This plugin provides an API for taking pictures and for choosing images from the system's image library.
cordova plugin add org.apache.cordova.camera
Takes a photo using the camera, or retrieves a photo from the device's image gallery. The image is passed to the success callback as a base64-encoded String, or as the URI for the image file. The method itself returns a CameraPopoverHandle object that can be used to reposition the file selection popover.
navigator.camera.getPicture( cameraSuccess, cameraError, [ cameraOptions ] );
The camera.getPicture function opens the device's default camera application that allows users to snap pictures. This behavior occurs by default, when Camera.sourceType equals Camera.PictureSourceType.CAMERA. Once the user snaps the photo, the camera application closes and the application is restored.
If Camera.sourceType is Camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY or Camera.PictureSourceType.SAVEDPHOTOALBUM, then a dialog displays that allows users to select an existing image. The camera.getPicture function returns a CameraPopoverHandle object, which can be used to reposition the image selection dialog, for example, when the device orientation changes.
The return value is sent to the cameraSuccess callback function, in one of the following formats, depending on the specified cameraOptions:
A String containing the base64-encoded photo image.
A String representing the image file location on local storage (default).
You can do whatever you want with the encoded image or URI, for example:
Render the image in an <img> tag, as in the example below
Save the data locally (LocalStorage, Lawnchair, etc.)
Post the data to a remote server
NOTE: Photo resolution on newer devices is quite good. Photos selected from the device's gallery are not downscaled to a lower quality, even if a quality parameter is specified. To avoid common memory problems, set Camera.destinationType to FILE_URI rather than DATA_URL.
Amazon Fire OS uses intents to launch the camera activity on the device to capture images, and on phones with low memory, the Cordova activity may be killed. In this scenario, the image may not appear when the cordova activity is restored.
Android 4.4 only: Android 4.4 introduced a new Storage Access Framework that makes it easier for users to browse and open documents across all of their preferred document storage providers. Cordova has not yet been fully integrated with this new Storage Access Framework. Because of this, the getPicture() method will not correctly return pictures when the user selects from the “Recent”, “Drive”, “Images”, or “External Storage” folders when the destinationType is FILE_URI. However, the user will be able to correctly select any pictures if they go through the “Gallery” app first. Potential workarounds for this issue are documented on this StackOverflow question. Please see CB-5398 to track this issue.
Android uses intents to launch the camera activity on the device to capture images, and on phones with low memory, the Cordova activity may be killed. In this scenario, the image may not appear when the Cordova activity is restored.
Camera plugin is currently implemented using Web Activities.
Including a JavaScript alert() in either of the callback functions can cause problems. Wrap the alert within a setTimeout() to allow the iOS image picker or popover to fully close before the alert displays:
setTimeout(function() {
// do your thing here!
}, 0);
Invoking the native camera application while the device is connected via Zune does not work, and triggers an error callback.
Tizen only supports a destinationType of Camera.DestinationType.FILE_URI and a sourceType of Camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY.
Take a photo and retrieve it as a base64-encoded image:
navigator.camera.getPicture(onSuccess, onFail, { quality: 50,
destinationType: Camera.DestinationType.DATA_URL
});
function onSuccess(imageData) {
var image = document.getElementById('myImage');
image.src = "data:image/jpeg;base64," + imageData;
}
function onFail(message) {
alert('Failed because: ' + message);
}
Take a photo and retrieve the image's file location:
navigator.camera.getPicture(onSuccess, onFail, { quality: 50,
destinationType: Camera.DestinationType.FILE_URI });
function onSuccess(imageURI) {
var image = document.getElementById('myImage');
image.src = imageURI;
}
function onFail(message) {
alert('Failed because: ' + message);
}
Optional parameters to customize the camera settings.
{ quality : 75,
destinationType : Camera.DestinationType.DATA_URL,
sourceType : Camera.PictureSourceType.CAMERA,
allowEdit : true,
encodingType: Camera.EncodingType.JPEG,
targetWidth: 100,
targetHeight: 100,
popoverOptions: CameraPopoverOptions,
saveToPhotoAlbum: false };
quality: Quality of the saved image, expressed as a range of 0-100, where 100 is typically full resolution with no loss from file compression. (Number) (Note that information about the camera's resolution is unavailable.)
destinationType: Choose the format of the return value. Defined in navigator.camera.DestinationType (Number)
Camera.DestinationType = {
DATA_URL : 0, // Return image as base64-encoded string
FILE_URI : 1, // Return image file URI
NATIVE_URI : 2 // Return image native URI (e.g., assets-library:// on iOS or content:// on Android)
};
sourceType: Set the source of the picture. Defined in navigator.camera.PictureSourceType (Number)
Camera.PictureSourceType = {
PHOTOLIBRARY : 0,
CAMERA : 1,
SAVEDPHOTOALBUM : 2
};
allowEdit: Allow simple editing of image before selection. (Boolean)
encodingType: Choose the returned image file's encoding. Defined in navigator.camera.EncodingType (Number)
Camera.EncodingType = {
JPEG : 0, // Return JPEG encoded image
PNG : 1 // Return PNG encoded image
};
targetWidth: Width in pixels to scale image. Must be used with targetHeight. Aspect ratio remains constant. (Number)
targetHeight: Height in pixels to scale image. Must be used with targetWidth. Aspect ratio remains constant. (Number)
mediaType: Set the type of media to select from. Only works when PictureSourceType is PHOTOLIBRARY or SAVEDPHOTOALBUM. Defined in nagivator.camera.MediaType (Number)
Camera.MediaType = {
PICTURE: 0, // allow selection of still pictures only. DEFAULT. Will return format specified via DestinationType
VIDEO: 1, // allow selection of video only, WILL ALWAYS RETURN FILE_URI
ALLMEDIA : 2 // allow selection from all media types
};
correctOrientation: Rotate the image to correct for the orientation of the device during capture. (Boolean)
saveToPhotoAlbum: Save the image to the photo album on the device after capture. (Boolean)
popoverOptions: iOS-only options that specify popover location in iPad. Defined in CameraPopoverOptions.
cameraDirection: Choose the camera to use (front- or back-facing). Defined in navigator.camera.Direction (Number)
Camera.Direction = {
BACK : 0, // Use the back-facing camera
FRONT : 1 // Use the front-facing camera
};
Any cameraDirection value results in a back-facing photo.
Ignores the allowEdit parameter.
Camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY and Camera.PictureSourceType.SAVEDPHOTOALBUM both display the same photo album.
Any cameraDirection value results in a back-facing photo.
Ignores the allowEdit parameter.
Camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY and Camera.PictureSourceType.SAVEDPHOTOALBUM both display the same photo album.
Ignores the quality parameter.
Ignores the sourceType parameter.
Ignores the allowEdit parameter.
Camera.MediaType is not supported.
Ignores the correctOrientation parameter.
Ignores the cameraDirection parameter.
Ignores the quality parameter.
Camera.DestinationType is ignored and equals 1 (image file URI)
Ignores the allowEdit parameter.
Ignores the PictureSourceType parameter (user chooses it in a dialog window)
Ignores the encodingType
Ignores the targetWidth and targetHeight
Camera.MediaType is not supported.
Ignores the correctOrientation parameter.
Ignores the cameraDirection parameter.
Set quality below 50 to avoid memory errors on some devices.
When using destinationType.FILE_URI, photos are saved in the application's temporary directory. You may delete the contents of this directory using the navigator.fileMgr APIs if storage space is a concern.
options not supported
always returns a FILE URI
Ignores the allowEdit parameter.
Ignores the correctOrientation parameter.
Ignores the cameraDirection parameter.
Ignores the mediaType property of cameraOptions as the Windows Phone SDK does not provide a way to choose videos from PHOTOLIBRARY.
onError callback function that provides an error message.
function(message) {
// Show a helpful message
}
onSuccess callback function that provides the image data.
function(imageData) {
// Do something with the image
}
cameraOptions in effect. (String)// Show image
//
function cameraCallback(imageData) {
var image = document.getElementById('myImage');
image.src = "data:image/jpeg;base64," + imageData;
}
A handle to the popover dialog created by navigator.camera.getPicture.
Set the position of the popover.
Parameters:
cameraPopoverOptions: the CameraPopoverOptions that specify the new position var cameraPopoverHandle = navigator.camera.getPicture(onSuccess, onFail,
{ destinationType: Camera.DestinationType.FILE_URI,
sourceType: Camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY,
popoverOptions: new CameraPopoverOptions(300, 300, 100, 100, Camera.PopoverArrowDirection.ARROW_ANY)
});
// Reposition the popover if the orientation changes.
window.onorientationchange = function() {
var cameraPopoverOptions = new CameraPopoverOptions(0, 0, 100, 100, Camera.PopoverArrowDirection.ARROW_ANY);
cameraPopoverHandle.setPosition(cameraPopoverOptions);
}
iOS-only parameters that specify the anchor element location and arrow direction of the popover when selecting images from an iPad's library or album.
{ x : 0,
y : 32,
width : 320,
height : 480,
arrowDir : Camera.PopoverArrowDirection.ARROW_ANY
};
x: x pixel coordinate of screen element onto which to anchor the popover. (Number)
y: y pixel coordinate of screen element onto which to anchor the popover. (Number)
width: width, in pixels, of the screen element onto which to anchor the popover. (Number)
height: height, in pixels, of the screen element onto which to anchor the popover. (Number)
arrowDir: Direction the arrow on the popover should point. Defined in Camera.PopoverArrowDirection (Number)
Camera.PopoverArrowDirection = {
ARROW_UP : 1, // matches iOS UIPopoverArrowDirection constants
ARROW_DOWN : 2,
ARROW_LEFT : 4,
ARROW_RIGHT : 8,
ARROW_ANY : 15
};
Note that the size of the popover may change to adjust to the direction of the arrow and orientation of the screen. Make sure to account for orientation changes when specifying the anchor element location.
Removes intermediate photos taken by the camera from temporary storage.
navigator.camera.cleanup( cameraSuccess, cameraError );
Removes intermediate image files that are kept in temporary storage after calling camera.getPicture. Applies only when the value of Camera.sourceType equals Camera.PictureSourceType.CAMERA and the Camera.destinationType equals Camera.DestinationType.FILE_URI.
navigator.camera.cleanup(onSuccess, onFail);
function onSuccess() {
console.log("Camera cleanup success.")
}
function onFail(message) {
alert('Failed because: ' + message);
}