--- a/src/fablib/core.py	Thu Jun 20 11:14:12 2013 +0200
+++ b/src/fablib/core.py	Thu Jun 20 14:01:48 2013 +0200
@@ -119,6 +119,17 @@
     finally:
         os.chdir(current_path)
     print("Build source dist at %s done" % path)
+
+def get_version(version):
+    version_str = '%s.%s' % (version[0], version[1])
+    if version[2]:
+        version_str = '%s.%s' % (version_str, version[2])
+    if version[3:] == ('alpha', 0):
+        version_str = '%s pre-alpha' % version_str
+    else:
+        if version[3] != 'final':
+            version_str = '%s %s %s' % (version_str, version[3], version[4])
+    return version_str
     
 
 def get_src_version(key, path):
@@ -134,18 +145,34 @@
     try:
         f, pathname, description = imp.find_module(mod_name, [path])
         src_mod = imp.load_module(mod_name, f, pathname, description)
+    except:
+        src_mod = None
+        print("Could not import module, trying to parse")        
     finally:
         os.chdir(current_path)
         if f:
             f.close()
-    if hasattr(src_mod, "VERSION"):
+    version = None
+    if src_mod is None:
+        with open(os.path.join(mod_name,"__init__.py"),'r') as init_file:
+            for line in init_file:
+                m = re.search('VERSION\s+=\s+\((.+)\)', line, re.I)
+                if m:                    
+                    version = tuple([re.sub('[\s\"\']','', item) for item in m.group(1).split(',')])
+                    break
+    elif hasattr(src_mod, "VERSION"):
         version = src_mod.VERSION
     elif hasattr(src_mod, "__version__"):
         version = src_mod.__version__
 
+    if version is None:
+        version = ""
+
     if not isinstance(version, basestring):
-        if hasattr(src_mod, "get_version"):
+        if src_mod and hasattr(src_mod, "get_version"):
             version_str = src_mod.get_version()
+        elif isinstance(version, tuple):
+            version_str = get_version(version)
         else:
             version_str = str(version)
     else: