where it falls short
- •Images are not stored locally on your site
- •Caching duration may affect the freshness of screenshots
Verdict
Browser Screenshots offers a straightforward solution for generating website previews, though it may not be ideal for those needing permanent local storage of images.
From the developer
Kevin Leary's own description of Browser Screenshots, lightly tidied.
Use the [browser-shot] shortcode to automate the process of taking website screenshots. An icon is also added to the TinyMCE editor to make the shortcode creation process easy.
The plugin uses the ‘mshots’ functionality, from WordPress.com, to automatically take screenshots of websites. This function is free for non-commercial use.
The images are stored on the wordpress.com servers and are not saved onto your own website. The images are cached for roughly 24 hours before being generated again.
Shortcode Preview
// basic shot 600px wide
[browser-shot url="https://link-to-website" width="600"]
// shot with link to other website
[browser-shot url="https://link-to-website" width="700" link="https://www.binarymoon.co.uk/"]
// shot with caption (uses default WordPress caption styles)
[browser-shot url="https://link-to-website" width="700"]Add Caption[/browser-shot]
Available Parameters
- url (required) – the url of the link to shorten
- width – the width of the image
- height – the height of the image
- alt – the image alt text
- link – where the image links. Left blank it will point to the website where the screenshot is being taken
- target – browser target. Set to _blank to open in a new window
- class – add a class to the browsershots wrapper
- image_class – change the default browsershots image class from alignnone to your chosen class
- display_link (true or false – default true) to display a link in your screenshot
- post_links (true or false – default false) to link to the permalink of the post the screenshot is on
Generating Screenshots with code
If you want to create screenshots in a theme using this plugin then you can do so using the BrowserShots::get_shot method.
For example:
<img src="<?php echo BrowserShots::get_shot( 'https://prothemedesign.com', 600, 450 ); ?>" />
Keep in mind that the plugin must be installed and activated for this to work.
The get_shot method has 3 parameters.
- The url.
- The width.
- The height.
The other parameters, from the shotcode, can be implemented manually when outputting the html.