Using Python Ctypes to pass struct pointer to a DLL function

Question

I am attempting to access a function in a DLL file using Python ctypes. The provided function description is below.

Answer 1

Your definition of PicamCameraID structure is incorrect: sensor_name and serial_number are arrays:

"""
struct PicamCameraID {
  PicamModel             model;
  PicamComputerInterface computer_interface;
  pichar                 sensor_name[PicamStringSize_SensorName];
  pichar                 serial_number[PicamStringSize_SerialNumber]; 
};
"""
import ctypes as c

PicamStringSize_SensorName = PicamStringSize_SerialNumber = 64
PicamModel = PicamComputerInterface = c.c_int
pichar = c.c_char

class PicamCameraID(c.Structure):
    _fields_ = [("model", PicamModel),
                ("computer_interface", PicamComputerInterface),
                ("sensor_name", pichar * PicamStringSize_SensorName),
                ("serial_number", pichar * PicamStringSize_SerialNumber)]

It seems the second argument is just a string, so you don't need to apply pointer() to it. Here's the ctypes prototype for Picam_ConnectDemoCamera() function:

"""
Picam_ConnectDemoCamera(PicamModel model, const pichar* serial_number,
                        PicamCameraID* id)
"""
pichar_p = c.c_char_p # assume '\0'-terminated C strings
Picam_ConnectDemoCamera.argtypes = [PicamModel, pichar_p,
                                    c.POINTER(PicamCameraID)]
Picam_ConnectDemoCamera.restype = c.c_int # assume it returns C int

To call it:

picam_id = PicamCameraID()
rc = Picam_ConnectDemoCamera(2, "serial number here", c.byref(picam_id))
print(rc)
print(picam_id.sensor_name.value) # C string
print(picam_id.sensor_name.raw)   # raw memory