StampVer: Command line version updater

.

• Introduction


• Syntax and options


• About StampVer response files


• Integrating with Microsoft Developer Studio


• Notes and Queries


• Disclaimer


• Download

Introduction

StampVer was written to allow easy stamping of a build number into the
version resource of a Win32 executable. This build number can be
specified on the command line, or via a response file. If a response
file is used, StampVer can autoincrement the version number contained
it it.

This can be useful if you are frequently passing application builds
around and want something more definitive than file dates to determine
which version someone has.

Note that this works directly on the final EXE – as it does not
make changes to your source files, your resources do not need to be
recompiled. In other words, it’s fast!

Syntax and options

   StampVer [options] <exefile>
  -? displays this message
  -f”1.2.3.4″ stamp with specified file version number, e.g. -f”2.10.0.0″
  -p”1.2.3.4″ stamp with specified product version number, e.g. -p”2.10.0.0″
  -v”<filename>” get version number from response file, e.g. -v”stampver.inf”
  -i[1|2|3|4] preincrement file version number in response file
               1,2,3,4 correspond to a element of the version number, so
               to increment the minor version, use -i4. Useful for
               auto-incrementing a build number.
  -j[1|2|3|4] preincrement product version number in response file (as above).
  -k keep original file timestamp
  -nopad prevent padding of version strings with spaces.
  -o[1|2|3|4] sets the amount of output produced:
               -o1 errors only
               -o2 show warnings
               -o3 show informational messages
               -o4 show verbose diagnostics
   Quotes around parameters are optional unless the parameter contains spaces.

About StampVer response files

The response file is a simple text file that contains the last version
number that was applied. Here is an example:

    ;StampVer information file
    FileVersion=1.0.0.4
    ProductVersion=5.0.0.4
    FileFormat=%a.%b.%c Build %04d
    ProductFormat=%a.%b.%c Build %04d

The response file allows you to have separately maintained file and
product numbers. If you do not wish to stamp either the file or product
number, then simply ensure the response file does not contain that
entry!

The FileFormat and ProductFormat entries are optional, but if present
they allow you to customise the format of the version strings. These
entries are vaguely similar to printf format specs. The default is
simply %a.%b.%c.%d. You can add zero padding to a field by specifying
a zero followed by the required field width, e.g. %04d would expand
to something like 0047.

If you specify a response file that doesn’t exist, or do not specify
one at all, one will be created for you in the current directory with
the name stampver.inf

Note that if you use the -f or -p options these will override any response
file settings.

Integrating with Microsoft Developer Studio

You can set up StampVer to autoincrement build numbers as part of your
normal build process. Assuming that your EXE has a version resource,
and StampVer is on the path, you simply set up a custom build step for
the target.

To do this, get the project settings dialog (Alt-F7), highlight the top
level folder for a build, and select the Custom Build tab. Add a build
command that looks like this:

    StampVer -vstampver.inf -i4 -j4 $(TargetPath)

Set the output file to be the following:

    $(WkspDir)dummy

These settings will store the version number in stampver.inf file in
the workspace directory, and will autoincrement the version numbers
contained in it before applying it to the FileVersion and ProductVersion
elements of the target EXE.

Notes and Queries

Please note that StampVer only operates on Win32 exe/dll files that already have
a version resource. It cannot add a version resource if one doesn’t exist.

Also be aware that StampVer can only update the FileVersion and ProductVersion
strings if there is enough space to do so. An easy way to ensure this is to
set your version resource to contain 000.000.000.000 for these strings, and
let StampVer overwrite these with the real version numbers.

StampVer will pad version strings to their maximum length with spaces. This
feature can be disabled with the -nopad option. This was added when it was
found that Dev Studio crashes when it tries to display the version resource
for an EXE that StampVer has processed.

Since StampVer operates on the final exe, it will confuse your incremental
linker into never linking incrementally! Not much I can do about that though.

Disclaimer

StampVer is freeware, and comes with no warranty – you use it at your own
risk. If you do experience problems, or have ideas for enhancements, please
contact the author, Paul Dixon

Downloads

Download stampver.zip – 33 kb (Win95 and NT)