Timestamp - A utility to change a files "Modified" time.

Introduction

Working with a team of programmers in different time zones can be fun, but it can also cause major problems when files from different time zones get mixed and matched. The latest update to a new version of a file may have a date earlier than someone elses old version, meaning it won't be recompiled, or, a new file may have a date later than others meaning DevStudio repeatedly wants to recompile everything.

The solution to this is:

Get everyone to set their computer to the same time. This may work for some, but can be extremely inconvenient to others, or
Re-stamp the time on your files before sending them off to your colleagues.

I chose the latter, which meant I had to come up with a way to restamp file times. Enter TimeStamp.

This is as basic a "Touch" program as you'll find. Just enter in the offset in days, hours and minutes (positive will push file times into the future, negative into the past), select your files, then hit "Go". Simple.

Each file selected (either a single file or a complete directory tree) has it's "Last Modified" time set to the current time plus the offset that you choose.

The program remembers the last offset you've set, the last 10 files and directories you've stamped, and it's last screen location.

Thanks to:

Chris Losinger - Drop Edit
Vladimir Kvashin, Girish Bharadwaj and Lars Klose - Directory picker class
Davide Calibro - Flat buttons

History

15 July 2009 - Added ability to set file times relative to the original file's time. Also compiles in VC9.

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

About the Author

Chris Maunder

Founder CodeProject

Canada

Member

Follow on Twitter
Google+

Google

Chris is the Co-founder, Administrator, Architect, Chief Editor and Shameless Hack who wrote and runs The Code Project. He's been programming since 1988 while pretending to be, in various guises, an astrophysicist, mathematician, physicist, hydrologist, geomorphologist, defence intelligence researcher and then, when all that got a bit rough on the nerves, a web developer. He is a Microsoft Visual C++ MVP both globally and for Canada locally.

His programming experience includes C/C++, C#, SQL, MFC, ASP, ASP.NET, and far, far too much FORTRAN. He has worked on PocketPCs, AIX mainframes, Sun workstations, and a CRAY YMP C90 behemoth but finds notebooks take up less desk space.

He dodges, he weaves, and he never gets enough sleep. He is kind to small animals.

Chris was born and bred in Australia but splits his time between Toronto and Melbourne, depending on the weather. For relaxation he is into road cycling, snowboarding, rock climbing, and storm chasing.

Article Top