def get_version():
    """Return the version of the Sparser executable on the path.

    Returns
    -------
    version : str
        The version of Sparser that is found on the Sparser path.
    """
    assert sparser_path is not None, "Sparser path is not defined."
    with open(os.path.join(sparser_path, 'version.txt'), 'r') as f:
        version = f.read().strip()
    return version