Preserve file modification date

bnote

Is there a way to preserve file’s modification time unchanged after save, as it was before editing?

Thank you.
.

PeterJones

Let me get this straight: you want to modify (change) the file, then save it, but not have the file’s modification time changed? It is the default behavior of Notepad++ to follow standard practices and update the modification time when a file is modified; otherwise, the modification time becomes meaningless.

If you want to corrupt the modification time, on your own, after saving, you can use a program similar to the linux touch utility (like touch.exe, which can be found in the gnuwin32 port of coreutils for Windows). And there’s even a way (using a plugin like NppExec) to create a script that runs the NPP save, then immediately runs touch.exe or similar, and you could assign that script to a keystroke – even overriding the default Ctrl+S, if you wanted to.

gstavi

Obviously NP++ does not modify timestamps directly.
NP++ uses system API to open file for write and this call has a desirable side effect of updating modification time.
Wanting to keep file’s modification time unchanged after its contents were changed is something that is typically reserved for malicious users.

Scott Sumner

The OP did not state WHY s/he wanted to retain the file’s old modification time. Let’s presume there is a perfectly valid reason for wanting this.

I didn’t try it but it sure seems like something that could be scripted to run after a file-save event occurs. Probably wouldn’t want this for every file, but maybe a file with a specific name, or located in a specific folder…with script code all could likely be done…

Of course, maybe changing the mod time in such a manner would cause N++'s File Status Auto-Detection logic to fire if that feature is enabled (suppose it could be disabled to prevent this potential issue).

bnote

‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’’ @PeterJones

Let me get this straight: you want to modify (change) the file, then save it, but not have the file’s modification time changed?

Yeah.

… to follow standard practices

Whose standard practices and for whom?
The essence of the question is exactly to move away from standard practice.

… otherwise, the modification time becomes meaningless.

Hm-m… Meaningless… For you? May be.
But for me - just vice-versa.

… you want to corrupt the modification time, …

Do not say such things out loud.
I want to keep it unchanged. You see the difference between this terms?

… on your own, after saving, you can use …

Thank you. Very much!
I have a lot of I can and before, and after :)
I have the bundle of such applications for Windows.
And surrogate automation I have already now.
However, I want not ‘after saving’, but instead of it, by the forces of Npp itself.

‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’’ @gstavi

Obviously … API …

I think so too.
However, nothing prevents to save opened file’s attributes in dark and cool place, and then bring them back. There are a lot of SetFileTime related functions.

… that is typically reserved for malicious users.

And you too - do not say such things out loud.

‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’’ @Scott Sumner

The OP did not state WHY s/he wanted to retain the file’s old modification time. Let’s presume there is a perfectly valid reason for wanting this.

Thank you for moral support :)

… would cause N++'s File Status Auto-Detection …
May be. And Monitoring too.
But it is a very special case and the interference of these functions should simply not be allowed at the level of the Npp itself. Especially because the timestamp changing event will raise twice - first by OS, and the second - by Npp, when time stam will restored.

I have ownwrited application that run 24x5 and I use API Function ‘WriteFile’, constantly appending data w/o closing handle. I tried now on this remoted PC to open this log in old Npp 6.6.2 - Auto-Detection do not work. I try open it as share on my desktop Npp 7.3.2 - nor Auto-Detection, nor Monitoring not work. But the file is intensilty appending :) and OS show the unchanged time of file creating.

‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’‘’’
OK. At least - few words about wtf it need for me :)

I often have to go to the archives of code, both my own and others. In Far-manager this is all quite easy and meticulously (time, content, size) is compared. Troubles appears when the difference between files is in extra space, linebreak etc. It need to correct 2-3 bytes of code, but, getting identical content, I loose historical timestamp, in first, and in second - got error of compare by time :)

It is very troublesome to use a third party programs for this purpose - it nee to save original time by some manner, edit-save file and set saved time, that need to be passed by some manner too…

If Npp had this feature, but I already guess that it does not have it, then it would be enough to spit out the file from the archive, edit it and throw it back.
.