Version Information Version information makes it easier for applications to install files properly and enables setup programs to analyze files currently installed. The version-information resource contains the version number of the file, its intended operating system, and the original file name.

Overviews

About Version Information

This topic discusses the version information functions.

Using Version Information

This topic discusses how to use the version information functions.

Functions

GetFileVersionInfo

Retrieves version information for the specified file.

GetFileVersionInfoEx

Retrieves version information for the specified file.

GetFileVersionInfoSize

Determines whether the operating system can retrieve version information for a specified file. If version information is available, GetFileVersionInfoSize returns the size, in bytes, of that information.

GetFileVersionInfoSizeEx

Determines whether the operating system can retrieve version information for a specified file. If version information is available, GetFileVersionInfoSizeEx returns the size, in bytes, of that information.

VerFindFile

The VerFindFile function determines where to install a file based on whether it locates another version of the file in the system. The values VerFindFile returns in the specified buffers are used in a subsequent call to the VerInstallFile function.

VerInstallFile

The VerInstallFile function attempts to install the specified file based on information returned from the VerFindFile function. VerInstallFile decompresses the file, if necessary, assigns a unique filename, and checks for errors, such as outdated files.

VerLanguageName

The VerLanguageName function retrieves a description string for the language associated with a specified binary Microsoft language identifier.

VerQueryValue

The VerQueryValue function retrieves specified version information from the specified version-information resource. To retrieve the appropriate resource, before you call VerQueryValue, you must first call the GetFileVersionInfoSize function, and then the GetFileVersionInfo function.

Structures

String

The String structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It contains a string that describes a specific aspect of a file, for example, a file's version, its copyright notices, or its trademarks.

StringFileInfo

The StringFileInfo structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It contains version information that can be displayed for a particular language and code page.

StringTable

The StringTable structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It contains language and code page formatting information for the strings specified by the Children member. A code page is an ordered character set.

Var

The Var structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It typically contains a list of language and code page identifier pairs that the version of the application or DLL supports.

VarFileInfo

The VarFileInfo structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It contains version information not dependent on a particular language and code page combination.

VS_FIXEDFILEINFO

The VS_FIXEDFILEINFO structure contains version information about a file. This information is language and code page independent.

VS_VERSIONINFO

The VS_VERSIONINFO structure depicts the organization of data in a file-version resource. It is the root structure that contains all other file-version information structures.