finding the version it was created with

[Guest]

We have a department that receives presentations from around the world from
presenters that utilize various platforms and versions of PowerPoint to
create them. Their complaint is that is it difficult to get the
presentations to work here on our unified PC/PowerPoint 2003 platform. Is
there a way that they can tell what version of PowerPoint was used to create
a presentation when they receive it? Is there an area within PowerPoint or
windows that might divulge this information? Is there a mini program that
might offer this information as well?

I know that they can take the file and save it as a 2003 file.

I wanted to check before I tell them to simply have the presenters give the
platform and PowerPoint version information along with their submissions.
Thanks!

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Perhaps, you can determine the initial/last version that was used on the
presentation, but I doubt that you can tell whether multiple versions were
used.

In any case, if you have the latest version, then, subject to bugs in that
version, you should be able to process earlier versions without knowing how
they were created.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

We have a department that receives presentations from around the world from
presenters that utilize various platforms and versions of PowerPoint to
create them. Their complaint is that is it difficult to get the
presentations to work here on our unified PC/PowerPoint 2003 platform. Is
there a way that they can tell what version of PowerPoint was used to create
a presentation when they receive it? Is there an area within PowerPoint or
windows that might divulge this information? Is there a mini program that
might offer this information as well?

No, afraid not. PowerPoint doesn't save the version of PPT that created the
file or last saved it, unfortunately.

What specific problems have you run into, though?

 

[Howard Kaikow]

No, afraid not. PowerPoint doesn't save the version of PPT that created the
file or last saved it, unfortunately.

The info might be in the actual file.
I wrote some code to find this for Word, perhaps, the same could be done for
powerpoint?
But I'm not sure of what use is the info.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

The info might be in the actual file.

That's quite possible. I probably should have said that PowerPoint doesn't
expose the info via UI or object model.

I wrote some code to find this for Word, perhaps, the same could be done for
powerpoint?
But I'm not sure of what use is the info.

Sometimes it'd be useful for diagnostic purposes if we could trace the
provenance of a "troubled" PPT file. But generally ... no. Not that useful, I
don't imagine.

 

[Shyam Pillai]

Word and PowerPoint are two different creatures. I've tried a few tricks but
not been successful at arriving at the version that created the file
successfully. Would be interested in your method if it works for PowerPoint.


--
Regards,
Shyam Pillai

Animation Carbon: http://skp.mvps.org/ac/

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Sometimes it'd be useful for diagnostic purposes if we could trace the
provenance of a "troubled" PPT file. But generally ... no. Not that useful, I
don't imagine.

Cannot be useful because one does not know if more thabn ine version of PPT
has been used.
A similar question gets asked periodicaly about Word and Excel.

I've never understod what would be the use of such info,
Version N of PPT should be able to process, subject to bugs in PPT, any PPT
created by that version, or earlier versions.

Version M of PPT might have trouble processing PPT created with later
versions, but all you can do is:

1. Try to process the critter.
2. Refuse to process the critter. Perhaps, this is what the OP was after.
But, in practice, for serious PPT work, one needs to have the latest version
of PPT anyway to avoid such problems.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Word and PowerPoint are two different creatures. I've tried a few tricks but
not been successful at arriving at the version that created the file
successfully. Would be interested in your method if it works for

PowerPoint.

THere are strings within the Word.doc file that can be searched for which
identify the version of Word.
Back when I did this 4+ years ago, it was just a matter of determing whether
it was VBA version, or pre-Word 97 version.

The code I used was something like the following (not sure if the following
is the latest version). There might be some magic string in the PPT file.

Private Function blnNotVBA(strWordFile As String) As Boolean
Const strMSWordDocument As String = "microsoft word document"
Const strMSWordDoc As String = "msworddoc"
Const strWordDocument As String = "word.document.8"

Dim intFileno As Integer
Dim lngFileLength As Long
Dim lngPos As Long
Dim strFileContent As String

intFileno = FreeFile
Open strWordFile For Binary As #intFileno
lngFileLength = LOF(intFileno)
strFileContent = LCase$(Input(lngFileLength, intFileno))
Close #intFileno

blnNotVBA = True
lngPos = InStr(strFileContent, strMSWordDocument)
If lngPos <> 0 Then
lngPos = InStr(lngPos + 1, strFileContent, strMSWordDoc)
If lngPos <> 0 Then
lngPos = InStr(lngPos + 1, strFileContent, strWordDocument)
If lngPos <> 0 Then
blnNotVBA = False
End If
End If
End If
End Function

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Cannot be useful because one does not know if more thabn ine version of PPT
has been used.

That's what I mean about "provenance" ... knowing just the version it was last
saved in wouldn't be especially useful. A history of saves (e.g., a list of
the original "created in" version then each version that edited the file where

I've never understod what would be the use of such info,
Version N of PPT should be able to process, subject to bugs in PPT, any PPT
created by that version, or earlier versions.

That's the fond hope. Knowing the history wouldn't help users/addin writers
but would help MS get to the bottom of problem files more easily. When we send
them files that exhibit problems, the history's always the first thing
requested. If nothing else, it'd help to know that the file's been kicking
around since version 4 and has bounced back and forth between PC and Mac and
among different versions of each (and thus whatever the problem is, it's
irreproducible and why waste hours of effort on it?)

But from the POV of add-ins and such, yes, there wouldn't be much value to
knowing the version history.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

That's what I mean about "provenance" ...

I thought that provenance was a city in Rhode Island?

knowing just the version it was last
saved in wouldn't be especially useful. A history of saves (e.g., a list of
the original "created in" version then each version that edited the file where
ThisVersion <> LastSavedInVersion is more what I had in mind.

Knowing that there were mixed versions would just incidate: "Hey dude, it is
best to not move back and forth between versions, could lead to corruption,
and I'm not talking about politicians!">

That's the fond hope. Knowing the history wouldn't help users/addin writers
but would help MS get to the bottom of problem files more easily. When we send
them files that exhibit problems, the history's always the first thing
requested.

If they have to ask us, then surely there is no way to programmatically
tell.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I thought that provenance was a city in Rhode Island?

It used to be there but grew too big to fit the state so it had to be sold off
at Sotheby's.

If they have to ask us, then surely there is no way to programmatically
tell.

That's my theory. And one of the reasons I keep agitating for them to ADD the
silly feature.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

That's my theory. And one of the reasons I keep agitating for them to ADD the
silly feature.

But what reason are you giving for adding the feature?
Adding a LIST of the versions of PPT that were used on a file might help,
but I doubt it as there is no way to use that info other than to say: " Hey
dude, this file has a mixed heritage, watch out for corruption, especially
if the versions were mixed in a back and forth manner".

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

But what reason are you giving for adding the feature?

So that instead of having to ask users (who never know) what versions have
touched the file, MS or anyone else who's curious can simply look at the
revision history built into the file.

Obviously it won't help immediately, since there won't be any version history
prior to the version in which version history is implemented, but a start is a
start.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

So that instead of having to ask users (who never know) what versions have
touched the file, MS or anyone else who's curious can simply look at the
revision history built into the file.

Obviously it won't help immediately, since there won't be any version history
prior to the version in which version history is implemented, but a start is a
start.

I still do not know what one would do with that info if one had the info.

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

In theory, it shouldn't matter. However, so many PowerPoint issues are
version-specific. For example, imagine Microsoft trying to track down the
bug (that was fixed in SP1) that causes 2003 to be unable to read some
files from earlier versions. I imagine knowing the version of the
original files could be helpful in tracking that down.
--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I still do not know what one would do with that info if one had the info.

Ask MS. They're the ones who always ask for it.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Ask MS. They're the ones who always ask for it.

THen they may info on how to use sucj info, but r not telling us.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

THen they may info on how to use sucj info, but r not telling us.

I think perhaps you're missing my point. I don't particularly need to know
what versions a PPT file has been through for exactly the reasons you've
mentioned.

MS presumably has reasons for asking, else they wouldn't ask. Since they're
interested in knowing and since we can rarely provide the details, it'd behoove
them to add the ability to track the info in the file itself.

All the behooving is on their behalf and I wouldn't behalf the man I yam if I
begrudged that.