* VB-CODE (1)
Tip 127: Stamping Files with the Current Date and Time

July 1, 1995

Abstract
While your Microsoft=AE Visual Basic=AE program is running, you may need =
to update the
date and time stamp for a particular file. This article explains how you =
can set a
file's date and time stamp to the current date and time setting.

Manipulating a File's Date and Time Information
The FileDateTime function in Microsoft=AE Visual Basic=AE can tell you =
when a specific
file was first created or last modified. FileDateTime returns both the =
date and
time information as a string variable. However, Visual Basic does not =
offer a
function to set a file's date and time information.

The example program below shows how to update the date and time =
information for an
already existing file. First, you need to make sure the file exists. The =
Dir$
function will return a NULL or empty string if it cannot find the =
specified file
on the disk.
When you know the file exists, you can use the Visual Basic file =
manipulation
commandsOpen, Get, Put, and Closeto force the operating system to update =
the
file's date and time stamp.

The technique is straightforward. You simply open the file, use the Get =
statement
to retrieve the first byte from the file, and then use the Put statement =
to write
that same byte back to the file. When you close the file, Microsoft =
Windows=AE
automatically updates the file's date and time information.

Example Program
This program shows how to update a file's date and time information from =
within a
Visual Basic application.

 1. Create a new project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default.
 2. Add a Command Button control to Form1. Command1 is created by =
default.
 3. Add the following code to the Click event for Command1:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim FName As String
    Dim F As String
    Dim AnyThing As Integer
    Dim X As Integer
=20
    FName =3D "c:\test.doc"
    F =3D Dir$(FName)
    If F =3D "" Then GoTo NoSuchFile
=20
    On Error GoTo FileError
        X =3D FreeFile
        Open FName For Binary As X
        Get X, 1, AnyThing
        Put X, 1, AnyThing
        Close X
    MsgBox "New time/date is: " & FileDateTime("c:\test.doc"), 16, "OK"
    Exit Sub
FileError:
    MsgBox "Unable to time-stamp file", 16, "Error"
    Exit Sub
NoSuchFile:
    MsgBox "That file does not exist!", 16, "Error"
End Sub

Note   This example program assumes you have a file named TEST.DOC in =
the root
directory of drive C.

Run the example program by pressing F5. Click the command button to =
update the
file's date and time information.

Additional References
"FileDateTime Function." (Development Library, Product Documentation, =
Languages,
   Visual Basic 4.0 Professional and Enterprise Editions, Language =
Reference,
   AZ Reference)
Knowledge Base Q113958. "BUG: VBApp FileCopy Updates Destination File's =
Date & Time Stamp."
Knowledge Base Q96098. "FileDateTime Doesn't Include Time If File Time =
Is Midnight."