Using the GetVersionEx Windows API call

Currently, more and more applications are making use of Windows API calls to accomplish specific
Windows related tasks. Doing this, however, does present a few problems due to the many subtle
differences that executing an API call may have on the various Windows-based Operating Systems
available, from Win 9x, Win NT, Win 2000, and Win XP.

The differences between the various Windows operating systems bring the requirement of coding
the API calls differently depending on what specific OS version on which the application is running.
One way to handle this is to have your application determine what OS it is running on by using, yet
another Windows API, the GetVersionEx API.

Shown below is a sample COBOL program that makes use of this API call and which interprets the
information received. This program will show the OS version used, the version, the build number,
and the Service pack level, if applicable.

You can find more details on the GetVersionEx API on the MSDN link at;
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/sysinfo/sysinfo_49iw.asp

$set defaultbyte"00" case

identification division.
program-id. "ShowOS".
special-names.
call-convention 74 is WinAPI.
data division.
working-storage section.
78 SZ VALUE 9.
78 isTRUE value 1.
78 isFALSE value 0.
78 VER-PLATFORM-WIN32s value 0.
78 VER-PLATFORM-WIN32-WINDOWS value 1.
78 VER-PLATFORM-WIN32-NT value 2.
78 MAJOR-OSVERSION-NT351 value 3.
78 MAJOR-OSVERSION-9598MENT4 value 4.
78 MAJOR-OSVERSION-2000WHISTLER value 5.
78 MINOR-OS-WIN95 value 0.
78 MINOR-OS-WIN98 value 10.
78 MINOR-OS-WINME value 90.
78 MINOR-OS-WINNT351 value 51.
78 MINOR-OS-WINNT2000 value 0.
78 MINOR-OS-WINWHISTLER value 1.
78 CSDVERSION-WIN95 value "C".
78 CSDVERSION-WIN98 value "A".
01 int is typedef pic s9(SZ) comp-5.
01 uint is typedef pic 9(SZ) comp-5.
01 short is typedef pic s9(4) comp-5.
01 ushort is typedef pic 9(4) comp-5.
01 long is typedef pic s9(9) comp-5.
01 ulong is typedef pic 9(9) comp-5.
01 DWORD is typedef pic 9(9) comp-5.
01 BOOL is typedef int.
01 OSVERSIONINFO is typedef.
03 dwOSVersionInfoSize DWORD.
03 dwMajorVersion DWORD.
03 dwMinorVersion DWORD.
03 dwBuildNumberFull.
05 dwBuildNumber ushort.
05 dwMajorAndMinor ushort.
03 dwPlatformId DWORD.
$IF UNICODE DEFINED
03 szCSDVersion pic x(256).
78 OSVERSIZE value 276.
78 GetVersionEx value "GetVersionExW".
$ELSE
03 szCSDVersion pic x(128).

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 Using the GetVersionEx Windows API call

78 OSVERSIZE value 148.

78 GetVersionEx value "GetVersionExA".
$END

01 ws-myOSVer OSVERSIONINFO.
01 ws-myOSOk BOOL.
01 ws-myLastError DWORD.
linkage section.
procedure division WinApi.
move OSVERSIZE to dwOSVersionInfoSize of ws-myOSVer
call WinAPI GetVersionEx using
by reference ws-myOSVer
returning ws-myOSOk
end-call
if ws-myOSOK equals isTRUE
display "Win32 Platform : " no advancing
evaluate dwPlatformId of ws-myOSVer
when VER-PLATFORM-WIN32s
display "Support win32s"
stop run
when VER-PLATFORM-WIN32-WINDOWS
evaluate dwMajorVersion of ws-myOSVer
when MAJOR-OSVERSION-9598MENT4
evaluate dwMinorVersion of ws-myOSVer
when MINOR-OS-WIN95
display "Windows 95" no advancing
evaluate szCSDVersion of ws-myOSVer
when CSDVERSION-WIN95
display " OSR2"
when other
display " "
end-evaluate
when MINOR-OS-WIN98
display "Windows 98"
evaluate szCSDVersion of ws-myOSVer
when CSDVERSION-WIN98
display " Second Edition"
when other
display " "
end-evaluate
when MINOR-OS-WINME
display "Windows Millenium"
end-evaluate
end-evaluate
when VER-PLATFORM-WIN32-NT
evaluate dwMajorVersion of ws-myOSVer
when MAJOR-OSVERSION-NT351
display "Windows NT 3.51"
when MAJOR-OSVERSION-9598MENT4
display "Windows NT 4.0"
display "Service pack level: " szCSDVersion
when MAJOR-OSVERSION-2000WHISTLER
evaluate dwMinorVersion of ws-myOSVer
when MINOR-OS-WINNT2000
display "Windows 2000"
display "Service pack level: " szCSDVersion
when MINOR-OS-WINWHISTLER
display "Windows Whistler"
end-evaluate
end-evaluate
end-evaluate
display "Win32 Version : "
dwMajorVersion of ws-myOSVer
"."
dwMinorVersion of ws-myOSVer
display "Win32 Build : " dwBuildNumber of ws-myOSVer
end-if

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 Using the GetVersionEx Windows API call

stop run.
A copy of this program source and a project file for the program are available to download from the
following link: showos.zip

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