How does the Creation Date variable work?

[FrameMaker-dk]

I am creating some new documents based on older documents and they have a creation date variable inserted. I would have expected the creation date variable to update, once I save my document under a new name, but that does not happen. How do I fix it?

[Bob_Niland]

I've never used that Var, but it wouldn't surprise me if it preserves the file lineage. It might be an operating system thing too, and not specific to FM.

To reset it, you might have to create a new document, then import formats, and paste in Body content.

[Barb Binder]

You would think it would update, but I can't find anything about it in the 2022 help file, other than that it exists. If Bob's tip works, please let us know.

~Barb

[K.Daube]

The creation date is indeed something strange. Downloading a file from somewhere onto my system gets the current time as creation date! Ditto for copying a file from an external disk to the local disk. So the creation date is "created on this system". To the left the "external disk", to the right, the "local disk"

Hence you can reset the creation date of a file by copying it to an USB stick and then back to your system... (have just tested). Be aware, the modifiction date is not touched and hence older than the creation... BTW this is an effect I have first noticed with camera files: Once on my system the modification date was the date the picture was taken... On the camera you normally can not inspect the file properties though.