How-to Convert a Command Line Result into an Image in Linux

Here’s a technique to convert a command line result into an image in Linux using ImageMagick.

You could also do a screenshot (with PrtSrc key) and use Gimp to trim the image, but this method is faster and does not require a graphical interface.

The simplest command to convert the result of ifconfig into an image:

ifconfig | convert label:@- cmd.png

This will give an image with a white background and black text, but If you want to have a black background with white text you can use the following:

ifconfig | convert -background black -fill white \
label:@- cmd.png

If you want to change the font and the font size:

ifconfig | convert -background black -fill white \
-font Helvetica -pointsize 14 \
label:@- cmd.png

You can retrieve the list of fonts with this command:

convert -list font | grep Font:

Finally, use this command to add an extra black border for a better looking image:

ifconfig | convert -background black -fill white \
-font Helvetica -pointsize 14 \
-border 10 -bordercolor black \
label:@- cmd.png

If you are always going to use this command often and always apply the same style, you could also write a script:

#!/bin/sh

$1 | convert -background black -fill white \
-font Helvetica -pointsize 14 \
-border 10 -bordercolor black \
label:@- $2

Let’s name the script cmd2png.sh then run the script as follows:

./cmd2png.sh “ifconfig eth0” “ifconfig_cmd.png”

Those commands were tried in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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