## Touch

### Description

Changes the modification time of a file and possibly creates it at the same time. In addition to working with a single file, this Task can also work a Fileset (which also includes directories) or a Filelist (since Ant 1.6).

### Parameters

Attribute | Description | Required
file | The name of the file. | Unless a nested fileset element or a nested filelist element has been specified.
millis | Specifies the new modification time of the file in milliseconds since midnight Jan 1 1970. | No--datetime takes precedence, however if both are omitted the current time is assumed.
datetime | Specifies the new modification time of the file.
pattern | SimpleDateFormat-compatible pattern string. Defaults to MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM_or_PM or MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS AM_or_PM. Since Ant 1.6.3 | No
mkdirs | Whether to create nonexistent parent directories when touching new files. Since Ant 1.6.3 | No, default false.
verbose | Whether to log the creation of new files. Since Ant 1.6.3 | No, default true.

### Parameters specified as nested elements

#### fileset

You can use any number of nested `<fileset>` elements to define the files for this task and refer to `<fileset>`s defined elsewhere.

#### filelist

Since Ant 1.6

You can use any number of nested `<filelist>` elements to define the files for this task and refer to `<filelist>`s defined elsewhere.

#### mapper

Since Ant 1.6.3, a nested mapper can be specified. Files specified via nested `fileset`s, `filelist`s, or the `file` attribute are mapped using the specified mapper. For each file mapped, the resulting files are touched. If the original file exists its timestamp will be used. Otherwise the task settings (`millis`, `datetime`) take effect.

### Examples

      <touch file="myfile"/>

creates `myfile` if it doesn't exist and changes the modification time to the current time.

      <touch file="myfile" datetime="06/28/2000 2:02 pm"/>

creates `myfile` if it doesn't exist and changes the modification time to Jun, 28 2000 2:02 pm (14:02 for those used to 24 hour times).

      <touch datetime="09/10/1974 4:30 pm">
        <fileset dir="src_dir"/>
      </touch>

changes the modification time to Oct, 09 1974 4:30 pm of all files and directories found in `src_dir`.

      <touch file="myfile" datetime="06/28/2000 2:02:17 pm"/>

creates `myfile` if it doesn't exist and changes the modification time to Jun, 28 2000 2:02:17 pm (14:02:17 for those used to 24 hour times), if the filesystem allows a precision of one second - a time close to it otherwise.

      <touch file="foo">
        <mapper type="glob" from="foo" to="bar" />
      </touch>

creates `bar` if it doesn't exist and changes the modification time to that of `foo`.

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