How can I keep the original file [commit] timestamp on Subversion?

svn datetime timestamp
sorin picture sorin · Jan 31, 2010 · Viewed 42.7k times · Source

I want to be sure that if I commit something in Subversion from one machine, and I checkout on another, I will get the same value for datetime and timestamp.

Currently, I observed that the datetime of file's modification is from the moment when I did the synchronisation instead of the original value.

For me, it doesn't make any sense to know when the files were synchronised - I just want to see the last commit time.

This issue is not timezone related.

Answer

silk picture silk · Jan 31, 2010

You can set it in .subversion/config:

[miscellany]
use-commit-times = yes

Although you will have strange side effects if we are talking about source files.

For example, you build your software and do svn update. Now the timestamp of the updated files is older than the timestamp of the build result file, and it won't be rebuilt even though some source files changed. Be very careful with this setting.

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