get version of an executable created using .net

Hello Powershell Superstars.

i'm trying to work out how to find the version of an executable file (that
was created using .net)

I can return a 'versionInfo' property -- but that doesn't seem to be what
I'm after (and is blank).

I'm after the same version information I get in windows XP when I right
click on an executable, and select properties. There's a 'Version' tab that
contains "File Version" and 'Other Version information" -- where quite a bit
of the assembly metadata is displayed.

i haven't yet found out how to get to this info from a power shell script.

I've been watching this list avidly for a long time -- what a great
community around Powershell!!

cheers
lb .:: secretGeek.net :: dot Nuts about dot Net ::.

"secretGeek" <secretGeek@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsB42939F-E141-4D1B-A8A7-E9B330606BCC@microsoft.com...
> Hello Powershell Superstars.
>
> i'm trying to work out how to find the version of an executable file (that
> was created using .net)
>
> I can return a 'versionInfo' property -- but that doesn't seem to be what
> I'm after (and is blank).
>
> I'm after the same version information I get in windows XP when I right
> click on an executable, and select properties. There's a 'Version' tab that
> contains "File Version" and 'Other Version information" -- where quite a bit
> of the assembly metadata is displayed.
>
> i haven't yet found out how to get to this info from a power shell script.
>
> I've been watching this list avidly for a long time -- what a great
> community around Powershell!!

You can get this natively using the Get-Command cmdlet:

33> gcm PowerShell | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl


OriginalFilename : PowerShell.EXE
FileDescription : PowerShell.EXE
ProductName : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Comments :
CompanyName : Microsoft Corporation
FileName : C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
FileVersion : 6.0.5430.0 (winmain(wmbla).060830-0116)
ProductVersion : 6.0.5430.0
IsDebug : False
IsPatched : False
IsPreRelease : False
IsPrivateBuild : True
IsSpecialBuild : False
Language : English (United States)
LegalCopyright : © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
LegalTrademarks :
PrivateBuild :
SpecialBuild :

However this is kind of buried. In the next version of PowerShell Community Extensions we have a Get-FileVersionInfo cmdlet. Of course the implementation is dirt simple. You could do this in script like so:

35> [Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo]::GetVersionInfo((resolve-path $pshome\powershell.exe)) | fl

--
Keith

Even simpler:

36> gcm powershell | fl

--
Keith
"Keith Hill [MVP]" <r_keith_hill@mailhot.moc.nospam> wrote in message news:O5jQu5HNHHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
"secretGeek" <secretGeek@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsB42939F-E141-4D1B-A8A7-E9B330606BCC@microsoft.com...

33> gcm PowerShell | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl

This is great information Keith -- but not quite what I'm asking for.

It's not powershell itself that I want to determine the version of -- it's
various other executables created using .net, that my client has on their
network.

say there's an executable called "LineOfBusiness.exe"

gcm LineOfBusiness

won't work ("The term 'LineOfBusiness' is not recognised as a cmdlet,
function... etc")

And even

get-childItem LineOfBusiness.exe | format-list VersionInfo

returns a blank value for version info.

Yet -- when I look at any of these executables via explorer, i can see the
version information. I think it must be accessible in some other way.

cheers
lb

"Keith Hill [MVP]" wrote:

> Even simpler:
>
> 36> gcm powershell | fl
>
> --
> Keith
> "Keith Hill [MVP]" <r_keith_hill@mailhot.moc.nospam> wrote in message news:O5jQu5HNHHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> "secretGeek" <secretGeek@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsB42939F-E141-4D1B-A8A7-E9B330606BCC@microsoft.com...
>
> 33> gcm PowerShell | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl

Wait a moment!! You did solve it -- thanks Keith.

When I tried (for example)

gcm 'c:\Program Files\Business\LineOfBusiness.exe' | fl

i got the answer I was after....
so fully qualifying the name was required (even though i was located in the
same folder as the executable)

thanks keith -- I take back all the curse words ;-)

lb

"Keith Hill [MVP]" wrote:

> Even simpler:
>
> 36> gcm powershell | fl
>
> --
> Keith
> "Keith Hill [MVP]" <r_keith_hill@mailhot.moc.nospam> wrote in message news:O5jQu5HNHHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> "secretGeek" <secretGeek@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsB42939F-E141-4D1B-A8A7-E9B330606BCC@microsoft.com...
>
> 33> gcm PowerShell | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl

and to run this for a bunch of executables this works:

gci *.exe | resolve-path | gcm | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl ProductName,
ProductVersion

ahhh ! this is fun and exciting stuff.

cheers



"secretGeek" wrote:

> Wait a moment!! You did solve it -- thanks Keith.
>
> When I tried (for example)
>
> gcm 'c:\Program Files\Business\LineOfBusiness.exe' | fl
>
> i got the answer I was after....
> so fully qualifying the name was required (even though i was located in the
> same folder as the executable)
>
> thanks keith -- I take back all the curse words ;-)
>
> lb
>
> "Keith Hill [MVP]" wrote:
>
> > Even simpler:
> >
> > 36> gcm powershell | fl
> >
> > --
> > Keith
> > "Keith Hill [MVP]" <r_keith_hill@mailhot.moc.nospam> wrote in message news:O5jQu5HNHHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > "secretGeek" <secretGeek@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsB42939F-E141-4D1B-A8A7-E9B330606BCC@microsoft.com...
> >
> > 33> gcm PowerShell | %{$_.FileVersionInfo} |fl