Enabling Camera Light on Windows 10+ Tablets

Video Capture SDK .Net VideoCaptureCore

Introduction

Modern Windows 10+ tablets come equipped with camera light functionality that developers can control programmatically. This guide explains how to implement camera light controls in your .NET applications using the TorchControl API.

Implementation with TorchControl API

The TorchControl API provides a comprehensive way to manage camera lights on Windows 10+ tablets. This API offers:

• Device discovery for torch-compatible cameras
• Granular control for enabling and disabling camera lights
• Cross-device compatibility

Basic Implementation Steps

1. Initialize the VideoCaptureCore component
2. Get available devices with torch capabilities
3. Enable or disable torch functionality for specific devices

Working Code Example

// Initialize VideoCaptureCore
VideoCaptureCore videoCapture = await VideoCaptureCore.CreateAsync();

// Get available devices with torch capability
string[] devices = await videoCapture.TorchControl_GetDevicesAsync();

// Enable torch for the first available device
if (devices.Length > 0)
{
    await videoCapture.TorchControl_EnableAsync(devices[0], true);
}

// Disable torch when needed
await videoCapture.TorchControl_EnableAsync(devices[0], false);

Complete Implementation Example

using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using VisioForge.Core.VideoCapture;
using VisioForge.Core.WindowsExtensions;

namespace Camera_Light_Demo
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        private VideoCaptureCore VideoCapture1;
        private string[] _devices;

        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void Form1_FormClosing(object sender, FormClosingEventArgs e)
        {
            if (VideoCapture1 != null)
            {
                VideoCapture1.Dispose();
                VideoCapture1 = null;
            }
        }

        private async void btTurnOn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (_devices.Length > 0)
            {
                await VideoCapture1.TorchControl_EnableAsync(_devices[0], true);
            }
        }

        private async void btTurnOff_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (_devices.Length > 0)
            {
                await VideoCapture1.TorchControl_EnableAsync(_devices[0], false);
            }
        }

        private async void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            VideoCapture1 = await VideoCaptureCore.CreateAsync();

            _devices = await VideoCapture1.TorchControl_GetDevicesAsync();
            lbDeviceCount.Text = $"Devices found: {_devices.Length}.";
        }
    }
}

Required Dependencies

To implement camera light functionality in your application, you'll need:

1. NuGet Package: Install the VisioForge.DotNet.Core.WindowsExtensions package.

2. Video Capture Redistributables:

3. x86 Redist Package
4. x64 Redist Package

Complete Sample Application

For a fully functional implementation, explore our Camera Light Demo application available in our GitHub repository.

Compatibility Notes

• This functionality is primarily designed for Windows 10 and newer tablet devices
• Device hardware must support programmable camera light control
• Some device manufacturers may implement proprietary APIs that require additional configuration

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues enabling the camera light:

• Verify that your device has compatible hardware
• Ensure all required packages are properly installed
• Check device permissions in your application manifest
• Make sure the device reports as torch-capable with TorchControl_GetDevicesAsync()

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Visit our GitHub page to access more code samples and examples.