How to Grab the Create Date/Time of a Local File?

[haensz]

Does anyone know how to grab the create date and time of a local file?

I'm pulling vendor catalog feeds into FM11. Up until now I've just been inserting the current date & time as the catalog date of the newly imported file -- the assumption here was that if a new catalog file was delivered to our FTP folder, then it was actually NEW!

Worked fine until I discovered that one vendor has been sending an old catalog every morning. So I've been processing the same file needlessly every day...

Just in case I've missed a external function that's already under my nose -- I have SMPTit Pro, FTPit Pro, and Troi URL plugins but have never run across anything that would give me a file's date/time.

Thanks in advance,

Andy Haenszel

[Fitch]

FTPit Pro can give you the file size, but doesn't look like it has a file date function. Troi File can do it, it has specific functions for creation and modification dates.

[LaRetta]

Hi Andy,

You can use OS level (for Windows, DOS or VBScript) to write the directory ( list of file names and their date/timestamps ). I've used this to check for dates of files in this exact instance - files placed in a folder by another agency which we then import if any of the files have a current date.

I have also used intermediate table to hold imported file names; the table is then used to import data from the files themselves. In this way, you can prohibit import of duplicate file using validation 'unique' during import and ensure it is the current file. You can then send email notices if current file (as specified in script) does not exist.

Send Event[] plus OS level handles it nicely; no plugin required.

[haensz]

LaRetta -- could you send me a sample of what you're talking about? At least enough so that I can get on the right track and Google to learn more.

I've used batch files occasionally as a work-around for random issue like this, but I've no clue what I'm really doing when writing them!