Name

touch — change file timestamps

Synopsis

touch [OPTION...] FILE...

DESCRIPTION

Update the access and modification times of each FILE to the current time.

A FILE argument that does not exist is created empty.

A FILE argument string of − is handled specially and causes touch to change the times of the file associated with standard output.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

−a

change only the access time

−c, −−no−create

do not create any files

−d, −−date=STRING

parse STRING and use it instead of current time

−f

(ignored)

−m

change only the modification time

−r, −−reference=FILE

use this file's times instead of current time

−t STAMP

use [[CC]YY]MMDDhhmm[.ss] instead of current time

−−time=WORD

change the specified time: WORD is access, atime, or use: equivalent to −a WORD is modify or mtime: equivalent to −m

−−help

display this help and exit

−−version

output version information and exit

Note that the −d and −t options accept different time−date formats.

AUTHOR

Written by Paul Rubin, Arnold Robbins, Jim Kingdon, David MacKenzie, and Randy Smith.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to <bug−coreutils@gnu.org>.

SEE ALSO

The full documentation for touch is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and touch programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info touch

should give you access to the complete manual.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.