Question about getmtime

[Dave Angel]

Brandon wrote:
> On Feb 19, 10:26 am, Krister Svanlund <krister.svanl... at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>   
>> On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 5:05 PM, Brandon <btaylordes... at gmail.com> wrote:
>>     
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>       
>>> Does copying or moving a file affect the return value of
>>> os.path.getmtime(path)?
>>>       
>>> Thank you,
>>> Brandon
>>>       
>> Wouldn't it be easier to make a script and see for yourself then to
>> write a mail about it?
>>     
>
> Gee, thanks for the help. I guess.
>
>   
Well, copying the file won't affect the getmtime, since it's still 
there, and unmodified.  Moving it will cause the getmtime to to get an 
os.error, because the file no longer exists.

Probably you mean you're adjusting the path variable to point to the new 
location for the file.  But the answer is still "it depends."  How about 
if you get more specific?  If you write a copy utility using two opens, 
a read() and a write(), then the new file will certainly get a new 
timestamp unless you do something to prevent it.  If you copy the file 
from a DOS box in Windows XP, using the COPY command, then the getmtime 
on the new file will be identical to the one on the old.  If you do it 
on an Amiga using pip, I have no idea.

Perhaps you're writing a copy/move utility of your own, and you want to 
know how to cause a new file to have the same attributes as the 
original.  If so, be more specific.

DaveA