How To Retrieve Language and Code Page id Using VerQueryValue (160042)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0

This article was previously published under Q160042

SUMMARY

Using the VerQueryValue API, the language identifier and the character set identifier can be retrieved from the version-information resource within a file. You can concatenate these two identifiers to form a hexadecimal string and pass the string to another VerQueryValue call to retrieve the following version information: CompanyName, FileDescription, FileVersion, InternalName, LegalCopyright, OriginalFileName, ProductName, and ProductVersion.

This article presents a Visual Basic 4.0 32-bit sample application that retrieves the language identifier, the character set identifier, and the information mentioned above for the Windows system file, gdi32.dll.

This article also supplements the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article that extracts a VS_FIXEDFILEINFO structure from a file's version- information resource:

139491 How To Use Functions in VERSION.DLL - A 32-bit Sample App

MORE INFORMATION

This section shows you how to create a sample project that displays file information for the system file gdi32.dll in a list box by using the VerQueryValue function. The section assumes you are familiar with using Visual Basic to access the Windows API functions:

To Create The Sample Project

  1. Start a new Standard EXE project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default.
  2. Add a command button and a listbox control to the Form1 form:
  3. Copy the following code to the Code window of the Form1 form:
          Option Explicit
          Private Declare Function GetFileVersionInfo Lib "Version.dll" _
             Alias "GetFileVersionInfoA" _
             (ByVal lptstrFilename As String, _
             ByVal dwhandle As Long, _
             ByVal dwlen As Long, _
             lpData As Any) As Long
    
          Private Declare Function GetFileVersionInfoSize Lib "Version.dll" _
             Alias "GetFileVersionInfoSizeA" _
             (ByVal lptstrFilename As String, _
             lpdwHandle As Long) As Long
    
          Private Declare Function VerQueryValue Lib "Version.dll" _
             Alias "VerQueryValueA" _
             (pBlock As Any, _
             ByVal lpSubBlock As String, _
             lplpBuffer As Any, _
             puLen As Long) As Long
    
          Private Declare Function GetSystemDirectory Lib "kernel32" _
             Alias "GetSystemDirectoryA" _
             (ByVal Path As String, _
             ByVal cbBytes As Long) As Long
    
          Private Declare Sub MoveMemory Lib "kernel32" _
             Alias "RtlMoveMemory" _
             (dest As Any, _
             ByVal Source As Long, _
             ByVal Length As Long)
    
          Private Declare Function lstrcpy Lib "kernel32" _
             Alias "lstrcpyA" _
             (ByVal lpString1 As String, _
             ByVal lpString2 As Long) As Long
    
          Private Sub Command1_Click()
             Dim Buffer As String
             Dim rc As Long
             Dim FullFileName As String
             '*** We will check the FileDescription of the gdi32.dll****
             Buffer = String(255, 0)
             rc = GetSystemDirectory(Buffer, Len(Buffer))
             Buffer = LCase$(Mid$(Buffer, 1, InStr(Buffer, Chr(0)) - 1))
             FullFileName = Buffer & "\gdi32.dll"
    
             Dim lBufferLen As Long, lDummy As Long
             '*** Get size ****
             lBufferLen = GetFileVersionInfoSize(FullFileName, lDummy)
             If lBufferLen < 1 Then
                MsgBox "No Version Info available!"
                Exit Sub
             End If
    
             Dim sBuffer()  As Byte
             ReDim sBuffer(lBufferLen)
             rc = GetFileVersionInfo(FullFileName, _
                                     0&, _
                                     lBufferLen, _
                                     sBuffer(0))
             If rc = 0 Then
                MsgBox "GetFileVersionInfo failed."
                Exit Sub
             End If
    
             Dim lVerPointer As Long
    
             rc = VerQueryValue(sBuffer(0), _
                               "\VarFileInfo\Translation", _
                               lVerPointer, _
                               lBufferLen)
    
             If rc = 0 Then
                MsgBox "VerQueryValue failed."
                Exit Sub
             End If
             'lVerPointer is a pointer to four 4 bytes of Hex number,
             'first two bytes are language id, and last two bytes are code
             'page. However, Lang_Charset_String needs a  string of
             '4 hex digits, the first two characters correspond to the
             'language id and last two the last two character correspond
             'to the code page id.
    
             Dim bytebuffer(255) As Byte
             MoveMemory bytebuffer(0), lVerPointer, lBufferLen
             Dim Lang_Charset_String As String
             Dim HexNumber As Long
    
             HexNumber = bytebuffer(2) + bytebuffer(3) * &H100 + _
             bytebuffer(0) * &H10000 + bytebuffer(1) * &H1000000
             Lang_Charset_String = Hex(HexNumber)
             'now we change the order of the language id and code page
             'and convert it into a string representation.
             'For example, it may look like 040904E4
             'Or to pull it all apart:
             '04------        = SUBLANG_ENGLISH_USA
             '--09----        = LANG_ENGLISH
             ' ----04E4 = 1252 = Codepage for Windows:Multilingual
    
             Do While Len(Lang_Charset_String) < 8
                Lang_Charset_String = "0" & Lang_Charset_String
             Loop
    
             List1.Clear
    
             Dim strVersionInfo(7) As String
             strVersionInfo(0) = "CompanyName"
             strVersionInfo(1) = "FileDescription"
             strVersionInfo(2) = "FileVersion"
             strVersionInfo(3) = "InternalName"
             strVersionInfo(4) = "LegalCopyright"
             strVersionInfo(5) = "OriginalFileName"
             strVersionInfo(6) = "ProductName"
             strVersionInfo(7) = "ProductVersion"
    
             Dim i As Integer
             Dim strTemp As String
             For i = 0 To 7
                Buffer = String(255, 0)
                strTemp = "\StringFileInfo\" & Lang_Charset_String _
                & "\" & strVersionInfo(i)
                rc = VerQueryValue(sBuffer(0), strTemp, _
                lVerPointer, lBufferLen)
    
                If rc = 0 Then
                   MsgBox "VerQueryValue failed at" & i
                Exit Sub
                End If
    
                lstrcpy Buffer, lVerPointer
                Buffer = Mid$(Buffer, 1, InStr(Buffer, Chr(0)) - 1)
                List1.AddItem strVersionInfo(i) & ": " & Buffer
             Next i
          End Sub
    
    					
  4. On the Run menu, select Start, or press the F5 key to start the program. Click the Command1 command button. The file information for gdi32.dll appears in the text box.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/10/2005
Keywords:kbAPI kbhowto KB160042