File version property always 0.0.0.0 when using StringFileInfo FileVersion

[X-Guardian]

Hi @josephspurrier,

I'm trying to set the File version property using the StringFileInfo FileVersion setting, but the property in the executable always has a value of 0.0.0.0.

I also get the same result if I use the file-version command-line flag.

Example versioninfo.json:

{
    "StringFileInfo": {
        "FileDescription": "FileDescription",
        "FileVersion": "1.0.0.0",
        "ProductName": "ProductName",
        "ProductVersion": "1.0.0.0",
        "LegalCopyright": "Copyright"
    }
}

[hymkor]

Property may show FixedFileInfo.FileVersion.

[X-Guardian]

Hi @zetamatta, my versioninfo.json doesn't have the FixedFileInfo section.

[hymkor]

My json as sample .

{
    "FixedFileInfo":
    {
        "FileVersion": {
            "Major": 4,
            "Minor": 2,
            "Patch": 0,
            "Build": 5
        },
        "ProductVersion": {
            "Major": 4,
            "Minor": 2,
            "Patch": 0,
            "Build": 5
        },
        "FileFlagsMask": "3f",
        "FileFlags ": "00",
        "FileOS": "040004",
        "FileType": "01",
        "FileSubType": "00"
    },
    "StringFileInfo":
    {
        "Comments": "",
        "CompanyName": "NYAOS.ORG",
        "FileDescription": "Extended Commandline Shell",
        "FileVersion": "4.2.0_5",
        "InternalName": "",
        "LegalCopyright": "Copyright (C) 2014-2017 HAYAMA_Kaoru",
        "LegalTrademarks": "",
        "OriginalFilename": "NYAGOS.EXE",
        "PrivateBuild": "",
        "ProductName": "Nihongo Yet Another GOing Shell",
        "ProductVersion": "4.2.0_5",
        "SpecialBuild": ""
    },
    "VarFileInfo":
    {
        "Translation": {
            "LangID": "0411",
            "CharsetID": "04E4"
        }
    }
}

With this JSON, the property of the executable shows

• FileVersion: 4.2.0.5 (which does NOT include underscore _)
• ProductVersion: 4.2.0_5 (which includes underscore _)

If you want to change the fileversion of the property, you have to write FixedFileInfo (not StringFileInfo).

[X-Guardian]

@zetamatta, what's the point in having the FileVersion in StringFileInfo then?

[hymkor]

StringFileInfo has the version information as a string. FixedFileInfo does as four integers. StringFileInfo can contain the word such as -alpha,-beta or -RC1.

FixedFileInfo can not, but when two files of executables are given, we can judge which is newer by FixedFileInfo correctly because they are simple integers.

I do not know why the Windows Explorer shows only StringFileInfo.ProductVersion and FixedFileInfo.FileVersion.

But, StringFileInfo.FileVersion and FixedFileInfo.ProductVersion are not discarded. We can read the version information all from executable files by powershell script as below.

# check.ps1

$v = [System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo]::GetVersionInfo($Args[0])
if( $v ){
    Write-Host("FileVersion(StringFileInfo)=",$v.FileVersion)
    Write-Host("  FileMajorPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.FileMajorPart)
    Write-Host("  FileMinorPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.FileMinorPart)
    Write-Host("  FileBuildPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.FileBuildPart)
    Write-Host("  FilePrivatePart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.FilePrivatePart)
    Write-Host("ProductVersion(StringFileInfo)=",$v.ProductVersion)
    Write-Host("  ProductMajorPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.ProductMajorPart)
    Write-Host("  ProductMinorPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.ProductMinorPart)
    Write-Host("  ProductBuildPart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.ProductBuildPart)
    Write-Host("  ProductPrivatePart(FixedFileInfo)=",$v.ProductPrivatePart)
}

[C:\] powershell -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -file check.ps1 YOUREXECUTABLE.exe
FileVersion(StringFileInfo)= 4.3.3_2
  FileMajorPart(FixedFileInfo)= 4
  FileMinorPart(FixedFileInfo)= 3
  FileBuildPart(FixedFileInfo)= 3
  FilePrivatePart(FixedFileInfo)= 2
ProductVersion(StringFileInfo)= 4.3.3_2
  ProductMajorPart(FixedFileInfo)= 4
  ProductMinorPart(FixedFileInfo)= 3
  ProductBuildPart(FixedFileInfo)= 3
  ProductPrivatePart(FixedFileInfo)= 2

[josephspurrier]

@zetamatta Thanks for providing all this information - this is very helpful to users of this package!

[X-Guardian]

Cheers @zetamatta, yes I can see the same result from my exe. Even worse is that explorer displays the StringFileInfo/ProductVersion in preference to the FixedFileInfo/ProductVersion, so it is not even consistent. What a mess from Microsoft!

@josephspurrier, what do you think about adding a GoVersionInfo parameter that would populate both the FixedFileInfo and StringFileInfo product and file version properties with the same values taken from the StringFileInfo properties?

[josephspurrier]

@X-Guardian I think it would be good to streamline the process. How about changing the behavior so that if only the -product-version and -file-version are specified, then the other file and product versions are filled from those?

[X-Guardian]

@josephspurrier, that would work great for me.

[josephspurrier]

Would you mind submitting a pull request with the changes?

[josephspurrier]

Closing due to inactivity.