FileSystemInfo.CreationTimeUtc Property

Definition

Gets or sets the creation time, in coordinated universal time (UTC), of the current file or directory.

public:
 property DateTime CreationTimeUtc { DateTime get(); void set(DateTime value); };
public DateTime CreationTimeUtc { get; set; }
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)]
public DateTime CreationTimeUtc { get; set; }
member this.CreationTimeUtc : DateTime with get, set
[<System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)>]
member this.CreationTimeUtc : DateTime with get, set
Public Property CreationTimeUtc As DateTime

Property Value

The creation date and time in UTC format of the current FileSystemInfo object.

Attributes

Exceptions

Refresh() cannot initialize the data.

The specified path is invalid; for example, it is on an unmapped drive.

The current operating system is not Windows NT or later.

The caller attempts to set an invalid creation time.

Remarks

Note

This method may return an inaccurate value because it uses native functions whose values may not be continuously updated by the operating system.

The value of the CreationTimeUtc property is pre-cached if the current instance of the FileSystemInfo object was returned from any of the following DirectoryInfo methods:

To get the latest value, call the Refresh method.

If the file described in the FileSystemInfo object does not exist, this property returns 12:00 midnight, January 1, 1601 A.D. (C.E.) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

On Unix platforms that do not support creation or birth time, this property returns the older of the time of the last status change and the time of the last modification. On other platforms, it returns 12:00 midnight, January 1, 1601 A.D. (C.E.) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), adjusted to local time.

NTFS-formatted drives may cache file meta-info, such as file creation time, for a short period of time. This process is known as file tunneling. As a result, it may be necessary to explicitly set the creation time of a file if you are overwriting or replacing an existing file.

Applies to

See also