Change file timestamps, change the access and/or modification times of the specified files.
Syntax touch [options]... File... Options -a --time=atime --time=access --time=use Change the access time only. -c --no-create Do not create files that do not exist. -d --date=time Use time instead of the current time. It can contain month names, timezones, `am' and `pm', etc. -f Ignored; for compatibility with BSD versions of `touch'. -m --time=mtime --time=modify Change the modification time only. -r FILE --reference=FILE Use the times of the reference FILE instead of the current time. -t [[CC]YY]MMDDhhmm[.ss] Set to a specific time.
The -t argument will accept four-digit or two-digit years, specifying the seconds is optional. If no digits of the year are specified, the argument is interpreted as a date in the current year.
If two-digit year is specified, then CC is 20 for years in the range 0 … 68, and 19 for year in 69 … 99.
If the first FILE would be a valid argument to the `-t’ option and no timestamp is given with any of the `-d’, `-r’, or `-t’ options and the `–‘ argument is not given, that argument is interpreted as the time for the other files instead of as a file name.
Any FILE that does not exist is created empty.
If changing both the access and modification times to the current time, `touch’ can change the timestamps for files that the user running it does not own but has write permission for. Otherwise, the user must own the files.
Examples
Create/datestamp one file called sample.txt:
touch sample.txt
Create/datestamp 10 files called file1, file2 etc:
touch file{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}
Create/datestamp 100 files called file1, file2 etc:
for i in $(seq 1 100); do echo -n “file${i} “; touch file${i} 2>&1; done
Related linux commands:
chgrp – Change group ownership
chmod – Change access permissions
chown – Change file owner and group
date – Display or change the date
which – Show full path of commands
Equivalent Windows commands: TOUCH – Change file timestamps