Enable ActiveDesktop and set wallpaper with fade effect on Windows (tested on W10)

active_desktop.py

import ctypes
from win32com.shell import shell, shellcon
import pythoncom


def enable_active_desktop():
    """
    Taken from:
    https://stackoverflow.com/a/16351170

    In case of a link rot:

    > You have to tell windows that you want to enable ActiveDesktop. I tell it every time right before setting the wallpaper through ActiveDesktop.
    >     public static void EnableActiveDesktop()
    >     {
    >         IntPtr result = IntPtr.Zero;
    >         WinAPI.SendMessageTimeout(WinAPI.FindWindow("Progman", null), 0x52c, IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero, 0, 500, out result);
    >     }
    """
    progman = ctypes.windll.User32.FindWindowW('Progman', 0)
    cryptic_params = (0x52c, 0, 0, 0, 500, None)
    ctypes.windll.User32.SendMessageTimeoutW(progman, *cryptic_params)


def change_wallpaper(abs_path_to_image: str):
    iad = pythoncom.CoCreateInstance(shell.CLSID_ActiveDesktop,
                                     None,
                                     pythoncom.CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,
                                     shell.IID_IActiveDesktop)
    iad.SetWallpaper(abs_path_to_image, 0)
    opts = (shellcon.AD_APPLY_ALL
            # | shellcon.AD_APPLY_FORCE
            # | shellcon.AD_APPLY_BUFFERED_REFRESH
            # | shellcon.AD_APPLY_DYNAMICREFRESH
            )
    iad.ApplyChanges(opts)