PHP filectime Function
last modified April 3, 2025
The PHP filectime function returns the creation time of a file.
This is different from modification time and access time. It's useful for
file management tasks.
Basic Definition
The filectime function returns the Unix timestamp when a file was
created. On Unix systems, this is the inode change time. On Windows, it's the
actual creation time.
Syntax: filectime(string $filename): int|false. Returns timestamp
on success, false on failure. The timestamp can be formatted with date functions.
Basic filectime Example
This shows the simplest usage of filectime to get creation time.
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
$filename = "example.txt";
$ctime = filectime($filename);
echo "File created on: " . date("Y-m-d H:i:s", $ctime);
This outputs the creation time in a readable format. The date
function converts the Unix timestamp to a human-readable string.
Checking File Existence First
It's good practice to check if a file exists before getting its ctime.
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
$filename = "example.txt";
if (file_exists($filename)) {
$ctime = filectime($filename);
echo "File created: " . date("Y-m-d", $ctime);
} else {
echo "File does not exist";
}
This prevents warnings if the file doesn't exist. The file_exists
check ensures we only call filectime on existing files.
Comparing with Filemtime
This example shows the difference between creation time and modification time.
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
$filename = "example.txt";
$ctime = filectime($filename);
$mtime = filemtime($filename);
echo "Created: " . date("Y-m-d H:i:s", $ctime) . "\n";
echo "Modified: " . date("Y-m-d H:i:s", $mtime);
Creation time stays constant while modification time changes when content is updated. This helps track when a file was first created versus last changed.
Handling Directories
filectime works with directories as well as files.
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
$dir = "documents";
$ctime = filectime($dir);
echo "Directory created: " . date("Y-m-d", $ctime);
This shows when a directory was created. The function behaves the same way for directories as it does for regular files.
Error Handling
Proper error handling makes code more robust when dealing with filesystem ops.
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
$filename = "nonexistent.txt";
$ctime = @filectime($filename);
if ($ctime === false) {
echo "Could not get creation time";
} else {
echo "Created: " . date("Y-m-d", $ctime);
}
The @ operator suppresses warnings, and we check the return value explicitly. This provides cleaner error handling than letting PHP emit warnings.
Best Practices
- Timezones: Be aware of server timezone settings.
- Caching: Results may be cached; clearstatcache() helps.
- Permissions: Ensure proper file permissions.
- Cross-platform: Behavior differs slightly between OSes.
Source
This tutorial covered the PHP filectime function with practical
examples showing its usage in different scenarios.