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.. include:: common.txt
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.. module:: pygame.display
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:synopsis: pygame module to control the display window and screen
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| :sl:`pygame module to control the display window and screen`
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This module offers control over the pygame display. Pygame has a single display
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Surface that is either contained in a window or runs full screen. Once you
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create the display you treat it as a regular Surface. Changes are not
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immediately visible onscreen; you must choose one of the two flipping functions
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to update the actual display.
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The origin of the display, where x = 0 and y = 0, is the top left of the
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screen. Both axes increase positively towards the bottom right of the screen.
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The pygame display can actually be initialized in one of several modes. By
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default, the display is a basic software driven framebuffer. You can request
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special modules like hardware acceleration and OpenGL support. These are
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controlled by flags passed to ``pygame.display.set_mode()``.
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Pygame can only have a single display active at any time. Creating a new one
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with ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` will close the previous display. If precise
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control is needed over the pixel format or display resolutions, use the
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functions ``pygame.display.mode_ok()``, ``pygame.display.list_modes()``, and
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``pygame.display.Info()`` to query information about the display.
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Once the display Surface is created, the functions from this module affect the
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single existing display. The Surface becomes invalid if the module is
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uninitialized. If a new display mode is set, the existing Surface will
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automatically switch to operate on the new display.
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When the display mode is set, several events are placed on the pygame event
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queue. ``pygame.QUIT`` is sent when the user has requested the program to
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shutdown. The window will receive ``pygame.ACTIVEEVENT`` events as the display
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gains and loses input focus. If the display is set with the
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``pygame.RESIZABLE`` flag, ``pygame.VIDEORESIZE`` events will be sent when the
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user adjusts the window dimensions. Hardware displays that draw direct to the
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screen will get ``pygame.VIDEOEXPOSE`` events when portions of the window must
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Some display environments have an option for automatically stretching all
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windows. When this option is enabled, this automatic stretching distorts the
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appearance of the pygame window. In the pygame examples directory, there is
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example code (prevent_display_stretching.py) which shows how to disable this
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automatic stretching of the pygame display on Microsoft Windows (Vista or newer
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| :sl:`Initialize the display module`
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| :sg:`init() -> None`
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Initializes the pygame display module. The display module cannot do anything
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until it is initialized. This is usually handled for you automatically when
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you call the higher level ``pygame.init()``.
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Pygame will select from one of several internal display backends when it is
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initialized. The display mode will be chosen depending on the platform and
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permissions of current user. Before the display module is initialized the
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environment variable ``SDL_VIDEODRIVER`` can be set to control which backend
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is used. The systems with multiple choices are listed here.
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Windows : windib, directx
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Unix : x11, dga, fbcon, directfb, ggi, vgl, svgalib, aalib
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On some platforms it is possible to embed the pygame display into an already
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existing window. To do this, the environment variable ``SDL_WINDOWID`` must
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be set to a string containing the window id or handle. The environment
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variable is checked when the pygame display is initialized. Be aware that
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there can be many strange side effects when running in an embedded display.
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It is harmless to call this more than once, repeated calls have no effect.
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.. ## pygame.display.init ##
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| :sl:`Uninitialize the display module`
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| :sg:`quit() -> None`
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This will shut down the entire display module. This means any active
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displays will be closed. This will also be handled automatically when the
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It is harmless to call this more than once, repeated calls have no effect.
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.. ## pygame.display.quit ##
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.. function:: get_init
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| :sl:`Returns True if the display module has been initialized`
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| :sg:`get_init() -> bool`
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Returns True if the :mod:`pygame.display` module is currently initialized.
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.. ## pygame.display.get_init ##
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.. function:: set_mode
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| :sl:`Initialize a window or screen for display`
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| :sg:`set_mode(resolution=(0,0), flags=0, depth=0) -> Surface`
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This function will create a display Surface. The arguments passed in are
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requests for a display type. The actual created display will be the best
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possible match supported by the system.
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The resolution argument is a pair of numbers representing the width and
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height. The flags argument is a collection of additional options. The depth
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argument represents the number of bits to use for color.
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The Surface that gets returned can be drawn to like a regular Surface but
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changes will eventually be seen on the monitor.
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If no resolution is passed or is set to (0, 0) and pygame uses ``SDL``
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version 1.2.10 or above, the created Surface will have the same size as the
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current screen resolution. If only the width or height are set to 0, the
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Surface will have the same width or height as the screen resolution. Using a
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``SDL`` version prior to 1.2.10 will raise an exception.
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It is usually best to not pass the depth argument. It will default to the
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best and fastest color depth for the system. If your game requires a
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specific color format you can control the depth with this argument. Pygame
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will emulate an unavailable color depth which can be slow.
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When requesting fullscreen display modes, sometimes an exact match for the
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requested resolution cannot be made. In these situations pygame will select
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the closest compatible match. The returned surface will still always match
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the requested resolution.
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The flags argument controls which type of display you want. There are
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several to choose from, and you can even combine multiple types using the
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bitwise or operator, (the pipe "|" character). If you pass 0 or no flags
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argument it will default to a software driven window. Here are the display
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flags you will want to choose from:
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pygame.FULLSCREEN create a fullscreen display
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pygame.DOUBLEBUF recommended for HWSURFACE or OPENGL
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pygame.HWSURFACE hardware accelerated, only in FULLSCREEN
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pygame.OPENGL create an OpenGL renderable display
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pygame.RESIZABLE display window should be sizeable
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pygame.NOFRAME display window will have no border or controls
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# Open a window on the screen
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screen=pygame.display.set_mode([screen_width,screen_height])
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.. ## pygame.display.set_mode ##
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.. function:: get_surface
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| :sl:`Get a reference to the currently set display surface`
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| :sg:`get_surface() -> Surface`
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Return a reference to the currently set display Surface. If no display mode
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has been set this will return None.
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.. ## pygame.display.get_surface ##
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| :sl:`Update the full display Surface to the screen`
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| :sg:`flip() -> None`
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This will update the contents of the entire display. If your display mode is
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using the flags ``pygame.HWSURFACE`` and ``pygame.DOUBLEBUF``, this will
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wait for a vertical retrace and swap the surfaces. If you are using a
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different type of display mode, it will simply update the entire contents of
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When using an ``pygame.OPENGL`` display mode this will perform a gl buffer
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.. ## pygame.display.flip ##
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| :sl:`Update portions of the screen for software displays`
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| :sg:`update(rectangle=None) -> None`
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| :sg:`update(rectangle_list) -> None`
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This function is like an optimized version of ``pygame.display.flip()`` for
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software displays. It allows only a portion of the screen to updated,
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instead of the entire area. If no argument is passed it updates the entire
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Surface area like ``pygame.display.flip()``.
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You can pass the function a single rectangle, or a sequence of rectangles.
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It is more efficient to pass many rectangles at once than to call update
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multiple times with single or a partial list of rectangles. If passing a
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sequence of rectangles it is safe to include None values in the list, which
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This call cannot be used on ``pygame.OPENGL`` displays and will generate an
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.. ## pygame.display.update ##
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.. function:: get_driver
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| :sl:`Get the name of the pygame display backend`
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| :sg:`get_driver() -> name`
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Pygame chooses one of many available display backends when it is
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initialized. This returns the internal name used for the display backend.
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This can be used to provide limited information about what display
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capabilities might be accelerated. See the ``SDL_VIDEODRIVER`` flags in
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``pygame.display.set_mode()`` to see some of the common options.
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.. ## pygame.display.get_driver ##
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| :sl:`Create a video display information object`
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| :sg:`Info() -> VideoInfo`
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Creates a simple object containing several attributes to describe the
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current graphics environment. If this is called before
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``pygame.display.set_mode()`` some platforms can provide information about
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the default display mode. This can also be called after setting the display
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mode to verify specific display options were satisfied. The VidInfo object
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has several attributes:
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hw: True if the display is hardware accelerated
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wm: True if windowed display modes can be used
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video_mem: The megabytes of video memory on the display. This is 0 if unknown
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bitsize: Number of bits used to store each pixel
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bytesize: Number of bytes used to store each pixel
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masks: Four values used to pack RGBA values into pixels
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shifts: Four values used to pack RGBA values into pixels
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losses: Four values used to pack RGBA values into pixels
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blit_hw: True if hardware Surface blitting is accelerated
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blit_hw_CC: True if hardware Surface colorkey blitting is accelerated
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blit_hw_A: True if hardware Surface pixel alpha blitting is accelerated
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blit_sw: True if software Surface blitting is accelerated
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blit_sw_CC: True if software Surface colorkey blitting is accelerated
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blit_sw_A: True if software Surface pixel alpha blitting is acclerated
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current_h, current_h: Width and height of the current video mode, or of the
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desktop mode if called before the display.set_mode is called.
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(current_h, current_w are available since SDL 1.2.10, and pygame 1.8.0)
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They are -1 on error, or if an old SDL is being used.
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.. ## pygame.display.Info ##
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.. function:: get_wm_info
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| :sl:`Get information about the current windowing system`
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| :sg:`get_wm_info() -> dict`
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Creates a dictionary filled with string keys. The strings and values are
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arbitrarily created by the system. Some systems may have no information and
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an empty dictionary will be returned. Most platforms will return a "window"
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key with the value set to the system id for the current display.
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New with pygame 1.7.1
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.. ## pygame.display.get_wm_info ##
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.. function:: list_modes
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| :sl:`Get list of available fullscreen modes`
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| :sg:`list_modes(depth=0, flags=pygame.FULLSCREEN) -> list`
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This function returns a list of possible dimensions for a specified color
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depth. The return value will be an empty list if no display modes are
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available with the given arguments. A return value of -1 means that any
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requested resolution should work (this is likely the case for windowed
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modes). Mode sizes are sorted from biggest to smallest.
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If depth is 0, ``SDL`` will choose the current/best color depth for the
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display. The flags defaults to ``pygame.FULLSCREEN``, but you may need to
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add additional flags for specific fullscreen modes.
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.. ## pygame.display.list_modes ##
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.. function:: mode_ok
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| :sl:`Pick the best color depth for a display mode`
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| :sg:`mode_ok(size, flags=0, depth=0) -> depth`
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This function uses the same arguments as ``pygame.display.set_mode()``. It
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is used to determine if a requested display mode is available. It will
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return 0 if the display mode cannot be set. Otherwise it will return a pixel
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depth that best matches the display asked for.
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Usually the depth argument is not passed, but some platforms can support
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multiple display depths. If passed it will hint to which depth is a better
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The most useful flags to pass will be ``pygame.HWSURFACE``,
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``pygame.DOUBLEBUF``, and maybe ``pygame.FULLSCREEN``. The function will
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return 0 if these display flags cannot be set.
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.. ## pygame.display.mode_ok ##
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.. function:: gl_get_attribute
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| :sl:`Get the value for an OpenGL flag for the current display`
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| :sg:`gl_get_attribute(flag) -> value`
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After calling ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` with the ``pygame.OPENGL`` flag,
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it is a good idea to check the value of any requested OpenGL attributes. See
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``pygame.display.gl_set_attribute()`` for a list of valid flags.
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.. ## pygame.display.gl_get_attribute ##
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.. function:: gl_set_attribute
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| :sl:`Request an OpenGL display attribute for the display mode`
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| :sg:`gl_set_attribute(flag, value) -> None`
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When calling ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` with the ``pygame.OPENGL`` flag,
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Pygame automatically handles setting the OpenGL attributes like color and
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doublebuffering. OpenGL offers several other attributes you may want control
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over. Pass one of these attributes as the flag, and its appropriate value.
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This must be called before ``pygame.display.set_mode()``
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The ``OPENGL`` flags are;
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GL_ALPHA_SIZE, GL_DEPTH_SIZE, GL_STENCIL_SIZE, GL_ACCUM_RED_SIZE,
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GL_ACCUM_GREEN_SIZE, GL_ACCUM_BLUE_SIZE, GL_ACCUM_ALPHA_SIZE,
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GL_MULTISAMPLEBUFFERS, GL_MULTISAMPLESAMPLES, GL_STEREO
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.. ## pygame.display.gl_set_attribute ##
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.. function:: get_active
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| :sl:`Returns True when the display is active on the display`
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| :sg:`get_active() -> bool`
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After ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` is called the display Surface will be
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visible on the screen. Most windowed displays can be hidden by the user. If
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the display Surface is hidden or iconified this will return False.
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.. ## pygame.display.get_active ##
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.. function:: iconify
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| :sl:`Iconify the display surface`
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| :sg:`iconify() -> bool`
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Request the window for the display surface be iconified or hidden. Not all
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systems and displays support an iconified display. The function will return
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When the display is iconified ``pygame.display.get_active()`` will return
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False. The event queue should receive a ``ACTIVEEVENT`` event when the
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window has been iconified.
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.. ## pygame.display.iconify ##
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.. function:: toggle_fullscreen
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| :sl:`Switch between fullscreen and windowed displays`
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| :sg:`toggle_fullscreen() -> bool`
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Switches the display window between windowed and fullscreen modes. This
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function only works under the unix x11 video driver. For most situations it
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is better to call ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` with new display flags.
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.. ## pygame.display.toggle_fullscreen ##
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.. function:: set_gamma
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| :sl:`Change the hardware gamma ramps`
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| :sg:`set_gamma(red, green=None, blue=None) -> bool`
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Set the red, green, and blue gamma values on the display hardware. If the
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green and blue arguments are not passed, they will both be the same as red.
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Not all systems and hardware support gamma ramps, if the function succeeds
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A gamma value of 1.0 creates a linear color table. Lower values will darken
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the display and higher values will brighten.
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.. ## pygame.display.set_gamma ##
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.. function:: set_gamma_ramp
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| :sl:`Change the hardware gamma ramps with a custom lookup`
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| :sg:`set_gamma_ramp(red, green, blue) -> bool`
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Set the red, green, and blue gamma ramps with an explicit lookup table. Each
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argument should be sequence of 256 integers. The integers should range
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between 0 and 0xffff. Not all systems and hardware support gamma ramps, if
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the function succeeds it will return True.
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.. ## pygame.display.set_gamma_ramp ##
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.. function:: set_icon
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| :sl:`Change the system image for the display window`
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| :sg:`set_icon(Surface) -> None`
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Sets the runtime icon the system will use to represent the display window.
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All windows default to a simple pygame logo for the window icon.
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You can pass any surface, but most systems want a smaller image around
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32x32. The image can have colorkey transparency which will be passed to the
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Some systems do not allow the window icon to change after it has been shown.
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This function can be called before ``pygame.display.set_mode()`` to create
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the icon before the display mode is set.
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.. ## pygame.display.set_icon ##
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.. function:: set_caption
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| :sl:`Set the current window caption`
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| :sg:`set_caption(title, icontitle=None) -> None`
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If the display has a window title, this function will change the name on the
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window. Some systems support an alternate shorter title to be used for
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.. ## pygame.display.set_caption ##
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.. function:: get_caption
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| :sl:`Get the current window caption`
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| :sg:`get_caption() -> (title, icontitle)`
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Returns the title and icontitle for the display Surface. These will often be
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.. ## pygame.display.get_caption ##
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.. function:: set_palette
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| :sl:`Set the display color palette for indexed displays`
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| :sg:`set_palette(palette=None) -> None`
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This will change the video display color palette for 8bit displays. This
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does not change the palette for the actual display Surface, only the palette
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that is used to display the Surface. If no palette argument is passed, the
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system default palette will be restored. The palette is a sequence of
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.. ## pygame.display.set_palette ##
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.. ## pygame.display ##
added
removed
docs/reST/ref/display.rst
