VersionStrings

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title: VersionStrings
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# Methods

Compiler define: Set a preprocessor define passed to the compiler.

Keyword substitution: Provide a header with keywords into which substitutions are made.

Template header: Provide a template with keywords which are processed and output to a generated header.

# Tools

TortoiseSVN: SubWCRev

svn: svnversion

git: git-describe

# Implementation

## Compiler Define

### Subversion

-D`svnversion`

Requires svn command line tools (not installed by default with TortoiseSVN).

### Git

-D`git describe`

## Keyword substitution

*   An anti-pattern 
*   Unsuitable for VCSs with no global version id (SVN).

## Template Header

### Subversion

Create a template header file "version.in" of the form:

#ifndef VERSION_H
    #define VERSION_H
    
    #define VERSION\_VCS\_REV "$WCREV$"
    #define VERSION\_BUILD\_TIME "$WCNOW$"
    #define VERSION\_VCS\_PATH "$WCURL$"
    #define VERSION\_LOCAL\_MODS $WCMODS?1:0$
    
    #endif /\*VERSION_H\*/

and in the build script run

SubWCRev . version.in version.h

The generated output looks like

#ifndef VERSION_H
    #define VERSION_H
    
    #define VERSION\_VCS\_REV "120"
    #define VERSION\_BUILD\_TIME "2013/02/21 17:44:46"
    #define VERSION\_VCS\_PATH "http://path/to/repo/trunk"
    #define VERSION\_LOCAL\_MODS 1
    
    #endif /\*VERSION_H\*/

### Git

No equivalent?

#### Problems

*   No way to pre-process the variables in the build script. 
*   Windows platform only.

## Generated Header

*   Dependency problems

# Links

*   <http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1704907/how-can-i-get-my-c-code-to-automatically-print-out-its-git-version-hash>

[4]: VersionStrings?action=sourceblock&num=1
 [5]: VersionStrings?action=sourceblock&num=2

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