Can you make .lnk file date same as its target

[sorcar]

TC can do multiple .lnk files from selected files by Ctrl+Shift+F5, but their datestamps are the date and time of making the links. I could not find a way in TC or its plugins how to reflect in .lnk files the date of their target files. Can anyone suggest a way, either in TC, or through any other programs to achieve this?

[Stefan2]

See "Files > Change Attributes"







.

[sorcar]

Tried. That requires me to change each of file date manually to match the date of the target file. I need to make thousands of .lnk files for classifying docs to different organizational folders, but they do not reflect the datestamps of the target files. I was looking for some help on how to automate the process. Thanks in anticipation.

[MVV]

sorcar,
If you will access these files from TC, you can try my Virtual Panel plugin in order to keep links to files. It always shows actual attributes of linked files.

[Hacker]

sorcar,
Perhaps you could make hardlinks?

HTH
Roman

[sorcar]

MVV: Good workaround suggestion, will try this first. I wished though someone might write a DOS, or AHK script...
Hacker: I thought of this, but hard links often turn into separate files during copying and backup operations.

[Hacker]

sorcar,
Just say the word

Code: Select all

Loop, Read, %1%
{
	SplitPath, A_LoopReadLine, FileName
	FileGetTime, TimeStamp, %A_LoopReadLine%
	FileCreateShortcut, %A_LoopReadLine%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
	FileSetTime, %TimeStamp%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
}

Create CreateLinksKeepingTimestamps.ahk with the above contents, add to Button Bar, set

Code: Select all

"%L" "%T\"

as the parameters, select source files, click button and links to the source files will be created in the target dir having their timestamps adjusted automatically.

HTH
Roman

[sorcar]

Hacker: Works like a charm. Many, many, many thanks.

[Hacker]

sorcar,
Welcome. You can also create a user command that would call this script and assign it to a keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl-Shift-F5, overriding the default TC shortcut to create links.

HTH
Roman

[sorcar]

That is great. One issue: the code now adds the extension as part of the name before .lnk (such as letter.doc.lnk). Is there a way to have the filename only in the shortcut? (Not a big issue though).

[Hacker]

sorcar,
TC does that, too. Here is the adjusted code:

Code: Select all

Loop, Read, %1%
{
	SplitPath, A_LoopReadLine, , , , FileName
	FileGetTime, TimeStamp, %A_LoopReadLine%
	FileCreateShortcut, %A_LoopReadLine%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
	FileSetTime, %TimeStamp%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
}

HTH
Roman

[sorcar]

Roman: Works great! Will you please put this on TotalcmdWiki AHK scripts, please? That page contains quite a few useful scripts, many contributed by you, but has not been updated this year.

[Hacker]

sorcar,
Sure, done.

Roman

[sorcar]

Additional feature request [after almost 3 years]:

The ahk code above makes shortcuts for selected files - but does not include files within selected folders. Can someone show how to make shortcuts of all selected files, including those inside selected directories (recursively)?

Thanks in advance.

[Hacker]

sorcar,
Like this?

Code: Select all

Loop, Read, %1%
{
	FileGetAttrib, Attrib, %A_LoopReadLine%
	IfInString, Attrib, D
	{
		Loop, Files, %A_LoopReadLine%*.*, R
		{
			SplitPath, A_LoopFileLongPath, , , , FileName
			FileGetTime, TimeStamp, %A_LoopFileLongPath%
			FileCreateShortcut, %A_LoopFileLongPath%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
			FileSetTime, %TimeStamp%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
		}
		Continue
	}

	SplitPath, A_LoopReadLine, , , , FileName
	FileGetTime, TimeStamp, %A_LoopReadLine%
	FileCreateShortcut, %A_LoopReadLine%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
	FileSetTime, %TimeStamp%, %2%%FileName%.lnk
}

HTH
Roman