def version(*names, **kwargs):
    """
    Returns a string representing the package version or an empty string if not
    installed. If more than one package name is specified, a dict of
    name/version pairs is returned.

    CLI Example:

    .. code-block:: bash

        salt '*' pkg.version <package name>
        salt '*' pkg.version <package1> <package2> <package3> ...
    """
    return __salt__["pkg_resource.version"](*names, **kwargs)