This repository contains helper scripts to dynamically create VersionInfo objects that can be embedded in .exe files created by PyInstaller.
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This project was created because existing solutions to embed version information inside executables relied on creating artifact files that get read (and eval-ed) by PyInstaller during the build process.
Dynamically creating such files essentially boiled down to inserting data in a string template, with no guides to the user if their entered data is valid or not.
A bit of exploration of PyInstaller's source code and official Microsoft documentation revealed that it should be possible to provide PyInstaller with necessary data straight from .spec files without file-read-and-eval step.
This approach has the added bonus of being type hint compatible, offering rich auto-complete in supported IDEs.
Wheels are available on PyPI, install with:
pip install versioninfo_helper
See example_simple.onefile.spec and example_dynamic.onefile.spec for examples on how to integrate VersionInfo creation directly into PyInstaller .spec files.
Snippet of .spec file with embedded VersionInfo generation:
... # Skipped other parts of .spec file
def gen_version_info(): # -> VSVersionInfo
'''
Helper function, which can be embedded in .spec file,
generates VSVersionInfo instance for executable.
'''
from versioninfo_helper import CharsetCode
from versioninfo_helper import LanguageID
from versioninfo_helper import create_VersionInfo
# version must be a tuple of 4 (16-bit) integers
# hardcoded in this example, but can be generated dynamically as needed
version = (1, 2, 3, 4)
version_str = '.'.join(str(v) for v in version)
return create_VersionInfo(
version,
strings=[
{
# all fields are described in included TypedDicts,
# so IDEs should offer auto-complete and type checks
"lang_id": LanguageID.US_English,
"charset_id": CharsetCode.Unicode,
"fields": {
"CompanyName": 'Your Company Name LLC',
'FileDescription': f'AppName ({version_str})',
'FileVersion': f'{version_str}',
'InternalName': 'AppName.exe',
'LegalCopyright': '© 2026 Your Company Name LLC',
'OriginalFilename': 'AppName.exe',
'ProductName': 'AppName - Part of Product',
'ProductVersion': f'{version_str}',
}
}
]
)
... # Skipped other parts of .spec file
exe = EXE(
pyz,
a.scripts,
a.binaries,
a.zipfiles,
a.datas,
[],
name='AppName',
debug=False,
bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
strip=False,
upx=True,
upx_exclude=[],
runtime_tmpdir=None,
console=True,
icon='icon.ico',
version=gen_version_info() # call your helper function here
)