Sample code for 30+ languages & platforms
PowerBuilder

Get a Remote File's Creation Time

See more SFTP Examples

Demonstrates the Chilkat SFtp.GetFileCreateTimeStr method, which returns a remote file's creation date and time. The arguments are the remote path (or handle), whether symbolic links are followed, and whether the first argument is a handle.

Background: Creation time is the least universally available of the three timestamps: many Unix filesystems historically tracked only modified and accessed times, so a server may return nothing or a placeholder. Where it is supported it is genuinely useful — it does not change when a file is edited, unlike the modified time — but code should tolerate its absence rather than depend on it.

Chilkat PowerBuilder Downloads

PowerBuilder
integer li_rc
integer li_Success
oleobject loo_Sftp
integer li_Port
string ls_Password
integer li_BFollowLinks
integer li_BIsHandle
string ls_CreateTime

li_Success = 0

//  Demonstrates the SFtp.GetFileCreateTimeStr method, which returns a remote file's creation date
//  and time.  The 1st argument is the remote path (or handle), the 2nd selects whether symbolic
//  links are followed, and the 3rd indicates whether the 1st argument is a handle.

loo_Sftp = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Sftp.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.SFtp")
if li_rc < 0 then
    destroy loo_Sftp
    MessageBox("Error","Connecting to COM object failed")
    return
end if

//  Connect, authenticate, and initialize the SFTP subsystem.
li_Port = 22
li_Success = loo_Sftp.Connect("sftp.example.com",li_Port)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

//  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
//  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
ls_Password = "mySshPassword"

li_Success = loo_Sftp.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",ls_Password)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

li_Success = loo_Sftp.InitializeSftp()
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

//  The 2nd argument (bFollowLinks) selects whether a symbolic link is followed to its target.
//  The 3rd argument (bIsHandle) is 0 here because the 1st argument is a path, not an
//  open handle.
li_BFollowLinks = 1
li_BIsHandle = 0

ls_CreateTime = loo_Sftp.GetFileCreateTimeStr("subdir/report.pdf",li_BFollowLinks,li_BIsHandle)
if loo_Sftp.LastMethodSuccess = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

Write-Debug "Created: " + ls_CreateTime

//  Note: Not all servers and filesystems record a creation time.

loo_Sftp.Disconnect()


destroy loo_Sftp