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FileTimeStamp

property FileTimeStamp: TDateTime read

Example​

procedure ScriptEvent(var Value: variant);
begin
  Files.Search('C:\VeloxExamples\Inbound', '*.csv', 0);
  try
    if Files.Exists then
      Value := Files.FileTimeStamp
    else
      Value := 0;
  finally
    Files.Close;
  end;
end;

Usage​

FileTimeStamp returns the current entry's last-write FILETIME converted to local Velox TDateTime, or zero when no entry is selected.

Value

When Exists is true, the property returns Velox TSearchRec.TimeStamp. On Windows this originates from WIN32_FIND_DATAW.ftLastWriteTime. When no current entry exists, it returns 0.

TDateTime stores a civil date/time as a floating-point day count relative to 30 December 1899. The value carries no timezone identifier or UTC offset.

Behaviour

The timestamp describes the last write/truncate/overwrite time reported during enumeration, not creation time or last-access time. Format it explicitly if a string is needed and define the timezone expected by downstream systems before comparing it with values from another host.

Additional Technical Info​

FileTimeStamp is the read-only local TDateTime representation of the current entry's last-write time.

Implementation

Delphi converts the Windows UTC FILETIME to a system time, applies the host's local timezone conversion, and encodes the local fields as TDateTime. The conversion helper returns zero if conversion/encoding fails. Velox adds a separate Exists guard but no UTC preservation or formatting.

Edge cases and quirks

  • 0 is ambiguous: it is both the no-entry/conversion-failure sentinel and the valid Delphi epoch value.
  • Daylight-saving and timezone rules of the Velox host affect the converted local value. Moving the same script/data between hosts can change the displayed civil time.
  • Filesystem timestamp resolution and update behavior differ; FAT write times, for example, are coarser than NTFS.
  • Metadata can become stale or the file can be replaced after enumeration.
  • Directory timestamps do not represent the newest file beneath the directory.

Performance and concurrency

The getter converts already-enumerated metadata and performs no new file lookup. It is unsynchronized with cursor changes and with system timezone changes.

Related entries

  • FileName identifies the current entry.
  • Search records the point at which the timestamp metadata was obtained.

External references

Created 2026-07-15