Need a Script to change the file 'Date Modifed' to current date.

Hi there

I don't have a complete solution for you but to change ModifyDate from a vbscript on a file
this is one way to do it on.

Regards Tompa

strDir = "c:\temp\"
strFileName = "test.txt"
 
 
RunCommand = ChangeModifyDate(strDir,strFileName)
 
Function ChangeModifyDate(strDir, strFileName )
    Dim ObjShell
	Dim ObjFolder
    
    Set ObjShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
    Set ObjFolder = ObjShell.NameSpace(strDir)
    ObjFolder.Items.Item(strFileName).ModifyDate = now
End Function

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Thanks Tompa99, but i need to a complete script. Is it possible to provide the loop also?

Thanks Tompa. But i didn't find array declaration (something like that) in your solution. I want to declare all my file names and want to loop them. Please note that I have files in many folders, not one folder.

raised points

I will explain my problem better:
I have some flat files on a server( Windows OS only). Those files will be bulk inserted into my staging db. But before bulk inserting the files will be validated for the last modifed date. If the files are modifed within certain time (last 1 hour or 2 hours etc), then only the files are proecessed otherwise skipped. Now I want to touch those files before running my ETL so that no file will be skipped.
The problem is how to touch (modify the last accessed time) those files? I cannot open each and every file and save (to change the last modified time). I want to automate this process. Any solution (either a VBScript or JavaScript or T-SQL) is helpful to me.
Moderator - Could you look into this question and alert the experts for more attention.
 

Can do this in T-SQL...

In the update statement, make sure you change the convert style number for filedate.

You could also use a dir /t:a *.txt  if you wanted to then unpack that line. The /t:a means last accessed date.

Here, we use a ' ## ' as a delimiter between filename and filedate. Can change that if needed...

Then can loop through that list visiting / processing each file as needed.

Let me know if we are on the right track...

if object_id('tmp_files_list','u') is not null drop table tmp_files_list
 
create table tmp_files_list(files varchar(200), diskfilename varchar(100), filedate datetime)
 
insert tmp_files_list (files)
exec xp_cmdshell 'for %i in (c:\ee\*.txt) do @echo %~fi ## %~ti '
 
update tmp_files_list set diskfilename = substring(files,1,charindex(' ## ',files)),
                           filedate = convert(datetime,substring(files,charindex(' ## ',files)+4, len(files)),103)
where files like '% ## %'
 
select diskfilename, filedate from tmp_files_list where diskfilename is not null

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thanks mark. will try it tomorrow.

Mark - i think you didn't understand my requirement clearly. I want to change the 'Date Modifed' attribute for the file.
Here you are reading the file name, date modifed and inserting into a temp table.
However i am getting date varchar to datetime conversion error. (forget about this error. I can handle. but this is not what i want.)

Sorry about that. Yep you are correct, did not read the question properly. Thought you wanted a list of files for import into a staging table...

Will give some more thought... Probably OA procedures - have one that can read and write, not sure about set date property...

If you are getting into Windows Powershell, there is a very cool script you can run :

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/resources/qanda/feb07/hey0213.mspx

Thanks Mark for the script and the link. The script is working fine. I have tuned it according to my requirement. However as you see, its appending one NULL row in the text file. So I am ended up with a NULL row in my file. every time i ran the script, i am getting (appending) one NULL row. how can i handle this? i.e. after appending NULL record, just want to remvove that row. (last row in my text file)?

Is it the last accessed date or the last modified date ? If you can use the last accessed date, then do not do the write line.

The OA procedures can only access datelastmodified as a read only property.

To get a list of files using last accessed date do a dir /T:A *.txt   and it will then use the last accessed date in a DIR command.

Otherwise, you need to go to some "real" code and use one of the Windows API's to change the date.

Have included a ZIP file. Unzip the three files and remove the additional .txt extensions. Either put the files into an existing path, or keep together whereever you are going to run the exe from.

Simple command line utility : touch -m filename

That will update the modified date (denoted by -m) of the filename. And that filename can include wildcards. Grabbed it from GNU many years back and still works on my XP Pro machine, so do not see why it wouldn't work on other WIN platforms.


GNU (origin of 'touch.exe') : http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/

CodeProject Source Code :  http://www.codeproject.com/KB/applications/touch_win.aspx

or C# code as a console project from a posting by "RON" on http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-change-the-last-modified-date-creation-date-and-last-accessed-date-for-files-and-folders/ :

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;
 
namespace touch
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
 
if (args.Length == 0)
{
Console.WriteLine(String.Format(\{0}\", dt.ToString()));
return;
}
 
if (args[0].Contains(?) || args[0].Contains(help))
{
Console.WriteLine(touch usage: \r\n touch -> no arguments returns current date time\r\ntouch path -> sets all files (recursively) under path to current time\r\ntouch sets all files in path to where time is any time format parseable);
return;
}
 
if (args.Length > 1)
{
DateTime.Parse(args[1]);
}
 
String FileSpec = args[0];
 
DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(FileSpec);
 
FileInfo [] fi = di.GetFiles(*.*, SearchOption.AllDirectories);
 
foreach (FileInfo file in fi)
{
file.CreationTime = dt;
file.LastAccessTime = dt;
file.LastWriteTime = dt;
} 
 
Console.WriteLine(String.Format(Changed File Time on {0} files, fi.Length));
}
}
}

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touch.zip

I think i didn't explain you properly. Whatever the "Date Modified" for a file, i want to touch it. thats it. I have folder strcture and files. Using your script (Post# 24225640),I am able to pass the filename (full path) and change the "Date Modifed". (because you are writing a NULL row into the file).
after writing this NULL row, could you tell me to delete it. So that i will be having my original file without the extra NULL row at the end.
Yet to look into to your attachments and the script in your last post.
Thanks again.

Yep, now understand.

That last post replaces the previous use of OA. Now resorted to "real code" and there is an EXE and two DLL in that zip.

make a folder c:\ee\touch

unzip the touch.zip file into that folder and remove the fake .txt extension on those three files

copy some other files into it.

check date modified in windows explorer.

click start then run then cmd

at the command prompt type cd c:\ee\touch

then touch -m *.*

then have a look in file explorer again for the date modified property.

Think that is what you are asking for.

From SQL, can use that command, or, can set up a batch job.

Is it possible to modify the Post (# 24225640) little bit as per my requirement (deleting the newly appended last NULL row)? I tried your last suggestion but no luck. As I am a SQL guy and we are already in the middle with OLE object script, i think we can do this in SQL. I am confirtable using SQL than dlls or batch files.    

To be more specific,
as you are writing NULL row with "WriteLine", I am looking for similar code with paramter like "DeleteLine" or "DeleteLastLine"
execute @status = sp_OAMethod @FileID, 'WriteLine', Null, Null
-- if you write NULL to the file it will change the lastmodifieddate
IF @status <> 0 PRINT 'Write NULLs'

Alas, there is no deleteline...

There might be something else, will hunt around a bit more in my toy box :)

i know that there is no deleteline. (I googled a lot for that or something like that).  if there is any option like that, it would be good.

We could do something like rename and write a new one. But that is fairly drastic considering the "touch" routine can already change the modified date.

this is what we got so far :

1) SQL Routine using cmdshell that gets a list of tablenames and date created
2) SQL Routine using OA processes to change Last Accessed Date
3) TOUCH.EXE program that changes the datelastmodified property - which we can do as per 1 above
4) Maybe a routine to rename/ write or copy to a new version using OA processes
5) Maybe create the console program in the earlier posting as a managed DLL code and use that in a CLR procedure

So, maybe a more lateral approach ? What is it about changing the date that becomes so vital - why do we need to recognise (or enforce) the change of datelastmodified date as opposed to either datelastaccessed or even datecreated ?  We could probably pick up either of those other dates, or, use the touch program, or even keep a local register in the database.

in all these i am more interested on OA processes. If possible, i can go for xp_cmdshell. I am more interested in implementing this in T-SQL rather than DLLs or any other. Initially i thought that its not possible in SQL so choose VBScript. I really appreciate your efforts here. Why I am preferring T-SQL is i can fine tune it to my requirement. (the only thing is i need to get that logic). My requirement is with datemodifed only.