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#### 18.3.6 Updating Time Stamps Automatically

You can arrange to put a time stamp in a file, so that it is updated automatically each time you edit and save the file. The time stamp must be in the first eight lines of the file, and you should insert it like this:

    Time-stamp: <>

or like this:

    Time-stamp: " "

Then add the function `time-stamp` to the hook `before-save-hook` (see Hooks). When you save the file, this function then automatically updates the time stamp with the current date and time. You can also use the command `M-x time-stamp` to update the time stamp manually. By default the time stamp is formatted according to your locale setting (see Environment) and time zone (see Time of Day in The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual). For customizations, see the Custom group `time-stamp`.