Retrieving version information from your local application's resource

• Download source files (GetVersion.zip) - 17 Kb

Introduction

This application contains a small class supporting access to the version information stored in YOUR OWN Win32 application.

Background

There is a lot code around the Internet, showing how easy it is to retrieve version information from any EXE or DLL. I never really liked the idea, opening my own application's file again (using GetFileVersionInfo()) simply to be able to access my local version data.

It took me quite some searching and other people's free source code to understand how this information may be retrieved from the local application's resource (equivalent to CString::LoadString() etc.).

Using the code

First of all: Be happy to use this code to your convenience and modify/enhance it as you like.

This is what you have to do 1. Add version.lib to your project's libraries 2. Add "#include <winver.h>" to your stdafx.h (could also be included to CGlobalFunctions.cpp instead) 3. Add GlobalFunctions.h and CGlobalFunctions.cpp to your project 4. Call any of the static functions from anywhere in your application

GlobalFunctions.h:

class CGlobalFunctions  : public CObject
{
public:
    CGlobalFunctions();
    virtual ~CGlobalFunctions();
public:
    static CString GetFileVersionX();
    static CString GetProductVersionX();
    static CString GetVersionInfo(HMODULE hLib, CString csEntry);
    static CString FormatVersion(CString cs);

private:
    static CString m_csFileVersion;
    static CString m_csProductVersion;
};

GlobalFunctions.cpp: (see source code for more detailed description of the methods)

String CGlobalFunctions::m_csFileVersion;
CString CGlobalFunctions::m_csProductVersion;

CGlobalFunctions::CGlobalFunctions()
{

}

CGlobalFunctions::~CGlobalFunctions()
{

}
// This is the key method
CString CGlobalFunctions::GetVersionInfo(HMODULE hLib, CString csEntry)
{
  CString csRet;

  if (hLib == NULL)
    hLib = AfxGetResourceHandle();
  
  HRSRC hVersion = FindResource( hLib, 
    MAKEINTRESOURCE(VS_VERSION_INFO), RT_VERSION );
  if (hVersion != NULL)
  {
    HGLOBAL hGlobal = LoadResource( hLib, hVersion ); 
    if ( hGlobal != NULL)  
    {  
  
      LPVOID versionInfo  = LockResource(hGlobal);  
      if (versionInfo != NULL)
      {
        DWORD vLen,langD;
        BOOL retVal;    
    
        LPVOID retbuf=NULL;
    
        static char fileEntry[256];

        sprintf(fileEntry,"\\VarFileInfo\\Translation");
        retVal = VerQueryValue(versionInfo,fileEntry,&retbuf,(UINT *)&vLen);
        if (retVal && vLen==4) 
        {
          memcpy(&langD,retbuf,4);            
          sprintf(fileEntry, "\\StringFileInfo\\%02X%02X%02X%02X\\%s",
                  (langD & 0xff00)>>8,langD & 0xff,(langD & 0xff000000)>>24, 
                  (langD & 0xff0000)>>16, csEntry);            
        }
        else 
          sprintf(fileEntry, "\\StringFileInfo\\%04X04B0\\%s", 
            GetUserDefaultLangID(), csEntry);

        if (VerQueryValue(versionInfo,fileEntry,&retbuf,(UINT *)&vLen)) 
          csRet = (char*)retbuf;
      }
    }

    UnlockResource( hGlobal );  
    FreeResource( hGlobal );  
  }

  return csRet;
}

// Re-formats a string formatted as "m,n,o,p" to format as "m.nop"
CString CGlobalFunctions::FormatVersion(CString cs)
{
  CString csRet;
  if (!cs.IsEmpty())
  {
    cs.TrimRight();
    int iPos = cs.Find(',');
    if (iPos == -1)
      return "";
    cs.TrimLeft();
    cs.TrimRight();
    csRet.Format("%s.", cs.Left(iPos));

    while (1)
    {
      cs = cs.Mid(iPos + 1);
      cs.TrimLeft();
      iPos = cs.Find(',');
      if (iPos == -1)
      {
        csRet +=cs;
        break;
      }
      csRet += cs.Left(iPos);
    }
  }

  return csRet;
}

// Loads "FileVersion" from resource formats it and keeps it in mind
CString CGlobalFunctions::GetFileVersionX()
{
  if (m_csFileVersion.IsEmpty())
  {
    CString csVersion = FormatVersion(GetVersionInfo(NULL, "FileVersion"));
    m_csFileVersion.Format("Version %s (Build %s)", 
      csVersion, GetVersionInfo(NULL, "SpecialBuild"));
  }

  return m_csFileVersion;
}

// Loads "ProductVersion" from resource formats it and keeps it in mind
CString CGlobalFunctions::GetProductVersionX()
{
  if (m_csProductVersion.IsEmpty())
    m_csProductVersion = FormatVersion(GetVersionInfo(NULL, "ProductVersion"));

  return m_csProductVersion;
}

Using it anywhere in the application: (e.g. in CGetVersionApp::InitInstance())

....
  CString cs;
  cs.Format("FileVersion: %s\nProductVersion: %s\nMyPrivateInfo: %s", 
             CGlobalFunctions::GetFileVersionX(), 
             CGlobalFunctions::GetProductVersionX(),
             CGlobalFunctions::GetVersionInfo(NULL, "MyPrivateInfo"));
 AfxMessageBox(cs);
....

Points of Interest

Well, if you take a close look (while debuging) at fileEntry your will notify it's containig "\StringFileInfo\040704B0\ProductVersion". Compare this path with the structure of Version in the *.rc-file. This makes clear how the access of the version information works:

GetVersion.rc:

... 
BEGIN
    BLOCK "StringFileInfo"
        BEGIN
        BLOCK "040704b0"
        BEGIN
            VALUE "Comments", "\0"
            VALUE "CompanyName", "\0"
            VALUE "FileDescription", "MFC-Anwendung GetVersion\0"
            VALUE "FileVersion", "1, 2, 3, a\0"
            VALUE "InternalName", "GetVersion\0"
            VALUE "LegalCopyright", "Copyright (C) 2004\0"
            VALUE "LegalTrademarks", "\0"
            VALUE "OriginalFilename", "GetVersion.EXE\0"
            VALUE "PrivateBuild", "\0"
            VALUE "ProductName", "Anwendung GetVersion\0"
            VALUE "ProductVersion", "1, 0, 0, a\0"
            VALUE "SpecialBuild", "2\0"
            VALUE "MyPrivateInfo", 
              "This is an privately defined version information\0"
        END
    END
    BLOCK "VarFileInfo"
    BEGIN
        VALUE "Translation", 0x407, 1200
    END
END

NOTE: I have extended the version information structure by an own entry ("MyPrivateInfo"). You may retrieve this information in the same way as you can using all the predefined entries.

List of predefined entries within the version information structure: Comments CompanyName FileDescription FileVersion InternalName LegalCopyright LegalTrademarks OriginalFilename PrivateBuild ProductName ProductVersion SpecialBuild

Further recommendation

As you know from Microsoft products, beside the version information they specify a build code e.g. (Build 1376). There is a free add-in for Visual C++ that automatically increments the "SpecialBuild" entry within your *.rc file. It has been developed by Mihai Filimon and is called IncPrivateBuild. Click here for more information. It comes with the source code an is a really cool tool.

Cheers and enjoy this code, Hartmut