Renaming files to have date/time in filename

wayneb · #1 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

I have a program that will export my data to a single file, but it assigns a file name that is overridden every time I run the program. I need to change the file name to have a sequential number in the filename.
How do I rename a file so that the filename contains the system date and time. I want to run this in a script and then get crontab to execute the script.

Any one got any ideas if and how this can be done. I am running Sco OpenServer 5.0.7

encrypted · #2 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

From what I could make out of your problem:
1.You have a program or an executable which creates a file
2.Every time you run the program the file created previously gets
"overwritten"
3.You want new file to get created every time you run the program in your cron.

The solution lies in changing the very program that creates the file.
If you have the code of that program then probably someone can help.

Chill
enc.

ssmiths001 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

Here something I've used in the past:

cp <file name> <filename>.`date +"%Y%m%d%H%M%S"`

wayneb · #4 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

SSMITH

Thanks that works a treat

encrypted · #5 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

Alternatively you could run a script in your cron right after your file is created
and in that script you could rename the file to a name you would like to have so that the program you run does not overwrite the file each time it runs.

dangral · #6 (**permalink**) 01-19-2005

Why not always have the script put the output in a datestamped file?

For example:

Code:

#!/bin/ksh
SCRIPT=$(basename ${0})
LOG="${SCRIPT}_`date +%m%d%y%H%M%S`


command1 >> $LOG 2>&1
command2 >> $LOG 2>&1

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