I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
spreadsheet.

In the built-in FreeBSD, the results of "ls" can be printed as text;
then the text can be put into a spreadsheet without too much trouble, by
figuring out the appropriate separator(s). Unfortunately, "ls" does not
display Creation Date, only Latest Access Date or Latest Modification
Date. (Likewise for other Unix-like systems, apparently.) And the
Creation Date is the one I need most.

In the OS, you can take a screenshot and save it as a PDF. But I don't
think it's a PDF from which text can be extracted. I'm not sure, though
.... because I can't find where the PDF is being saved ... or if it's
being saved at all! (Probably because of the very reason why I want
this info, namely, to help decide which files to delete, since my HD is
so clogged that the computer is slowed down to almost zero.)

The online recommendation I found for printing from the OS says to copy
it by hand(!) into the spreadsheet or text file.

Anyone know how to get at least a text file of the name and the Creation
Date? As automatically as possible?

(P.S. OS X 10.13 because I'm dubious about putting anything later on my
late-2013 MacBook Pro, and I can't afford a new computer right now.)

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

On Apr 29, 2024 at 6:51:05 PM PDT, "Dudley Brooks"
<dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:

> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a

You can use the stat utility in a command-line shell in the Terminal
application to print out creation and modification times for any file.

Use 'man stat' for details. Use the -f option to specifiy the content and
format for the fields to be displayed.

You want the following format specifiers:

%SN to display the file name
%SB to display the creation (birth) time
%Sm to display the modification time
%t to insert tab characters between fields

So the following should give you what you want:

stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' *

Redirect the output to a file:

stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt

and you can import that into a spreadsheet specifying tab characters to
separate columns,

--
Jim Gibson

On 2024-04-30 01:51:05 +0000, Dudley Brooks said:

> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
> spreadsheet.
>
> In the built-in FreeBSD, the results of "ls" can be printed as text;
> then the text can be put into a spreadsheet without too much trouble,
> by figuring out the appropriate separator(s). Unfortunately, "ls" does
> not display Creation Date, only Latest Access Date or Latest
> Modification Date. (Likewise for other Unix-like systems, apparently.)
> And the Creation Date is the one I need most.
>
> In the OS, you can take a screenshot and save it as a PDF. But I don't
> think it's a PDF from which text can be extracted. I'm not sure,
> though ... because I can't find where the PDF is being saved ... or if
> it's being saved at all! (Probably because of the very reason why I
> want this info, namely, to help decide which files to delete, since my
> HD is so clogged that the computer is slowed down to almost zero.)
>
> The online recommendation I found for printing from the OS says to copy
> it by hand(!) into the spreadsheet or text file.
>
> Anyone know how to get at least a text file of the name and the
> Creation Date? As automatically as possible?
>
> (P.S. OS X 10.13 because I'm dubious about putting anything later on
> my late-2013 MacBook Pro, and I can't afford a new computer right now.)

DiskTracker can catalogue a disk/folder and then you can print or
export the list, but it's not free.
<http://www.portents.com/disktracker/>

I haven't used any of these, but other possibiities might be:

- VVV (Virtual Volumes View) - a free disk cataloguing app
<https://sourceforge.net/projects/vvvapp/>

- PrintWindow - not free Finder window printer app
<http://searchwaresolutions.com/default.html>

- DiskCatalogMaker - not free disk cataloguing app
<https://diskcatalogmaker.com>

There are also some Finder replacement apps which may or may not be
able to print/export their listing windows, but I've never tried any of
those.

On 2024-04-30, Jim Gibson <jimsgibson@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 29, 2024 at 6:51:05 PM PDT, "Dudley Brooks"
><dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>
>> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
>> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
>> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
>
> You can use the stat utility in a command-line shell in the Terminal
> application to print out creation and modification times for any file.
>
> Use 'man stat' for details. Use the -f option to specifiy the content and
> format for the fields to be displayed.
>
> You want the following format specifiers:
>
> %SN to display the file name
> %SB to display the creation (birth) time
> %Sm to display the modification time
> %t to insert tab characters between fields
>
> So the following should give you what you want:
>
> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' *
>
> Redirect the output to a file:
>
> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt
>
> and you can import that into a spreadsheet specifying tab characters to
> separate columns,

I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file, then
open that in a spreadsheet program.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:

> On 2024-04-30, Jim Gibson <jimsgibson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Apr 29, 2024 at 6:51:05 PM PDT, "Dudley Brooks"
>> <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
>>> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
>>> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
>>
>> You can use the stat utility in a command-line shell in the Terminal
>> application to print out creation and modification times for any file.
>>
>> Use 'man stat' for details. Use the -f option to specifiy the content and
>> format for the fields to be displayed.
>>
>> You want the following format specifiers:
>>
>> %SN to display the file name
>> %SB to display the creation (birth) time
>> %Sm to display the modification time
>> %t to insert tab characters between fields
>>
>> So the following should give you what you want:
>>
>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' *
>>
>> Redirect the output to a file:
>>
>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt
>>
>> and you can import that into a spreadsheet specifying tab characters to
>> separate columns,

Thanks! That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for.

Ironically, I had actually done "man stat" ... but I didn't see all
those formatting parameters. I must have been looking way too late at
night ... when my brain turns into a pumpkin.

> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file, then
> open that in a spreadsheet program.

I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can separate on
tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have different options.
And maybe it saves you from having to do copy-and-paste.)

One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:

If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.

If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems to
be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything -- nothing
gets written to <filename>!

Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

On 4/29/24 8:40 PM, Your Name wrote:

> On 2024-04-30 01:51:05 +0000, Dudley Brooks said:
>
>> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and
>> their Modification Dates.  (Printing all the other info is fine too.)
>> If possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put
>> into a spreadsheet.
>>
>> In the built-in FreeBSD, the results of "ls" can be printed as text;
>> then the text can be put into a spreadsheet without too much trouble,
>> by figuring out the appropriate separator(s).  Unfortunately, "ls"
>> does not display Creation Date, only Latest Access Date or Latest
>> Modification Date.  (Likewise for other Unix-like systems,
>> apparently.)  And the Creation Date is the one I need most.
>>
>> In the OS, you can take a screenshot and save it as a PDF.  But I
>> don't think it's a PDF from which text can be extracted.  I'm not
>> sure, though ... because I can't find where the PDF is being saved ...
>> or if it's being saved at all!  (Probably because of the very reason
>> why I want this info, namely, to help decide which files to delete,
>> since my HD is so clogged that the computer is slowed down to almost
>> zero.)
>>
>> The online recommendation I found for printing from the OS says to
>> copy it by hand(!) into the spreadsheet or text file.
>>
>> Anyone know how to get at least a text file of the name and the
>> Creation Date?  As automatically as possible?
>>
>> (P.S.  OS X 10.13 because I'm dubious about putting anything later on
>> my late-2013 MacBook Pro, and I can't afford a new computer right now.)
>
> DiskTracker can catalogue a disk/folder and then you can print or export
> the list, but it's not free.
> <http://www.portents.com/disktracker/>
>
> I haven't used any of these, but other possibiities might be:
>
>   - VVV (Virtual Volumes View) - a free disk cataloguing app
>     <https://sourceforge.net/projects/vvvapp/>
>
>   - PrintWindow - not free Finder window printer app
>     <http://searchwaresolutions.com/default.html>
>
>   - DiskCatalogMaker - not free disk cataloguing app
>     <https://diskcatalogmaker.com>
>
> There are also some Finder replacement apps which may or may not be able
> to print/export their listing windows, but I've never tried any of those.

Thanks. For the moment, I'm going to go with the Unix suggestion posted
above. But thanks for all the info on alternatives.

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

On 2024-04-30, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
> On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>
>> On 2024-04-30, Jim Gibson <jimsgibson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Apr 29, 2024 at 6:51:05 PM PDT, "Dudley Brooks"
>>> <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
>>>> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
>>>> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
>>>
>>> You can use the stat utility in a command-line shell in the Terminal
>>> application to print out creation and modification times for any file.
>>>
>>> Use 'man stat' for details. Use the -f option to specifiy the content and
>>> format for the fields to be displayed.
>>>
>>> You want the following format specifiers:
>>>
>>> %SN to display the file name
>>> %SB to display the creation (birth) time
>>> %Sm to display the modification time
>>> %t to insert tab characters between fields
>>>
>>> So the following should give you what you want:
>>>
>>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' *
>>>
>>> Redirect the output to a file:
>>>
>>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt
>>>
>>> and you can import that into a spreadsheet specifying tab characters to
>>> separate columns,
>
> Thanks! That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for.
>
> Ironically, I had actually done "man stat" ... but I didn't see all
> those formatting parameters. I must have been looking way too late at
> night ... when my brain turns into a pumpkin.
>
>> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file, then
>> open that in a spreadsheet program.
>
> I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can separate on
> tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have different options.
> And maybe it saves you from having to do copy-and-paste.)
>
> One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:
>
> If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.
>
> If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems to
> be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything -- nothing
> gets written to <filename>!
>
> Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?

What is the command you are using, and what is the error output?

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 4/30/24 3:56 PM, Jolly Roger wrote:

> On 2024-04-30, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>
>> On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>
>>> On 2024-04-30, Jim Gibson <jimsgibson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Apr 29, 2024 at 6:51:05 PM PDT, "Dudley Brooks"
>>>> <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I want to print out all the File Names, their Creation Dates, and their
>>>>> Modification Dates. (Printing all the other info is fine too.) If
>>>>> possible, I would like to do it in a form that can be easily put into a
>>>>
>>>> You can use the stat utility in a command-line shell in the Terminal
>>>> application to print out creation and modification times for any file.
>>>>
>>>> Use 'man stat' for details. Use the -f option to specifiy the content and
>>>> format for the fields to be displayed.
>>>>
>>>> You want the following format specifiers:
>>>>
>>>> %SN to display the file name
>>>> %SB to display the creation (birth) time
>>>> %Sm to display the modification time
>>>> %t to insert tab characters between fields
>>>>
>>>> So the following should give you what you want:
>>>>
>>>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' *
>>>>
>>>> Redirect the output to a file:
>>>>
>>>> stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt
>>>>
>>>> and you can import that into a spreadsheet specifying tab characters to
>>>> separate columns,
>>
>> Thanks! That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for.
>>
>> Ironically, I had actually done "man stat" ... but I didn't see all
>> those formatting parameters. I must have been looking way too late at
>> night ... when my brain turns into a pumpkin.
>>
>>> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file, then
>>> open that in a spreadsheet program.
>>
>> I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can separate on
>> tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have different options.
>> And maybe it saves you from having to do copy-and-paste.)
>>
>> One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:
>>
>> If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.
>>
>> If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems to
>> be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything -- nothing
>> gets written to <filename>!
>>
>> Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?
>
> What is the command you are using,

Exactly what Jim Gibson suggested:

stat <flags, etc.> * > <file>

> and what is the error output?

Today, when <file> doesn't exist, no error message. Can't recreate
error message from yesterday. (Maybe because I cleared a lot of stuff
off my HD?)

But <file> does not get created.

When <file> does already exist, then, just like yesterday, no error message.

But again, like yesterday, nothing gets written to <file>.

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

On 2024-05-02, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
> On 4/30/24 3:56 PM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>> On 2024-04-30, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>> On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file,
>>>> then open that in a spreadsheet program.
>>>
>>> I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can
>>> separate on tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have
>>> different options. And maybe it saves you from having to do
>>> copy-and-paste.)
>>>
>>> One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:
>>>
>>> If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.
>>>
>>> If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems
>>> to be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything --
>>> nothing gets written to <filename>!
>>>
>>> Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?
>>
>> What is the command you are using,
>
> Exactly what Jim Gibson suggested:
>
> stat <flags, etc.> * > <file>

I'm asking for the exact command you are using, verbatim.

>> and what is the error output?
>
> Today, when <file> doesn't exist, no error message. Can't recreate
> error message from yesterday. (Maybe because I cleared a lot of stuff
> off my HD?)

You don't remember what the message was?

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 2024-05-02, Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:
> On 2024-05-02, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>> On 4/30/24 3:56 PM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>> On 2024-04-30, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>>> On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file,
>>>>> then open that in a spreadsheet program.
>>>>
>>>> I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can
>>>> separate on tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have
>>>> different options. And maybe it saves you from having to do
>>>> copy-and-paste.)
>>>>
>>>> One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:
>>>>
>>>> If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.
>>>>
>>>> If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems
>>>> to be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything --
>>>> nothing gets written to <filename>!
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?
>>>
>>> What is the command you are using,
>>
>> Exactly what Jim Gibson suggested:
>>
>> stat <flags, etc.> * > <file>
>
> I'm asking for the exact command you are using, verbatim.
>
>>> and what is the error output?
>>
>> Today, when <file> doesn't exist, no error message. Can't recreate
>> error message from yesterday. (Maybe because I cleared a lot of stuff
>> off my HD?)
>
> You don't remember what the message was?

I just tried this command in my home directory and it works fine
regardless of whether the file exists:

# stat -f '%SN,%SB,%Sm' * > file_times.txt

# cat file_times.txt
Applications,Aug 15 17:35:23 2021,Mar 3 15:37:43 2024
Desktop,Jun 26 11:04:55 2017,May 1 14:06:59 2024
Documents,Jun 23 14:24:35 2017,Apr 15 18:05:49 2024
Downloads,Jun 23 14:24:35 2017,May 2 08:31:18 2024
Library,Jun 23 14:24:35 2017,Mar 8 10:36:45 2024
Movies,Jun 26 11:04:55 2017,Mar 18 19:15:48 2024
Music,Jun 26 11:04:55 2017,Oct 7 12:45:36 2023
Pictures,Jun 26 11:04:55 2017,Apr 17 08:34:06 2024
Public,Jun 23 14:24:35 2017,Feb 28 16:02:32 2024
Virtual Machines.localized,Jul 7 02:25:49 2022,Jan 1 17:30:21 2024
file_times.txt,May 2 08:38:13 2024,May 2 08:39:09 2024

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 5/2/24 8:42 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:

> On 2024-05-02, Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2024-05-02, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/30/24 3:56 PM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2024-04-30, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
>>>>> On 4/30/24 8:56 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would use comma characters for delimiters to make it a CSV file,
>>>>>> then open that in a spreadsheet program.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was just thinking about that. Thanks! (I think Excel can
>>>>> separate on tabs as well, though. But it's always good to have
>>>>> different options. And maybe it saves you from having to do
>>>>> copy-and-paste.)
>>>>>
>>>>> One more thing, if either of you knows why this might be:
>>>>>
>>>>> If <filename> has not already been created, I get an error message.
>>>>>
>>>>> If I create <filename> first, there's no error message, and it seems
>>>>> to be running fine ... except ... it doesn't seem to do anything --
>>>>> nothing gets written to <filename>!
>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas? Maybe it's another casualty of over-full HD?
>>>>
>>>> What is the command you are using,
>>>
>>> Exactly what Jim Gibson suggested:
>>>
>>> stat <flags, etc.> * > <file>
>>
>> I'm asking for the exact command you are using, verbatim.

(See below.)

>>>> and what is the error output?
>>>
>>> Today, when <file> doesn't exist, no error message. Can't recreate
>>> error message from yesterday. (Maybe because I cleared a lot of stuff
>>> off my HD?)
>>
>> You don't remember what the message was?

No, that was several days ago, late at night. I was exhausted and just
didn't want to think about it anymore. Unfortunately, I didn't write it
down. I figured I could just do it again to see the message.
(Un)fortunately the error didn't happen again.

> I just tried this command in my home directory and it works fine
> regardless of whether the file exists:
>
> # stat -f '%SN,%SB,%Sm' * > file_times.txt

That worked for me today.

What I used, verbatim, was Jim Gibson's suggestion:

stat -f '%SN%t%SB%t%Sm' * > file_times.txt

As you see, identical to yours, except you use commas and he used tabs.

When I tried it a couple of days ago (copied and pasted from his
message, so it was exactly the above) it did not print anything to the file.

When I tried it yesterday (copied and pasted from his message, so it was
exactly the above) it did not print anything to the file.

When I tried it today (copied and pasted from his message, so it was
exactly the above) it DID print to the file! Yay!

(I know it was exactly the same on every try, not just because I copied
and pasted, but because I saw it so many times and analyzed it so many
times that it is etched in my brain.)

Maybe it only works on Thursdays? ;^)

Go figure. "Computers were invented to make our lives easier.
Computers were invented to make our lives easier. Computers were
invented ..." If I say it often enough, maybe I might actually start to
believe it. >:^(

Seriously, the only difference that I'm aware of between the three
different days is that today my HD has a lot more free space. At any
rate, the command is now working.

Thanks, Jolly Roger and Jim, for your help.

<SNIP your printout>

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

I forgot to ask. Can I add something to your now-working line

stat -f '%SN,%SB,%Sm' * > file_times.txt

to reformat date and time? Either within the -f format description or
piping it to something else?

On the internet I found this, supposedly to simply reformat date and
time, for everything, during a session:

set timefmt "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"

But it doesn't seem to be working either. I execute it, then do "date"
or "ls -l" or whatever ... and the date and time are still displayed in
the same format as ever.

Thanks in advance.

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

On 2024-05-03, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
> I forgot to ask. Can I add something to your now-working line
>
> stat -f '%SN,%SB,%Sm' * > file_times.txt
>
> to reformat date and time? Either within the -f format description or
> piping it to something else?
>
> On the internet I found this, supposedly to simply reformat date and
> time, for everything, during a session:
>
> set timefmt "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
>
> But it doesn't seem to be working either. I execute it, then do "date"
> or "ls -l" or whatever ... and the date and time are still displayed in
> the same format as ever.
>
> Thanks in advance.

Create a plain text file named "lister.sh" with these contents:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

for file in ./*; do
filename=`basename "$file"`

created=`stat -f '%SB' "$filename"`
modified=`stat -f '%Sm' "$filename"`

created_s=`date -j -f "%b %d %H:%M:%S %Y" "$created" "+%F %H:%M:%S"`
modified_s=`date -j -f "%b %d %H:%M:%S %Y" "$modified" "+%F %H:%M:%S"`

echo "$filename,$created_s,$modified_s"
done

Make the script executable with this command in the same directory as
the script:

chmod +x lister.sh

Run the script in a terminal window like so:

../lister.sh > file_times.csv

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR