How to access App version number from inside the App

When compiling an App I give it a version number (eg. 2.1.1). This show up by right-clicking the App.exe file that is installed. However, I need to write this version number into log files created by the App. (so we know which version was used - it's a tracability requirement)

At the moment the only way I can see to do this is to manually write this version number in two places - once in the Application Infomation of the compiler project and once someplace in the MATLAB scripts. This is subject to human error (forgetfulness and typos)

Is there a way to have this in one place, so there is a single point of truth?

Failing that, is it possible to write a Unit Test that runs automatically, after every compile, that check the two version number match?

Answer 1

[Jonas]

hi Steven,

do you have powershell available (are you on windows)?

then have a try with the attached m file and the prj file for the application compiler to make sure you can see the command line

the content of the m file is just that, at the moment the application name is hard coded, but usually this will not change?

content of showVersionNumber.m

disp('from cmd:');
[~,cmdout]=system('powershell -command "(Get-Command .\showVersionNumber.exe).Version"')

disp('extract version number')
strjoin(regexp(cmdout, '\d+', 'match'),'.')

output looks like that:

if your application name matches the filename, you could work also with

name = coder. mfunctionname;

and code it in that way into the string given in the powershell command

[Steven]

Thank you, that does just what I need.

I made it a function I could call from my App's startupFcn() and added a couple error checks, such as no powershell or running in the MATLAB environment rather then as a compiled app.

function str = getAppVersion()
     if isdeployed
        % Get the application version from the .exe
        [error,cmdout]=system('powershell -command "(Get-Command .\MyApp.exe).Version"');
        if error 
            str = "--"; % system command failed (no powershell maybe)
        else
            str = "v" + strjoin(regexp(cmdout, '\d+', 'match'),'.');
        end
     else
        str = "Not deployed"; % there is no .exe (yet)
     end
end