Change file date and time stamp

umm... it must be easier than that.  I want to change a file that is hard coded. lets say "C:\MyFile.txt" and i want its created date to be Jan 9, 1996...

Well, maybe there is another "simple" way but you did ask for the code, not the easiest one.
With Windows, the most simple thing could be harder to implement.
Cheers

Date and time handling is much more complicated than most people realise.  In fact it is so complicated that even Microsoft screwed it up.  In Windows NT if you create a file in January and then view the time of create of the same file in April, you will see that the time of creation changes.

The problem is that file times are meant to be stored in GMT and then translated into local time when they are viewed but somehow it all went wrong.  Recently I was working on a band new Windows 2000 server from Dell it was configured with US Date formats, I loaded a Novell driver which changed the way that filetime worked.  We changed the date format of the server to UK date format and my VB project forms (ABOUT 100 OF THEN) got redated back to the fifties and sixties.

In summary Richie_Simonetti, don't waste much time looking for a simpler way, I don't think there is one.....

The example posted had a bug which I have now fixed. I turned the example into an easy-to-use class.

Example of usage:

Private Sub Command1_Click()

Dim GF As New zGF         ' General Functions

Dim dt As New zFileDates
Dim d$
Dim FilePath$
Dim newdate As Date

' get the path to re-date
FilePath = "D:\CustData\Abacus\Utilities\PrintOrders\"
GF.CheckSlash FilePath ' make sure has a slash at the end


newdate = Now

' Read files from the path
d$ = Dir$(FilePath + "*.*")
Do While Len(d$) > 0
    ' change the file date/time
    dt.UpdateFileTime FilePath + d$, newdate
    d$ = Dir
Loop
MsgBox "Done"


End Sub

===============end of example

Here is the

1)Create a new class module
2)paste the following code
3)change the class name to zFileDates

====Code for zFileDates class=========

Option Explicit

' converted to a class form the code supplied here:
' the code from this location had a date/time bug
' which was fixed
' please report any errors to:
' nyoung@nyoung@vipintersoft.com

   'KPD-Team 1998
   'URL: http://www.allapi.net/
   'KPDTeam@Allapi.net

Private Type FILETIME
   dwLowDateTime As Long
   dwHighDateTime As Long
End Type

Private Type SYSTEMTIME
   wYear As Integer
   wMonth As Integer
   wDayOfWeek As Integer
   wDay As Integer
   wHour As Integer
   wMinute As Integer
   wSecond As Integer
   wMilliseconds As Integer
End Type

Private Const GENERIC_WRITE = &H40000000
Private Const OPEN_EXISTING = 3
Private Const FILE_SHARE_READ = &H1
Private Const FILE_SHARE_WRITE = &H2
Private Declare Function CreateFile Lib "kernel32" Alias "CreateFileA" _
         (ByVal lpFileName As String, ByVal dwDesiredAccess As Long, _
   ByVal dwShareMode As Long, _
   ByVal lpSecurityAttributes As Long, ByVal dwCreationDisposition As Long, _
   ByVal dwFlagsAndAttributes As Long, ByVal hTemplateFile As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SetFileTime Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hFile As Long, lpCreationTime As FILETIME, _
   lpLastAccessTime As FILETIME, lpLastWriteTime As FILETIME) As Long
Private Declare Function SystemTimeToFileTime Lib "kernel32" _
    (lpSystemTime As SYSTEMTIME, lpFileTime As FILETIME) As Long
Private Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" _
    (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function LocalFileTimeToFileTime _
    Lib "kernel32" (lpLocalFileTime As FILETIME, _
    lpFileTime As FILETIME) As Long

Public Sub UpdateFileTime(FileName As String, NewDateTime As Date)
 
   Dim lngHandle As Long
   Dim udtFileTime As FILETIME
   Dim udtLocalTime As FILETIME
   Dim udtSystemTime As SYSTEMTIME

   udtSystemTime.wYear = Year(NewDateTime)
   udtSystemTime.wMonth = Month(NewDateTime)
   udtSystemTime.wDay = Day(NewDateTime)
   udtSystemTime.wDayOfWeek = Weekday(NewDateTime) - 1
   udtSystemTime.wHour = Hour(NewDateTime)
   udtSystemTime.wMinute = Minute(NewDateTime) ' this was missing
   udtSystemTime.wSecond = Second(NewDateTime)
   udtSystemTime.wMilliseconds = 0

   ' convert system time to local time
   SystemTimeToFileTime udtSystemTime, udtLocalTime
   
   ' convert local time to GMT
   LocalFileTimeToFileTime udtLocalTime, udtFileTime
   
   ' open the file to get the filehandle
   lngHandle = CreateFile(FileName, GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ Or FILE_SHARE_WRITE, ByVal 0&, OPEN_EXISTING, 0, 0)
   
   ' change date/time property of the file
   SetFileTime lngHandle, udtFileTime, udtFileTime, udtFileTime
   
   ' close the handle
   CloseHandle lngHandle
   
End Sub

MICS,

Richie has given you the best solution.  The only other shorter solution that I know of is to use the File System Object.  Note that there are in fact three file dates involved, as you can see by going to the Properties window in Explorer.

In order to use the following code you need to make a reference to the Microsoft Scripting Runtime.  And uncomment the date(s) you want changed.

Sub ChangeFileDate(ByVal FileName As String, ByVal FileDate As Date)
Dim fs As Scripting.FileSystemObject
Dim fil As Scripting.File

Set fs = New Scripting.FileSystemObject
Set fil = fs.GetFile(FileName)
'fil.DateCreated = FileDate
'fil.DateLastModified = FileDate
fil.DateLastModified = FileDate
Set fil = Nothing
Set fs = Nothing

End Sub

Sorry about the typo:
Sub ChangeFileDate(ByVal FileName As String, ByVal FileDate As Date)
Dim fs As Scripting.FileSystemObject
Dim fil As Scripting.File

Set fs = New Scripting.FileSystemObject
Set fil = fs.GetFile(FileName)
'fil.DateCreated = FileDate
'fil.DateLastAccessed = FileDate
fil.DateLastModified = FileDate

Set fil = Nothing
Set fs = Nothing

End Sub

acperkins,

the method that you posted will not work,

fil.DateCreated = FileDate
fil.DateLastAccessed = FileDate
fil.DateLastModified = FileDate

you cannot use these to assign values, they are read only.

All of this is nice but creating a class for this? Why load such object in memory and waste resources?
OOP is good 8 and i like it) but not apply it to everything always.

>>you cannot use these to assign values, they are read only<<
I stand corrected, my mistake.

Anthony

there were a few bugs that were fixed by inthedark.

inthedark, i have posted another question with 50points for you, for fixing the bugs.

thanks guys

Thanks Richie my app got redated nicely thanks....one day I'll post a question "form code vs class code" but right now I'm taking a bath with too many crocodiles.