Change file creation and modification dates based on file name?

This is little more than a text parsing exercise to extract the relevant data from the filename, so that's pretty easy.

As is often the case, though, the devil is in the details. For one, those filename are concerning - usually / is not allowed in file names (since it's used as a directory delimiter), so that may need some special handling. It's likely a legacy issue since times would usually be colon delimited (e.g. "10:56:45"), but colons are a no-no, too.

Then there is the issue of the creation date. It's simple to change the modification date of a file. It's also possible (and simple) to set a creation date that is earlier than the file's current creation date. However, setting a newer creation date is a whole other issue.

As long as the creation date is earlier you can use the built-in shell command touch. If you need newer creation dates you need to install Xcode (along with it's associated shell tools) to get SetFile, which can set any date.

As I think about it, file dates may not be the issue anyway - media files (photos, videos, etc.) often contain embedded metadata that include things like dates, resolution, data rates, etc), and modifying the metadata may be an easier path.

If you can clarify these details (specific file name formats and old vs. newer dates), I'm sure we can craft something.

I can't offer an instant solution, but it may be worth considering that Photos doesn't necessarily use the system file create date to sort on, and that you may need to use something like ExifTool.

To illustrate, I ran the following ExifTool command on a .mov file:

hd@HD ~ % exiftool /Users/hd/Desktop/somefile.mov -G1 | grep -i date

This returns every line of output that includes the character sequence 'date'. '-G1' asks for the output to be preceded by the tag group name.

I got the following:

[System]        File Modification Date/Time     : 2015:02:05 15:26:06+00:00
[System]        File Access Date/Time           : 2021:12:06 23:04:06+00:00
[System]        File Inode Change Date/Time     : 2021:12:06 22:58:09+00:00
[QuickTime]     Create Date                     : 2015:02:05 15:23:57
[QuickTime]     Modify Date                     : 2015:02:05 15:24:07
[Track1]        Track Create Date               : 2015:02:05 15:23:57
[Track1]        Track Modify Date               : 2015:02:05 15:24:07
[Track2]        Media Create Date               : 2015:02:05 15:23:57
[Track2]        Media Modify Date               : 2015:02:05 15:24:07
[UserData]      Content Create Date             : 2015:02:05 15:20:31+00:00
[Keys]          Creation Date (und-GB)          : 2015:02:05 15:20:31+00:00
[Keys]          Creation Date                   : 2015:02:05 15:20:31+00:00

So, apart from the three System tags, there are date and time creation and modify tags in the QuickTime, UserData and Keys groups as well as date/time tags for the individual Tracks within the movie. Some include timezone information, some do not. As I understand it there is no exif tag group.

The ExifTool QuickTime Tags page appears to suggest that most if not all of these tags can be edited with ExifTool, but as I say, I'm honestly not sure which you would need to change (probably all). And writing the correct command is beyond my limited skills with ExifTool.

At this point I would suggest raising your original question on the ExifTool Forum. It's active, friendly and very knowledgeable and may well give you a working solution for all your files, without involving Automator.

Cheers,

H

Great, glad you got it sorted and thanks for the feedback.

H