Need "Current Date" in Numeric Form

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

I am creating a script that will be called upon at differnt times to create a file. I will need a unique file name to be created and since the apple script will be called upon at different intervals, I would like to utizlie the current date & time in the file name.

For example, I would like my file name to be “somePrefix_0903041435.pdf” where 090304 = September 03, 2004 & the 1435= 2:35p.

However:

set t to (current date)

displays: date "Friday, September 3, 2004 2:35:11 PM

Anyone knw how I could convert it to the format I am looking for?

#2

Scott,

It’s not very elegant, but it gets the job done:

set cDate to current date
set shortDate to short date string of cDate
set theMonth to word 1 of shortDate
if length of theMonth is 1 then set theMonth to "0" & theMonth
set theDay to word 2 of shortDate
if length of theDay is 1 then set theDay to "0" & theDay
set theYear to year of cDate
set DateString to theMonth & theDay & theYear

set theTime to time string of cDate
set theHour to word 1 of theTime as number
set DayNight to last word of theTime
if DayNight is "PM" then set theHour to theHour + 12
set theHour to theHour as text
if the length of theHour is 1 then set theHour to "0" & theHour
set theMinutes to word 2 of theTime
if the length of theMinutes is 1 then set theMinutes to "0" & theMinutes
set TimeString to theHour & theMinutes
set FinalString to DateString & TimeString

Hope this helps. I KNOW this can be simplified, however, it’s not bad for being done “on the fly.”

Brad Bumgarner, CTA

#3

Brad,

Thank you for your input.

That works like a charm… If anyone knows a shorter way to achieve this, please let me know, but for now this will get the job done.

Thanks, again!

#4

set theDate to (do shell script “date “+%m%d%y%H%M””)

#5

That is just pretty.

Thank you.

#6

D’oh!! I SHOULD have thought of that. I’ve played around with it enough!!

Very nice Donkley Hoatie.

Brad Bumgarner, CTA

#7

Thank you all for your comments.

#8

You can format the date almost any way you like via the command line. For more info see

man strftime

Examples…

set theDate to (do shell script "date +%v")
-->4-Sep-2004

set theDate to (do shell script "date +%F\ @\ %T")
-->2004-09-04 @ 02:09:20