# Indicate version for \`VTKPythonAlgorithmBase\`-based Python plugin

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [November 26, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055 "2019-11-26T21:14:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/tianyikillua/32/12200_2.png) [@tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/tianyikillua)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/1 "2019-11-26T21:14:40Z")

</div>

I’ve been developing plugins for ParaView using the new `VTKPythonAlgorithmBase` interface. Is it possible to indicate the version in the Python file? Currently the version is always `(unknown)`

 ![15](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6beec4963a4bcd5d5f6af8007aa46049583052.png)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2019, 8:30am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/2 "2019-11-27T08:30:01Z")

</div>

@ben.boeckel @utkarsh.ayachit

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/3 "2019-11-27T12:11:02Z")

</div>

AFAIK, no there isn’t. Some wires need to be linked up in the plugin loading logic (which needs an issue I think). XML plugins probably also deserve a version field.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/tianyikillua/32/12200_2.png) [@tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/tianyikillua)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2019, 12:13pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/4 "2019-11-27T12:13:20Z")

</div>

Thanks for your reply!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/5 "2019-11-27T15:43:09Z")

</div>

I’ve filed an issue here to track it: [https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/issues/19492](https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/issues/19492)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/tianyikillua/32/12200_2.png) [@tianyikillua](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/tianyikillua)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/indicate-version-for-vtkpythonalgorithmbase-based-python-plugin/3055/6 "2019-11-28T14:52:39Z")

</div>

I found this piece of code inside `pythonalgorithm.py`

```python
def get_plugin_version(module_or_package):
    """helper function called by vtkPVPythonAlgorithmPlugin to discover
    ParaView plugin version, if any."""
    from inspect import ismodule, isclass
    if ismodule(module_or_package) and hasattr(module_or_package, "paraview_plugin_version"):
        return str(getattr(module_or_package, "paraview_plugin_version"))
    else:
        return "(unknown)"

```

See also [https://github.com/OpenGeoVis/PVGeo/blob/master/PVPlugins/PVGeo\_Filters.py](https://github.com/OpenGeoVis/PVGeo/blob/master/PVPlugins/PVGeo_Filters.py). So we just need to define a `paraview_plugin_version` variable inside the Python file!

![0](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/2X/c/cb96156bddd15977f2d10be85294495235e11714.png)

Works perfectly now!
