The
time-stamp command can be used to update
automatically a template in a file with a new time stamp every
time you save the file. Customize the hook
before-save-hook to add the function
time-stamp to arrange this. It you use Custom to do
this, then time-stamp is conveniently listed as an
option in the customization buffer.
The time stamp is updated
only if the customizable variable time-stamp-active
is on, which it is by default; the command
time-stamp-toggle-active can be used to toggle it.
The format of the time stamp is set by the customizable variable
time-stamp-format.
The variables
time-stamp-line-limit,
time-stamp-start, time-stamp-end,
time-stamp-count, and
time-stamp-inserts-lines control finding the
template. Do not change these in your init file or you will be
incompatible with other people's files. If you must change them,
do so only in the local variables section of the file itself.
Normally the template must appear in the first 8 lines of a file and look like one of the following:
Time-stamp: <>
Time-stamp: " "
The time stamp is written between the brackets or quotes:
Time-stamp: <1998-02-18 10:20:51 gildea>