# Help needed with Python coding for taking photos with TouchPhat buttons
**URL:** https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730
**Category:** Projects
**Created:** [August 21, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730 "2017-08-21T14:06:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Riverman](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Riverman)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730/1 "2017-08-21T14:06:37Z")
I have a TouchPhat and Noir camera attached to a PiZero w. I am attempting to take a still photo with the press of one button and a short video with another. The Python script I have attempted is below. I am getting a Syntax error on the ‘def my\_function()’ line and I cannot fathom why.
Here is the full script. Excuse my ignorance as this is my first attempt at Python
```auto
import touchphat
import time
import picamera
camera = picamera.PiCamera()
while True:
@touchphat.on_touch("A")
def my_function()
touchphat.led_on("A")
camera.capture('image.jpg')
touchphat.led_off("A")
@touchphat.on_touch("B")
def my_functiona()
touchphat.led_on("B")
camera.start_recording('video.h264')
sleep(10)
camera.stop_recording()
touchphat.led_off("B")
except KeyboardInterrupt():
sys.exit()
```
Thanks in advance for any help on this
---
### Author:  [@gadgetoid](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/gadgetoid)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730/2 "2017-08-21T14:30:01Z")
While it’s not the cause of the problem, you should bind your Touch functions outside of your `while True:` loop, like so:
```auto
@touchphat.on_touch("A")
...
while True:
...
```
The syntax error you’re seeing is due to missing colons from the end of the function declarations.
It should be `def my_function():` rather than `def my_function()`
Ideally you should not actually do the recording _in_ the touch function, but rather set some sort of global state you can later rely on. Something like:
```auto
record = False
@touchphat.on_touch("B")
def start_record():
global record
record = True
while True:
if record:
touchphat.led_on("B")
camera.start_recording("video.h264")
sleep(10)
camera.stop_recording()
touchphat.led_off("B")
record = False
```
You could then extend this to track that you’re currently recording, and have the single touch button toggle the recording on/off.
---
### Author:  [@Riverman](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Riverman)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730/3 "2017-08-21T21:22:52Z")
Thank you so much. I will study your code and apply it.
---
### Author:  [@The\_Handy\_Andy](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/The_Handy_Andy)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730/4 "2017-08-22T15:33:11Z")
I will be ‘looking over your shoulder’! As I’ve just ordered (and recieved) a button shim to allow me to opperate the PiCam. What would interest me is to be able to use one of the buttons to power down the Pi.
---
### Author:  [@Riverman](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Riverman)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/help-needed-with-python-coding-for-taking-photos-with-touchphat-buttons/5730/5 "2017-08-22T18:47:55Z")
Hi Andy. In that case I shall share my coding progress in this thread. I am new to Python and Pis so progress might be slow. I programmed in Basic back in the Spectrum days and have written some Java a few years back so we shall see how it goes…