GetModuleHandleA(b'python3') returns None

[BlueAndi]

The following script executed in python 3.13 provides a handle for GetModuleHandleA(b'python').
If a executable is generated by pyinstaller, the generated .exe provides None, but it shouldn't.

Script: test.py

import ctypes
from ctypes import wintypes

# Define the GetModuleHandleA function
GetModuleHandleA = ctypes.windll.kernel32.GetModuleHandleA
GetModuleHandleA.argtypes = [wintypes.LPCSTR]
GetModuleHandleA.restype = wintypes.HMODULE

# Call the function with the module name
module_name = b"python3"  # Example module name
handle = GetModuleHandleA(module_name)

print(handle)

pyinstaller call:

pyinstaller --noconfirm --onefile --console --name "test" --distpath "." --clean "test.py"

OS: Win10/11

Do I do something wrong or maybe I missed an important argument for pyinstaller? I appreciate any help!

[rokm]

If a executable is generated by pyinstaller, the generated .exe provides None, but it shouldn't.

If you don't collect the python3.dll into the frozen application, it is expected to return None, is it not?

That DLL is not collected automatically, unless it is a link-time dependency of some other collected DLL or python extension module. Which is not the case with your sample.

[BlueAndi]

@rokm You are my hero of the day. Yes, you are right. Somehow I expected that it will be part of frozen app, but its not. Thanks!!