Activity & Screenshots

Understand Screenshot Capture

Learn when ZMorning captures screenshots, how randomized scheduling and display choices work, and how delayed uploads retain session context.

When does ZMorning capture a screenshot?

During an active desktop session, ZMorning attempts one capture event at a randomized point within each ten-minute clock interval when screenshot tracking is enabled for that employee and employer. Stop cancels future attempts; hiding the window does not.

Confirm the capture prerequisites

  • The employee is signed in to the desktop app.
  • The correct employer is selected.
  • The employer's saved screenshot setting is enabled for that employee.
  • The employee selects Start and completes any multi-display prompt.
  • The desktop process remains open and tracking stays active until the work boundary.

Understand randomized ten-minute scheduling

The clock is divided into intervals such as 9:00–9:10, 9:10–9:20, and 9:20–9:30. For each interval reached by an active session, ZMorning chooses a random delay within the time still remaining in that interval.

Start at 9:00

Full interval is available

The first attempt can occur at any randomized point before 9:10.

Start at 9:07

Only the remainder is available

The first attempt is scheduled somewhere between Start and the 9:10 boundary.

Continue after 9:10

A new random time is chosen

The next interval receives its own attempt at a newly randomized point before 9:20.

Know which app actions affect capture

Start Tracking

Loads settings and schedules capture

After the monitor choice is complete, the session begins and the current interval receives its randomized attempt.

Close the window

Hides the app

ZMorning remains open in the tray. Tracking and future capture attempts continue.

Stop Tracking

Cancels future attempts

Stop clears the scheduled capture timers for the session and requests a pending-upload retry.

Quit

Ends the desktop process

No further captures or retries occur until ZMorning is opened again. Use Stop before Quit whenever possible.

Keep employer, task, and slot context accurate

Each upload carries the employee, employer, selected task, capture time, and capture identifier. The API attaches every image in that capture event to the corresponding ten-minute slot.

Task selected at Start

Screenshot retains that task

The capture remains associated with the task held by the running session, even if the desktop selector is changed later.

Task changed after Start

Restart to use the new task

Stop the current session, select the intended task, and start again so later screenshots use the correct task context.

Understand the display choice

One display detected

No choice is shown

ZMorning uses the available display and continues into the session.

All monitors

Capture every matched display

One capture event can produce a separate image record for each display.

Active monitor only

Capture one determined display

ZMorning determines the active display at capture time and requests one image from that display.

Learn how multi-monitor capture chooses a display.

Follow the upload and storage path

  1. 1

    Capture the selected display scope

    The desktop process creates one image for each display included in the capture event.

  2. 2

    Queue the capture locally

    The images and their work context enter the desktop pending queue before upload is attempted.

  3. 3

    Use the selected connected provider

    A valid Dropbox or Google Drive integration marked for screenshots receives the upload when available.

  4. 4

    Fall back when necessary

    If no external provider is enabled or that upload throws an error, the API stores the image through ZMorning's default S3 path.

  5. 5

    Retry delayed uploads

    A connection or authentication failure leaves the capture queued for later attempts. Successful retries are deduplicated by the capture identifier.

Review captured images on Today

Regular image preview
Default-storage screenshots can appear as the slot thumbnail and in the detail gallery.
Dropbox or Google Drive placeholder
Today identifies the private storage provider but does not display that image as a regular preview.
Several images in one slot
The gallery provides thumbnails for image records attached to the same ten-minute slot, including multi-display captures.
Task detail
The detail view shows the task name when the running session had one selected.
No screenshot
The slot can still contain valid time and activity, but the current Today detail modal does not open for a screenshotless slot.

Troubleshoot missing or delayed screenshots

No screenshot was captured
Confirm that the saved screenshot setting was enabled before Start and that the session remained active long enough to reach its randomized capture time.
The first screenshot appeared quickly
The session may have started near the end of a ten-minute interval, leaving only a short randomized window before the boundary.
The time between screenshots is not ten minutes
This is expected. Each clock interval receives an independent random capture time.
A screenshot appeared after the session
The image may have been captured earlier and uploaded from the pending queue after the connection or authentication recovered.
Today shows a provider message instead of an image
The screenshot uses Dropbox or Google Drive storage. Today shows a private-storage placeholder rather than the regular preview.
I want to remove only the image
The current Today Delete control removes the whole ten-minute slot, including its time and activity. Review that impact before confirming.