{smcl} {hline} help for {cmd:dtastamp} {right:(Roger Newson)} {hline} {title:Store current date and time in dataset characteristics} {p 8 15}{cmd:dtastamp} [ {cmd:,} {opt df:ormat(format_name)} {opt tf:ormat(format_name)} ] {title:Description} {pstd} {cmd:dtastamp} stores the current date and time in the {help char:dataset characteristics} {cmd:_dta[datestamp]} and {cmd:_dta[timestamp]}. This is useful if the user then saves the current dataset to a disk file, and later wants to know approximately when the file was created. {title:Options} {p 4 8 2} {opt dformat(format_name)} specifies a {help datetime_display_formats:format} to be used for creating the date stamp from a {help datetime:Stata internal format date numeric value}. If absent, then it is set to {cmd:%tddd_Mon_CCYY}. {p 4 8 2} {opt tformat(format_name)} specifies a {help datetime_display_formats:format} to be used for creating the time stamp from a {help datetime:Stata internal format datetime/C numeric value}. If absent, then it is set to {cmd:%tCHH:MM:SS}. {title:Remarks} {pstd} Stata stores creation dates and times in datasets in disk files (see help for {help dta:file formats dta}), and displays these dates and times if the user uses the {helpb describe} command. However, it is not easy for users to access these dates and times for use in their own programs. {cmd:descgen} allows the user to give the dataset a date stamp and a time stamp in {help char: dataset characteristics}, which the user can later access and use. In particular, the user may use the {help ssc:SSC} package {helpb xdir} to create a dataset in memory with one observation for each of a list of disk datasets, and then use the {help ssc:SSC} package {helpb descgen} to add variables containing dataset attributes, using the option {cmd:charlist(datestamp timestamp)} to create variables containing the date and time stamps. The packages {helpb xdir} and {helpb descgen} can be downloaded from {help ssc:SSC}. {pstd} {cmd:dtastamp} gets the current date and time from the {helpb creturn} results {cmd:c(current_date)} and {cmd:c(current_time)}. This limits the precision of the time to the nearest second (plus execution delay). {title:Examples} {pstd} Set-up: {p 16 20}{cmd:. sysuse auto, clear}{p_end} {p 16 20}{cmd:. describe, full}{p_end} {p 16 20}{cmd:. char list}{p_end} {pstd} The following example saves the default date and time stamps in the dataset characteristics {cmd:_dta[datestamp]} and {cmd:_dta[timestamp]}, respectively. {p 16 20}{cmd:. dtastamp}{p_end} {p 16 20}{cmd:. char list}{p_end} {pstd} The following example saves non-default format date and time stamps in the dataset characteristics {cmd:_dta[datestamp]} and {cmd:_dta[timestamp]}, respectively. {p 16 20}{cmd:. dtastamp, dformat(%tdCCYY/NN/DD) tformat(%tCHH.MM.SS)}{p_end} {p 16 20}{cmd:. char list}{p_end} {title:Author} {pstd} Roger Newson, Imperial College London, UK. Email: {browse "mailto:r.newson@imperial.ac.uk":r.newson@imperial.ac.uk} {title:Also see} {p 4 13 2} {bind: }Manual: {hi:[P] char}, {hi:[D] datetime} {p_end} {p 4 13 2} On-line: help for {helpb char}, {helpb datetime} {break} help for {helpb xdir}, {helpb descgen} if installed {p_end}