topic Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time) in SAS Programming

FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

Hari6 — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 06:55:32 GMT

Hi Team,

I am currently using SAS 9.4 and SAS Studio. My question would be on FINFO Function.

I am trying to get properties of a SAS file using FINFO function. I am able to get Bytes and Last Modified date of a SAS file however i am unable to get Date and Time of the SAS file created for the first time.

Could you let me know is there any other way or any function that we have in SAS to get a file created date and time.

Below is my code and using the same code i am trying to get SAS file created Date and Time.

/** Macro technique **/                                                                                                                 
%macro FileAttribs(filename);                                                                                                           
   %local rc fid fidc;                                                                                                                   
   %local Bytes CreateDT ModifyDT;                                                                                                       
   %let rc=%sysfunc(filename(onefile,&filename));                                                                                       
   %let fid=%sysfunc(fopen(&onefile));                                                                                                  
   %let Bytes=%sysfunc(finfo(&fid,File Size (bytes)));                                                                                  
   %let CreateDT=%qsysfunc(finfo(&fid,Create Time));                                                                                     
   %let ModifyDT=%qsysfunc(finfo(&fid,Last Modified));                                                                                   
   %let fidc=%sysfunc(fclose(&fid));                                                                                                    
   %let rc=%sysfunc(filename(onefile));                                                                                                 
   %put NOTE: File size of &filename is &Bytes bytes;                                                                                  
   %put NOTE- Created &CreateDT;                                                                                                       
   %put NOTE- Last modified &ModifyDT;                                                                                                 
%mend FileAttribs;                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                        
/** Just pass in the path and file name **/                                                                                             
%FileAttribs(c:\aaa.txt)                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
/** Non-macro technique **/                                                                                                             
filename fileref 'c:\aaa.txt';                                                                                                          
data a(drop=fid);                                                                                                                       
   infile fileref truncover obs=1;                                                                                                       
   fid=fopen('fileref');                                                                                                                 
   Bytes=finfo(fid,'File Size (bytes)');                                                                                                 
   crdate=finfo(fid,'Create Time');                                                                                                      
   moddate=finfo(fid,'Last Modified');                                                                                                   
run;                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                        
proc print;                                                                                                                             
run;

Thanks,

Hari

Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

Kurt_Bremser — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 07:18:42 GMT

Your displayed Access Permissions look a lot like UNIX. UNIX does not have a timestamp for "Create Time".

Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

andreas_lds — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 07:32:39 GMT

There is an example program in the documentation of finfo, showing the names of all options:

data _null_;
   length opt $100 optval $100;
   /* Allocate file  */
   rc=FILENAME('myfile', "C:\aaa.txt");
   /* Open file */
   fid=FOPEN('myfile');
   /* Get number of information
      items */
   infocnt=FOPTNUM(fid);
   /* Retrieve information items
      and print to log */
   put @1 "Information for a &SysScp. System Services File:";
   do j=1 to infocnt;
      opt=FOPTNAME(fid,j);
      optval=FINFO(fid,upcase(opt));
      put @1 opt @20 optval;
   end;
   /* Close the file */
   rc=FCLOSE(fid);
   /* Deallocate the file */
   rc=FILENAME('myfile');
run;

Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

Hari6 — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 08:03:11 GMT

@Kurt_Bremser Thank you so much for your response.

Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

pdhokriya — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 08:52:05 GMT

If UNIX doesnt support then is there any other way to get create date info?

Re: FINFO Function (How to get ANy file created Date and Time)

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 14:16:31 GMT

@pdhokriya wrote:
If UNIX doesnt support then is there any other way to get create date info?

Only for files where the respective application keeps such a timestamp within the file (or a metadata repository).

For instance, SAS provides CRDATE in DICTIONARY.TABLES.