Python 3.13.0 : bypasses pygame‑ce and use directly to Windows with ctypes.

Today, I test bypasses pygame‑ce and use directly to Windows, because the Python 3.13 + pygame‑ce 2.5.7, where DPI functions are missing.

You can read more about this idea on my pygame blogger, see the blogger post.

Windows exposes thousands of functions through: user32.dll, gdi32.dll, shcore.dll, kernel32.dll, dwmapi.dll.

If the OS provides the feature → Python can call it via ctypes.

Python can call Windows API functions directly whenever the OS provides a stable API, and you only perform operations that are safe at the OS level.

These are always safe to do from Python using ctypes, because they only interact with the OS, not with internal memory of another library.

• Reading information
  • DPI
  • monitor list
  • window position
  • window size
  • screen resolution
  • system metrics
  • OS version
  • keyboard/mouse state
  • window styles
  • process info
• Calling OS-level functions that modify the window
  • move window
  • resize window
  • change window title
  • change window transparency
  • change window z-order
  • set DPI awareness
  • toggle fullscreen
  • minimize / maximize
• Creating new OS objects
  • timers
  • threads
  • windows (if you want)
  • file handles
  • pipes
  • events
• Using OS-level graphics
  • GDI drawing
  • DWM effects
  • Aero shadow
  • blur behind window

• Unsafe
  • Writing into internal memory of SDL2, Python, or any DLL
  • Overwriting function pointers
  • Injecting hooks
  • Modifying struct layouts
  • Freeing memory you don’t own

This is just one part of source code:

import pygame
import pygame._sdl2 as sdl2
import ctypes
import sys

pygame.init()

# Windows DPI API
user32 = ctypes.windll.user32
shcore = ctypes.windll.shcore

# Enable per-monitor DPI awareness
try:
    shcore.SetProcessDpiAwareness(2)
except:
    pass
...
user32.EnumDisplayMonitors(0, 0, MonitorEnumProc(_monitor_enum_proc), 0)
...

News : How to use ShellExecuteA with Python programming language.

I just discovery this option to use ShellExecuteA in Python.

Let's see some example:

import ctypes
import sys

def is_admin():
    try:
        return ctypes.windll.shell32.IsUserAnAdmin()
    except:
        return False

if not is_admin():
    ctypes.windll.shell32.ShellExecuteW(None, "runas", sys.executable, __file__, None, 1)

... and another example:

import sys
import ctypes

#fix unicode access
import sys
if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
    unicode = str

def run_as_admin(argv=None, debug=False):
    shell32 = ctypes.windll.shell32
    if argv is None and shell32.IsUserAnAdmin():
        return True    
    if argv is None:
        argv = sys.argv
    if hasattr(sys, '_MEIPASS'):
        # Support pyinstaller wrapped program.
        arguments = map(unicode, argv[1:])
    else:
        arguments = map(unicode, argv)
    argument_line = u' '.join(arguments)
    executable = unicode(sys.executable)
    if debug:
        print('Command line: ', executable, argument_line)
    ret = shell32.ShellExecuteW(None, u"runas", executable, argument_line, None, 1)
    if int(ret) <= 32:
        return False
    return None  

if __name__ == '__main__':
    ret = run_as_admin()
    if ret is True:
        print ('I have admin privilege.')
        input('Press ENTER to exit.')
    elif ret is None:
        print('I am elevating to admin privilege.')
        input('Press ENTER to exit.')
    else:
        print('Error(ret=%d): cannot elevate privilege.' % (ret, ))