diff --git a/openscad.pro b/openscad.pro
index fbe0fa7c..c507ab9c 100644
--- a/openscad.pro
+++ b/openscad.pro
@@ -8,71 +8,14 @@
   }
 }
 
+# Populate VERSION, VERSION_YEAR, VERSION_MONTH, VERSION_DATE from system date
+include(version.pri)
+
 # for debugging link problems (use nmake -f Makefile.Release > log.txt)
 win32 {
   # QMAKE_LFLAGS   += -VERBOSE
 }
 
-# get VERSION from system date
-
-isEmpty(VERSION) {
-  win32-msvc*: {
-    # 
-    # Windows XP date command only has one argument, /t
-    # and it can print the date in various localized formats. 
-    # This code will detect MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, and DD/MM/YYYY
-    #
-    SYSDATE = $$system(date /t)
-    SYSDATE = $$replace(SYSDATE,"/",".")
-    SYSDATE ~= s/[A-Za-z]*// # remove name of day
-    DATE_SPLIT=$$split(SYSDATE, ".")
-    DATE_X=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 0)
-    DATE_Y=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 1)
-    DATE_Z=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 2)
-    TEST1=$$find(DATE_X, [0-9]{4} )
-    TEST2=$$find(DATE_Z, [0-9]{4} )
-
-    QDATE = $$_DATE_
-    QDATE_SPLIT = $$split(QDATE)
-    QDAY = $$member(QDATE_SPLIT,2)
-    
-    !isEmpty(TEST1) { 
-      contains( QDAY, $$DATE_Z ) { 
-        # message("Assuming YYYY/MM/DD format")
-        VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_X 
-        VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_Y
-        VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_Z
-      } 
-    } else {
-      !isEmpty(TEST2) { 
-        contains( DATE_X, $$QDAY ) {
-          # message("Assuming DD/MM/YYYY format" $$DATE_X $$DATE_Y $$DATE_Z )
-          VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_X
-          VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_Y
-          VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_Z
-        } else {
-          # message("Assuming MM/DD/YYYY format" $$DATE_X $$DATE_Y $$DATE_Z )
-          VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_X
-          VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_Y
-          VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_Z
-        }
-      } else {
-        # test1 and test2 both empty
-        error("Couldn't parse Windows date. please run 'qmake VERSION=YYYY.MM.DD' with todays date")
-      }
-    } # isEmpty(TEST1)
-    VERSION = $$VERSION_YEAR"."$$VERSION_MONTH"."$$VERSION_DAY
-    # message("YMD Version:" $$VERSION)
-  } else { 
-    # Unix/Mac 
-    VERSION = $$system(date "+%Y.%m.%d")
-    VERSION_SPLIT=$$split(VERSION, ".")
-    VERSION_YEAR=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 0)
-    VERSION_MONTH=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 1)
-    VERSION_DAY=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 2)
-  }
-}
-
 # cross compilation unix->win32
 
 CONFIG(mingw-cross-env) {
diff --git a/version.pri b/version.pri
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5cce3d58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/version.pri
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# get VERSION from system date
+
+isEmpty(VERSION) {
+  win32-msvc*: {
+    # 
+    # Windows XP date command only has one argument, /t
+    # and it can print the date in various localized formats. 
+    # This code will detect MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, and DD/MM/YYYY
+    #
+    SYSDATE = $$system(date /t)
+    SYSDATE = $$replace(SYSDATE,"/",".")
+    SYSDATE ~= s/[A-Za-z]*// # remove name of day
+    DATE_SPLIT=$$split(SYSDATE, ".")
+    DATE_X=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 0)
+    DATE_Y=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 1)
+    DATE_Z=$$member(DATE_SPLIT, 2)
+    TEST1=$$find(DATE_X, [0-9]{4} )
+    TEST2=$$find(DATE_Z, [0-9]{4} )
+
+    QDATE = $$_DATE_
+    QDATE_SPLIT = $$split(QDATE)
+    QDAY = $$member(QDATE_SPLIT,2)
+    
+    !isEmpty(TEST1) { 
+      contains( QDAY, $$DATE_Z ) { 
+        # message("Assuming YYYY/MM/DD format")
+        VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_X 
+        VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_Y
+        VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_Z
+      } 
+    } else {
+      !isEmpty(TEST2) { 
+        contains( DATE_X, $$QDAY ) {
+          # message("Assuming DD/MM/YYYY format" $$DATE_X $$DATE_Y $$DATE_Z )
+          VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_X
+          VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_Y
+          VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_Z
+        } else {
+          # message("Assuming MM/DD/YYYY format" $$DATE_X $$DATE_Y $$DATE_Z )
+          VERSION_MONTH = $$DATE_X
+          VERSION_DAY = $$DATE_Y
+          VERSION_YEAR = $$DATE_Z
+        }
+      } else {
+        # test1 and test2 both empty
+        error("Couldn't parse Windows date. please run 'qmake VERSION=YYYY.MM.DD' with todays date")
+      }
+    } # isEmpty(TEST1)
+    VERSION = $$VERSION_YEAR"."$$VERSION_MONTH"."$$VERSION_DAY
+    # message("YMD Version:" $$VERSION)
+  } else { 
+    # Unix/Mac 
+    VERSION = $$system(date "+%Y.%m.%d")
+    VERSION_SPLIT=$$split(VERSION, ".")
+    VERSION_YEAR=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 0)
+    VERSION_MONTH=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 1)
+    VERSION_DAY=$$member(VERSION_SPLIT, 2)
+  }
+}