Do not change file datestamp unless content changed

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n6ac
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:52 pm
Location: California

Do not change file datestamp unless content changed

Post by n6ac » Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:24 pm

I find myself in somewhat of a mess with various copies of iFamily files here and there, because the program changes the date even when all I do is READ a file. Would it be possible to change it so as to not change the file datestamp unless content is actually changed?

NigelRichman
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:12 pm
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by NigelRichman » Tue Sep 07, 2010 7:54 am

Hi,

Running a quick check shows that when a file is opened the Finder entry shows a change to the &#39Modified&#39 date and time but not the &#39Last Opened&#39 one.

This gets changed when you quit from iFamily.

Would have thought this was controlled by the system rather than the app but it should be fairly straight forward for Warwick to resolve (?)

regards,

Nigel

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alid62
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:53 pm
Location: United Kingdom

File date

Post by alid62 » Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:02 am

My protection position is to include the date in the file name eg &#39familyfile 07.09.2010.ftkSql&#39. If I&#39m looking and not changing no worries, if I&#39m going to add or change I duplicate, put the copy in an archive folder rename the new one with the new date and carry on. It is more long winded to describe than to do and means I can return to the tree at any point in time if I&#39ve made a mistake or accidently deleted something. After a suitable priod of time I ditch the copy files to avoid too much clutter. Works for me and is independent of any vagaries of the system or software.

n6ac
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:52 pm
Location: California

maybe a preliminary mode ...

Post by n6ac » Tue Sep 07, 2010 8:52 pm

Nigel - Yes, for some apps only, the Finder tentatively changes the modified date, but reverts it if a file is closed with no action - tested with Excel. Preview.app and Tex-Edit Plus.app do not make the tentative change.
alid - I have thought of this approach, too late, I already have a big sprinkling of files to sort out.
Maybe iFamily could have a preliminary "browse" mode asking if you simply want the file statistics ...
Maybe the sql-based file can be browsed with some app, perhaps Applescripted?
...Al

NigelRichman
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:12 pm
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by NigelRichman » Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:20 pm

Hi Al,

Mmmm. In that case it would appear that iFamily is saving the file back after it is opened even if no changes are made - just read.

I guess that that change could be a change in Focal person or even the person being viewed as all those items (and more, no doubt) are saved on exit so that you can carry on where you left off.

If you are trying to keep a set of history files (snapshots of what data you entered at a certain point) then the best action is to make a copy with (as suggested) a date tag in the file name. As long as you only view these you know what stage you were at - even though the last modified stamp will change (for reasons given above).

If you put the date in YYYYMMDD format the copies will sort in date order.

Not sure there is a way round the dilemma you are in as long as a change is saved even if that change is not &#39family history&#39 data.

Nigel

n6ac
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:52 pm
Location: California

How to explore file content

Post by n6ac » Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:35 pm

Nigel - thanks for the thoughts.
I think I have found a solution for previewing file contents:
http://osx.iusethis.com/app/mesasqlite
Download MesaSQLite.app - this application that can peer into the iFamily FtSql file.
1. Start MesaSQLite.app, direct it to the first file in question
2. Set Tablename to ZPERSON
3. Click the second button at bottom, clear all, click ZLASTCHANGE and ZPERSON
4. Click on "Show All"
5. Click on ZLASTCHANGE column header to sort by latest record change
6. Optionally, right-click on unwanted columns and select "Hide column"
This allows seeing which peoples records were last changed, and when (I don&#39t know how to read the date code). And the number of people "records" is shown at lower left.
7. Now Menu: Open DataBase and select the next file to be compared
...Al

NigelRichman
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:12 pm
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by NigelRichman » Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:18 am

Hi,

Just looking in the preferences section and at the top of the panel there is an option to include the date of the last change for a record

This then displays the last changed info for each record in the upper section diagram display.

I don&#39t know if that would help track down when changed were made rather than rely on the file info.

Nigel

n6ac
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:52 pm
Location: California

date of last change

Post by n6ac » Sun Sep 26, 2010 2:36 am

Hello Nigel -
Well while that is built into the program, opening a file causes the filedate to change. What I needed was a way to see the last change date for the file without modifying the file. Indeed, seen in MesaSQLite, there is a ZLASTCHANGE timestamp parameter associated with each entry. It is nine digits plus six fractional digits. Presumably this is updated by iFamily? Does anyone know how to read the timestamp as a date?

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