Why not maintain 'Created' Dates during Copy?

[TT]

When I copy a folder to another location the Modified Date of the folder is preserved. NICE. Is it possible to preserve and transfer the 'original' Created and Accessed Dates as well? This is done with some 'Copy/Backup' progs such as CopySynch and SecureCopy. Maintaining these Dates during the copy process (an EXACT copy) means that subsequent sorting, listing, and archiving operations work the same on both copies.

[PeterTBCarp2]

I agree TT, although TC is only doing the same as Windows does, via explorer.
Maybe we need a tick-option to make it identical, or a separate Clone function.
And we need to consider all a file's metadata too, where applicable; TC addresses NTFS permissions, but there's EXIF/EPNS (whatever) data as well. More?

Think of all the data files can (or a group could) have - and then consider how beautiful it would be to be able to edit that data GUI-ly. En mass.
At the moment we're limited to iCacls and Nircmd, and they're poor substitutes.

- It would be nice to address permissions too, but Christian has put that on the back-burner. Pity. -
- Permissions are now sooo important in Vista, and beyond, especially during the transition phase from Admin rampaging to proper Limited User behaviour. -

[PeterTBCarp2]

BTW, I've found that Xxcopy with the /tc switch does such a copy, with dates preserved.

[fenix_productions]

2PeterTBCarp2
What do you mean by "metadata"?

Imho you are mixing the meanings of file system specific data (permissions, attributes) and file's content data (EXIF). Because TC is file manager it should support filesystem related operations BUT not editing the content. This is the place for specialized editors. Data structures like EXIF or (i.e.) DOC keywords are format specific ones and has nothing to do with files management tools.

I know that there is the problem with copying dates but other properties are not handled so bad.

You can always use some of these:
- Files -> Properties,
- Files -> Change Attributes,
- cm_EditPermissionInfo or cm_EditOwnerInfo.

BTW There is the possibility to edit file's content meta-data (EXIF, ID3, etc.) using content plugins. Unfortunately: between ~90 different WDXes only a few support this.

[PeterTBCarp2]

Yes, fenix, I quite agree - file system data versus content. But in the same way that in 20 years China alone will be using as much oil as the world is using now - there's a seachange going on.

Usage, and evolution, is dictating that there are now some very specific types of files in the average user's bailiwick. There's the general store Documents (not just Word docs), one for Music, for Downloads, and a very specific one for Pictures.

I'll bet you own a digital camera, one you've bought in the past few years. And I'll further wager that you took far more photos in 2007 than you did in 1997.

So computing is changing, changing markedly in the market that TC serves. It's further evidenced by the number of plugins that have arisen to complement TC. The user is wanting. Picasa and Vista's Photo Gallery sort files by specific dates, yet dates get changed for odd reasons. Scanned photos don't have proper dates at all.

So with the proliferation of photos I see imho that content editing, to a point, is slipping into TC's purview. Christian has moved into plugin attributes in Files | Change Attributes so the move to content-changing is afoot.

Bulk Rename Utility, for instance has date control under Ctrl-F4. Tools are diversifying. Nir Sofer's FileDate Changer is quite useful.

Further, I see that even Date Taken is editable under Vista. Handy.

What have you found amongst all the plugins as having usable editing capabilities?

[fenix_productions]

I'll bet you own a digital camera, one you've bought in the past few years.

No I don't and didn't. I've always preferred analog ones (and sitting in darkroom) instead of digital models. Now even if I know that such tool might be useful sometimes, I don't feel obligated to buy it.

What have you found amongst all the plugins as having usable editing capabilities?

Plugins with ContentSetValue() implemented:
- jpg-comment
- media - not working if you want one tag changed only; works for two attributes and more;
- Novel Netware - Ghisler's plugin but I cannot find URL,
- NTFS Descriptions
- Shortcut
- Summary
- swfcontent
- wdx4i
- WDXTagLib