FAQ: How do you modify a file without changing the timestamp on Unix?

If you want to change the content of the files without changing their timestamps, there is no direct way to do it. But it is possible! We can use one of the -r (reference) touch command options to preserve the timestamps of the file after editing or modifying it.

How can I edit a file without changing the timestamp?

The -r option (or -reference) uses the file time instead of the current time. You can use stat to check the timestamps of both files. Now edit the main file and make the desired changes. Then use the touch command to touch the main file with the timestamp of the tmp file.

How do you modify the timestamp of a file in Unix?

5 Examples of Linux Touch Commands (How to Change File Timestamp)

  1. Create an empty file using touch. …
  2. Change the file access time using -a. …
  3. Change the file modification time using -m. …
  4. Explicitly set the access and modification time using -t and -d. …
  5. Copy the timestamp from another file using -r.

Can we change the modification date of a file in Unix?

3 answers. You can use the touch command in conjunction with the -r switch to apply another file's attributes to a file. NOTE: There's no such thing as create date in Unix, there is only access, modify and change.

How do I move a file without changing the modification date in Linux?

How to copy a file without changing last modified date, timestamp and ownership in Linux/Unix? The cp command provides a –p option to copy the file without changing the mode, ownership, and timestamps.

How to copy files without changing date in Linux?

Answer

  1. on linux The -p does the trick on Linux. -p is the same as --preserve=mode,property,timestamps. …
  2. On FreeBSD. The -p also works on FreeBSD. …
  3. On macOS. The -p also works on Mac OS.

How do you find the timestamp of a file?

ctime is for the timestamp of the file's last state change. The following examples show the difference between atime, mtime and ctime, these examples are in GNU/Linux BASH. You can use statistics -x on Mac OS X or another BSD District. to see the similar output format. When the file is just created, three timestamps are the same.

How do I change the modification time of a file?

Right click on the current time and select the option to "Set date/time.” Choose the "Change date and time..." option and enter the new information in the date and time fields. Press "OK" to save your changes and then open the file you want to change.

What command can I use to modify the timestamp of a file?

touch command is a standard command used in the UNIX/Linux operating system that is used to create, change, and modify the timestamps of a file.

How do I backup a file on Unix?

linux cp-backup

If the file you want to copy already exists in the destination directory, you can backup your existing file using this command. Syntax: cp –backup

How is regular expression handled in Unix?

A regular expression is a pattern consisting from a sequence of characters that matched the text. UNIX evaluates the text against the pattern to determine if the text and the pattern match. If they match, the expression is true and a command is executed.

How do I find recently modified files in Linux?

two. The search command

  1. 2.1. -mtime and -mmin. -mtime is useful, for example, if we want to find all the files in the current directory that have changed in the last 24 hours: find . – …
  2. 2.2. -new There are times when we want to find the files that were modified based on a certain date.

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