Copy item, set what date?

For my program Workbench Explorer, when you copy/paste an item the date/time gets sets to the current date/time. Filer and Windows Explorer set them to the source file date/time. In a shell window, Copy sets it to the current date/time, unless you use CLONE.

What would you rather have? The original file's date/time or the current date/time at paste?

@mritter0

I understand the file datestamp as referring to the date/time the file was created/saved. Updating the datestamp to the current date/time with each copy operation is IMHO uncalled for. Imagine copying a file from your HD to a flash disk: you end up with two files, one of which appears to be newer than the other despite them being identical. Not good.

Also note that Workbench will preserve the datestamp (as well as the protection bits) when copying with drag and drop.

I also strongly believe this is desirable.

Best regards,

Niels

Keeping the original date/time is very important for me as a beta tester as it makes it easy to judge new versions/updates and dates of backup files.

The best solution is probably to make it a preferences option as dopus 4/5 does, that way everybody is happy.

@mritter0

How about a config item that allows the user to choose?

I like the idea of a new option:

Preserve file date when paste

On by default.


I do retain protection bits and file note.

Part 2:

Only Workbench keeps the date of drawers. No other program does. Keep that date, too?


EDIT:

Drawer dates are now preserved, too. That was not easy to figure out.

@mritter0
Quote:
The system will change the date if any files are added to the directory or edited and saved, so the directory date isn't as useful.

@xenic

But still, if you copy a full directory tree (e.g. as backup), you want the drawers to also be perfect copies, including their dates.

It's just a matter of doing things in the right order (set dir date after the recursive call returns).

Best regards,

Niels

@mritter0

It is so rare I need to have a copy with a differnet timestamp than the original, that I prefer a copy comand to create an a clone of the source.

@mritter0


I second the opinion every one else has.

Copy should mean clone the file and it's DateTime stamp. Thanks for having figured out how to implement it for the drawers too.