How to get version history in SharePoint 2013?

Question

I made a comments column, enabled "Append changes to existing text", and enabled "Create a version each time you edit an item in this list?". How can I retrieve all versions so I can get all comments using JavaScript?

I tried using the following REST API endpoint:

.../_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('.../Lists/Announcements_list/381_.000')/versions

But it doesn't return the comment and the author:

{
d: {
     results: Array(1)
          0:
           CheckInComment: ""
           Created: "2020-06-01T16:41:26Z"
           CreatedBy: {__deferred: {…}}
           ID: 6144
           IsCurrentVersion: false
           Size: 0
           Url: "_vti_history/6144/Lists/Announcements_list/381_.000"
           VersionLabel: "12.0"
           __metadata: {id: ".../_api/SP.FileVersion4f29f152-200e- 
           4773- 
           906a-e4c496699174", uri: ".../_api/SP.FileVersion4f29f152- 
           200e-4773-906a-e4c496699174", type: "SP.FileVersion"}
  }
}

Why is CheckInComment an empty string and why doesn't it get the CreatedBy value?

Answer 1

You could check the script to get version histories from version page.

https://github.com/shawnadrockleonard/development-samples/blob/25c8f0449985ad9f73e5d3d26c7ad0bdf2d2437f/Sample06/AppFiles/SiteAssets/js/SampleVersionDisp.js#L160

function getListItemByVersionPage(listWebUrl, listId, listItemId, fieldName) {

    var glibvpdef = new jQuery.Deferred();

    var versionsUrl = listWebUrl + '/_layouts/versions.aspx?list=' + listId + '&ID=' + listItemId;

    jQuery.get(versionsUrl)
     .done(function (data) {

         var entries = [];
         var versionList = $(data).find('table.ms-settingsframe');
         if (typeof (versionList) !== typeof (undefined) && versionList !== null) {

             versionList.find('tbody > tr').each(function (i, trval) {
                 // pulls every 2 rows
                 if (i > 0 && (i - 1) % 2 == 0) {
                     try {
                         var verRow = $(this); //get version row
                         var versionLabel = verRow.find('td:first').html().trim();
                         var versionDateElement = verRow.find('table[ctxname=\"ctxVer\"] a'); // Date for modification
                         var versionUserElement = verRow.find('.ms-imnSpan a:nth-child(2)'); // User for Modification
                         if (versionLabel !== ""
                             && (versionDateElement !== null && versionDateElement.length > 0)
                             && (versionUserElement !== null && versionUserElement.length > 0)) {
                             var versionDate = versionDateElement.html().trim();
                             var versionUser = versionUserElement.html().trim();

                             var propsRow = verRow.next(); //get properties row
                             var properties = propsRow.find("table[role=\"presentation\"] tr").map(function (index, val) {

                                 var trproperty = jQuery(val);
                                 if (val.id.indexOf(fieldName) !== -1) {
                                     var entryProperties = {
                                         id: val.id,
                                         title: trproperty.find("td:first").html().trim(),
                                         FieldValue: trproperty.find("td:nth-child(2)").html().trim()
                                     };
                                     return (entryProperties);
                                 }
                             });
                             var entry = {
                                 Label: versionLabel,
                                 Modified: versionDate,
                                 Editor: versionUser,
                                 vprops: properties
                             };
                             entries.push(entry);
                         }
                     } catch (error) {
                         console.log("parse error " + error.message);
                     }
                 }
             });
         }
         glibvpdef.resolve(entries);
     })
    .fail(function (sender, args) {
        glibvpdef.reject(sender, args);
    });

    return glibvpdef.promise();
}