Command Line Timestamp

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I often write little batch scripts, sometimes just as a way to save a lengthy command line.  Frequently I also want to output the result to a file and give it a unique (and meaningful) filename.  However the built-in %date% and %time% variables expand to the unuseful "Fri 01/04/2008" and "15:35:51.14" which are difficult (or impossible) to use in a NTFS filename.  %random% is always an option, but a timestamp is always preferred.

I found an option in the SET command syntax which allowed me to create the following example.

 @echo off
echo year: %date:~-4%
echo mon : %date:~4,2%
echo day : %date:~7,2%
echo hour: %time:~0,2%
echo min : %time:~3,2%
echo sec : %time:~6,2%
echo.

set datecode=%date:~-4%%date:~4,2%%date:~7,2%_%time:~0,2%%time:~3,2%%time:~6,2%
echo %datecode%

Running this produces the following output.

 year: 2008
mon : 01
day : 04
hour: 16
min : 09
sec : 09

20080104_160909

It works on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista, however I don't know if non-default regional settings change the behavior of these variables.

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Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Rar76 - can you provide more detail where %date:~3,2% is more accurate?  %date:~4,2% returns the month value on every system I have, whereas %date:~3,2% returns a space and the first digit of the month. Now this is much powerful and easier in PowerShell: get-date -format MM. go.microsoft.com/fwlink has the available formatting option.

  • Anonymous
    October 28, 2011
    echo mon : %date:~4,2% is incorrect. echo mon : %date:~3,2% is correct.

  • Anonymous
    March 08, 2012
    Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    November 14, 2012
    The comment has been removed