修改文件夹而不修改时间戳

Question

I'd like to change folder contents without having Date modified change.

I sometimes do cleanup runs on old folders, trying to make space or clean up temp files and dead-ends, or adding relevant links or tags for findability. When I do this, I don't want to change the folder to Date modified: today 2015 , because my folders are sorted by Date modified . A project from 2010 should remain timestamped with its last modified date from 2010, because I've only made meta-changes, not actual changes.

Currently I use SK Timestamp or Attribute Changer . I right click each folder before I want to make changes to it, I keep the Properties window open, make my modifications, then hit Apply to overwrite the original timestamps.

I'd like to do it more automated, like set a Cleanup Mode on the root folder D:\\Workspace and until I pop that state no timestamps ever get changed in the subdirectories Project2010 , Project2013 ..., Project2015

Either that or at least be able to copy the timestamp between 2 files. Like in this answer that mentions @COPY /B %1+,, %1 , but not with current date. Usage like: touch D:\\Temp\\Project2010\\Source.txt Destination.ext

Answer 1

I had commented above with a couple of suggestions -- one involving modifying the system's date / time, and another involving robocopy . The system date / time one is a bit of trouble and requires Internet access, and the robocopy /dcopy:t switch didn't work at all in my tests.

But I found a better solution anyway. Use a for loop to capture the folder's date time to a variable. Then after you've made whatever changes you wish, use powershell to put the folder's date / time back the way it was.

@echo off
setlocal

set "dir=path\to\directory"
for %%I in (%dir%) do set "datetime=%%~tI"

:: Do whatever deletions and other maintenance you want here.

:: Then after all changes have completed, reset the dir timestamp.
powershell -command "(Get-Item '%dir%').LastWriteTime=(Get-Date '%datetime%')"