Directory creation with current Date

samv74 has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Directory creation with current Date by ikegami (Patriarch) on Jan 19, 2005 at 02:56 UTC
`use POSIX qw(strftime); $parent_dir = "c:\\backups"; $formatted_date = strftime("%d-%B-%Y", localtime); mkdir("$parent_dir/$formatted_date") or die("...: $!");` [download] You might want to go with a format that's string-sortable, like YYYY-MM-DD: `$formatted_date = strftime("%Y-%m-%d", localtime); # YYYY-MM-DD $formatted_date = strftime("%F", localtime); # Same as prev line` [download]	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by ZlR (Chaplain) on Jan 19, 2005 at 08:21 UTC
Hello, Usually I want to avoid the load of the POSIX module so here is what i do : `$formatted_date = now_date() ; sub now_date { my @now = localtime ; my $now_day = $now[3] ; my $now_year = $now[5] + 1900 ; my $now_month = $now[4] + 1 ; if ($now_month < 10) { $now_month = "0".$now_month } if ($now_day < 10) { $now_day = "0".$now_day } my $now_scal = join "-", ( $now_year, $now_month, $now_day ) ; return $now_scal ; }` [download] Update: I guess it's better with sprintf, like mkirank does : `sub now_date { my @now = localtime ; my $now_day = $now[3] ; my $now_year = $now[5] + 1900 ; my $now_month = $now[4] + 1 ; $now_scal = sprintf "%04d-%02d-%2d", $now_year , $now_month ,$now_ +day ; return $now_scal }` [download] More Update: As demerphq says it could in the end very well be much better to `use POSIX qw(strftime)` Coding practice evolve !	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^3: Directory creation with current Date by demerphq (Chancellor) on Jan 19, 2005 at 15:28 UTC
Usually I want to avoid the load of the POSIX module so here is what i do Why do you want to avoid POSIX? --- demerphq	[reply]
Re^4: Directory creation with current Date by ZlR (Chaplain) on Jan 19, 2005 at 20:23 UTC
Re^5: Directory creation with current Date by demerphq (Chancellor) on Jan 19, 2005 at 21:20 UTC
Some notes below your chosen depth have not been shown here
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by PhilHibbs (Hermit) on Jan 20, 2005 at 13:54 UTC
You can do `$parent_dir = "c:/backups/";` in Windows which I find easier.	[reply] [d/l]
Re: Directory creation with current Date by Eyck (Priest) on Jan 19, 2005 at 09:05 UTC
`use Date::Calc qw(Today_and_Now); my ($year,$month,$day, $hour,$min,$sec) = Today_and_Now(); my $dir="$day-$month-$year"; mkdir($dir);` [download] I think this is cleaner and more readable then other proposed solutions. ( Date::Calc is a big module though ). Now, I would recommend rethinking your 'day-month-year' style, with 'year-month-day' you get more logical view (it sorts nicer) And another thing - with daily backups very soon you'll find out that what you got is linear list of all those backups... 300, 600, 1000 entries... not a nice thing to look at, not that easy to find what you need etc, try hierarchical structure: "$year/$month/$day/BACKUP", all you need is mkpath: `eval { mkpath($dir) }; if ($@) { print "Couldn't create $dir: $@"; } chdir($dir)\|\|die;` [download]	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: Directory creation with current Date by mkirank (Chaplain) on Jan 19, 2005 at 07:35 UTC
One more way to get the date `my ( $sec, $min, $hour, $mday, $mon, $year, $wday, $yday, $isdst ) = l +ocaltime( time) ; my $return ; $mon++ ; $year += 1900 ; $return = sprintf "%02d-%02d-%4d", $mday , $mon ,$year;` [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by Anonymous Monk on Jan 20, 2005 at 01:23 UTC
you could probably simplify that a bit: `my ($day,$mo,$year) = (localtime)[3,4,5]; return sprintf '%02d-%02d-%04d', $day , $mo + 1, $year + 1900;` [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re: Directory creation with current Date by DrHyde (Prior) on Jan 19, 2005 at 10:04 UTC
I'd be more inclined to help if you showed that you had done at least some work yourself. Perhaps showing us your code, explaining how what it did was different from what you wanted, and what steps you had tried to improve it.	[reply]
Re: Directory creation with current Date by ninja_byte (Acolyte) on Jan 19, 2005 at 06:16 UTC
I find the quickest way is to use the `date` binary. I use this pretty often when creating backups my $date = `date\|awk '{print \$2 \$3 \$6}'`; that would set $date to 'Jan182005' today... you can add other formatting as well... my $date = `date\|awk '{print \$2 \$3 "-" \$6}'`; Jan18-2005 etc etc...	[reply]
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by dse (Novice) on Jan 19, 2005 at 07:05 UTC
In situations where you are doing it a lot, `date ...` is not the best way to do it because you're executing an external program. Heck, you're executing two external programs using `date \| awk ...`. I always use the strftime solution by force of habit, myself.	[reply]
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by dragonchild (Archbishop) on Jan 19, 2005 at 15:40 UTC
What part of I am working on win2000. did you miss? Last I heard, neither the `date` "binary" nor the `awk` "binary" were available on any non nix system. In fact, Perl runs on more systems where those are not* available than where they are. In summary, you should both read the question and provide answers that aren't system-dependent. POSIX is an excellent option, as is localtime(time) one. Yours ... not so good. Being right, does not endow the right to be rude; politeness costs nothing. Being unknowing, is not the same as being stupid. Expressing a contrary opinion, whether to the individual or the group, is more often a sign of deeper thought than of cantankerous belligerence. Do not mistake your goals as the only goals; your opinion as the only opinion; your confidence as correctness. Saying you know better is not the same as explaining you know better.	[reply]
Re: Directory creation with current Date by Anonymous Monk on Jan 19, 2005 at 06:38 UTC
Why not just do mkdir `date "+%d-%B-%Y"`	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Directory creation with current Date by renz (Scribe) on Jan 19, 2005 at 15:44 UTC
This also serves as a reply to ninja_byte as well. Your solutions will not work, since you ignored the fact that Sam said he was on Win2k. While Win2k does have a date program, it does not function like the ix date. Example: C:\perl\bwb>mkdir `date "+%d-%B-%Y"` C:\perl\bwb>dir Volume in drive C has no label. Volume Serial Number is 34D5-1CFA Directory of C:\perl\bwb 01/19/2005 09:36a <DIR> . 01/19/2005 09:36a <DIR> .. 01/19/2005 09:36a <DIR> +%d-%B-%Y` ... 01/19/2005 09:36a <DIR> `date [download] Now you have two new directories with stupid names. What was wrong with the strftime() solution that this is preferable? /renz. P.S. - `C:\perl\bwb>awk 'awk' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.` [download] Update: Cleaned up html. Perhaps*: I should rephrase third sentence of first paragraph.. Seems as if I'm blaming the entire thing on `date` when that is not exactly the truth.. # rz/020805	[reply] [d/l] [select]