Simulate alt+tab in Python

Question

I'm running in Windows 8.1 this code:

import ctypes, time

ctypes.windll.user32.keybd_event(0x12, 0, 0, 0) #Alt
ctypes.windll.user32.keybd_event(0x09, 0, 0, 0) #Tab

time.sleep(2)

ctypes.windll.user32.keybd_event(0x09, 0, 2, 0) #~Tab
ctypes.windll.user32.keybd_event(0x12, 0, 2, 0) #~Alt

I expected this code simulate hold the Alt key, hold the Tab key, wait 2 seconds, release Tab key, then release Alt key, but it's not working. The code can't hold the keys, just pulse (press and release) the key.

I've tried this code before and worked, but not in Windows 8.1. What can I do?

Solution

Here's a slightly tighter alt-tab method.

import pyautogui,time

pyautogui.keyDown('alt')
time.sleep(.2)
pyautogui.press('tab')
time.sleep(.2)
pyautogui.keyUp('alt')

Repeat pyautogui.press('tab') for the number of times you want to move over, and as userNo99 mentioned you'll want to include some time.sleep(.2)'s to create a delay in between your actions.