### 2.9.9 MySQL Configuration and Third-Party Tools

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 Third-party tools that need to determine the MySQL version from the MySQL source can read the `VERSION` file in the top-level source directory. The file lists the pieces of the version separately. For example, if the version is MySQL 8.0.4-rc, the file looks like this:

```
MYSQL_VERSION_MAJOR=8
MYSQL_VERSION_MINOR=0
MYSQL_VERSION_PATCH=4
MYSQL_VERSION_EXTRA=-rc
```

 If the source is not for a General Availablility (GA) release, the `MYSQL_VERSION_EXTRA` value is nonempty. In the example just shown, the value corresponds to “Release Candidate”.

 To construct a five-digit number from the version components, use this formula:

```
MYSQL_VERSION_MAJOR*10000 + MYSQL_VERSION_MINOR*100 + MYSQL_VERSION_PATCH
```

