VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

FileSystemObject.GetFileVersion Method

Syntax

                  oFileSysObj.GetFileVersion(FileName)

oFileSysObj

Use: Required

Data Type: FileSystemObject object

A reference to the FileSystemObject object.

FileName

Use: Required

Data Type: String

A path and filename.

Return Value

A String.

Description

Retrieves version information about the file specified in FileName.

Rules at a Glance

• FileName should include the path as well as the name of the file. The path component can be either an absolute or a relative path to the file.

• If path information is omitted, VBScript attempts to find FileName in the current folder.

• This function reports version information in the format:

  Major_Version.Minor_Version.0.Build

• If a file does not contain version information, the function returns an empty string (” “).

Programming Notes

• The files that can contain version information are executable files (.exe) and dynamic link libraries (.dll).

• If you’re using VBScript to replace a private executable or DLL with another, be particularly careful with version checking, since it has been a particularly serious source of error. Ensuring that the new version of the file should be installed requires that any one of the following conditions be true:

  • It has the same major and minor version but a later build number than the existing file.

  • It has the same major version but a greater minor version number than the existing file.

  • It has a higher version number than the existing file.

• It’s also a good idea to copy the replaced file to a backup directory, ...