Image DIsplay This is a small utility script that I wrote to solve a problem I run into fairly often as a GM. Sometimes I find an image on the web that I want to show to the players right now. Roll20 chat can display images, but they're relatively small, disappear into the chat history, and aren't something players can easily keep open while the game continues. And I don't want to bloat my Art Library with images that only have momentary meaning, or have everyone wait while I upload something that I'll probably forget to delete later. Image Display creates (or updates) a handout containing the image instead. The result is a normal Roll20 handout that can be shared whenever you like. Because the image is loaded directly from its original URL, it doesn't count against your Roll20 storage quota. You can also create multiple image display handouts if you want to keep different collections of artwork, maps, NPC portraits, clues, or other reference images available during a session. Since the result is just a standard handout, you control who sees it using Roll20's normal sharing tools. Use the Show to Players button, or drag the handout from the Journal onto one or more player avatars. Players can even leave the handout minimized during the session. The next time you share it, it will pop back open automatically. Limitations Roll20 handouts currently support only static images. Videos and animated images cannot be displayed this way. Some image sources may be protected against hot-linking. If this happens, the image will not display in the handout, and will likely show a warning to this effect If you are actually building a collection handouts with this script it is much more secure to upload the image to your Roll20 account. This script is best used for ad hoc image display. Quick Start The easiest way to use the script is to create a macro: !display ?{Valid Image URL} Put it on your macro bar. During a game the workflow becomes: Copy an image URL. Click the macro. Paste the URL. Share the handout if you want the players to see it. By default, the script creates or updates a handout named Image Display. Command Syntax !display <image-url> Creates or updates the default Image Display handout. !display <image-url>|<handout name> Creates or updates the named handout instead. This is useful if you want to keep several image displays for different purposes. A Small Safety Feature The default Image Display handout is treated as the script's working handout and is updated without confirmation. If you specify the name of any other existing handout, the script will ask for confirmation before overwriting its contents. This helps prevent accidental changes to handouts that weren't intended to be used by the script. As always, I hope you find it useful. [ CODE ] A version of this script was released earlier on my Patreon
