How to Control File's Date Stamp When Installing FoxPro .EXE

 Last reviewed: April 30, 1996
Article ID: Q130082
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.6 and 2.6a

SUMMARY

When distributing a FoxPro application, you can give all the files the application copies to the hard drive a specific date. This article explains how to use the SETUP.INF file to specify a date to stamp on all files. This date stamp can help you determine the application's version.

You cannot use the Setup Wizard that ships with FoxPro for Windows for this purpose because it does not allow the developer to select a date to be used. All files that the application copies to the hard drive are given the current system date.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: This function is undocumented and therefore may be changed or omitted without notice from future releases of FoxPro. The reliability of this function is not guaranteed.

When you run the SETUP.APP wizard to create the disk images, the wizard creates a SETUP.INF file, located in the disk1 directory, with a Default File Settings section that looks like this: 

   [Default File Settings]
   "STF_BACKUP"     = ""
   "STF_COPY"       = "YES"
   "STF_DECOMPRESS" = "YES"
   "STF_OVERWRITE"  = "ALWAYS"
   "STF_READONLY"   = ""
   "STF_ROOT"       = ""
   "STF_SETTIME"    = ""
   "STF_TIME"       = "0"
   "STF_VITAL"      = "YES"

Step-by-Step Example

To have a uniform file date stamp regardless of when the user installed the application, follow these steps:

  1. Add the following line to the [Default File Settings] section of the SETUP.INF file: 

       "STF_DATE"       = "YYYY-MM-DD"

   NOTE: Replace the YYYY, MM, and DD with whatever year, month, and day
   you want to use on the files.

  2. Change this existing line: 

          "STF_SETTIME"    = ""

   by inserting a YES inside the quotation marks to make it look like this:

      "STF_SETTIME"    = "YES".

Additional reference words: FoxWin 2.60 2.60a setting attribute
KBCategory: kbtool kbsetup
KBSubcategory: FxtoolDk

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: April 30, 1996
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.