Fetching File Timestamps using Python

file_timestamps.ipynb

{
 "cells": [
  {
   "cell_type": "markdown",
   "metadata": {},
   "source": [
    "# Fetching File Timestamps using Python"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 1,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [],
   "source": [
    "from pathlib import Path"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 2,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "name": "stdout",
     "output_type": "stream",
     "text": [
      "sample\ttest.py  Tutorial.ipynb\r\n"
     ]
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "!ls"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 3,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [],
   "source": [
    "p = Path(\"test.py\")"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 5,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "data": {
      "text/plain": [
       "os.stat_result(st_mode=33204, st_ino=4981505, st_dev=2052, st_nlink=1, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_size=80, st_atime=1591524289, st_mtime=1590327260, st_ctime=1590327261)"
      ]
     },
     "execution_count": 5,
     "metadata": {},
     "output_type": "execute_result"
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "p.stat()"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 7,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "data": {
      "text/plain": [
       "1590327260.9186883"
      ]
     },
     "execution_count": 7,
     "metadata": {},
     "output_type": "execute_result"
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "p.stat().st_mtime"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 8,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [],
   "source": [
    "from datetime import datetime"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 10,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "data": {
      "text/plain": [
       "'2020-05-24T19:04:20.918688'"
      ]
     },
     "execution_count": 10,
     "metadata": {},
     "output_type": "execute_result"
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "datetime.fromtimestamp(p.stat().st_mtime).isoformat()"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": null,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [],
   "source": []
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 12,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [],
   "source": [
    "p = Path(\"sample\")"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 19,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "name": "stdout",
     "output_type": "stream",
     "text": [
      "abc.json  a.txt  b.txt\tc.txt  foo.py\r\n"
     ]
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "!ls sample"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 17,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "name": "stdout",
     "output_type": "stream",
     "text": [
      "ok"
     ]
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "!cat sample/b.txt"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "code",
   "execution_count": 18,
   "metadata": {},
   "outputs": [
    {
     "data": {
      "text/plain": [
       "[PosixPath('sample/c.txt'),\n",
       " PosixPath('sample/a.txt'),\n",
       " PosixPath('sample/abc.json'),\n",
       " PosixPath('sample/foo.py'),\n",
       " PosixPath('sample/b.txt')]"
      ]
     },
     "execution_count": 18,
     "metadata": {},
     "output_type": "execute_result"
    }
   ],
   "source": [
    "sorted(p.iterdir(), key=lambda p: p.stat().st_atime)"
   ]
  },
  {
   "cell_type": "markdown",
   "metadata": {},
   "source": [
    "### Timestamps:\n",
    "\n",
    "#### st_atime\n",
    "Time of most recent access expressed in seconds.\n",
    "\n",
    "#### st_mtime\n",
    "Time of most recent content modification expressed in seconds.\n",
    "\n",
    "#### st_ctime\n",
    "Platform dependent:\n",
    "- the time of most recent metadata change on Unix,\n",
    "- the time of creation on Windows, expressed in seconds.\n",
    "\n",
    "### References:\n",
    "\n",
    "- https://docs.python.org/3/library/pathlib.html#pathlib.Path.stat\n",
    "- https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html#os.stat\n",
    "- https://renenyffenegger.ch/notes/Linux/filesystem/file-directory-metadata\n",
    "- https://superuser.com/questions/898017/windows-command-to-get-all-information-properties-of-a-file"
   ]
  }
 ],
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