PDF File Creation / Modification Time From PDF Document's Metadata

[newexif]

PDF files store a creation and also a modification time inside their metadata.

Is it possible for ExifTool to take either/both of these and update the file's creation/modification time(s) with this?. I have tried an example that worked with .JPG files, but was unable to get it to work with .PDF.

Can someone provides example(S)?, for creation AND/OR modification and for single files AND directories?.

[Phil Harvey]

First use this command to see what is available:

exiftool -a -G1 -s FILE

Then use this command to set the file modification date from the appropriate tag:

exiftool "-filemodifydate<TAG" DIR

- Phil

[newexif]

First use this command to see what is available:

exiftool -a -G1 -s FILE

Then use this command to set the file modification date from the approrpriate tag:

exiftool "-filemodifydate<TAG" DIR

- Phil

Got it working. But with some PDF files the 'Hour' is a off/different by the one in the PDF meta data. For example the 'ModifyDate' from the PDF metadata for the attached file has a '11' as the hour, but when I update the filesystem one it is '2' as the hour.  See the metadata below.

Can you explain why or how to correct it? (I sense it maybe a issue due to World TimeZones)

Also

The For  Tags show for a .PDF file:

[ExifTool]      ExifToolVersion                 : 10.63
[System]        FileName                        : X.pdf
[System]        Directory                       : .
[System]        FileSize                        : 929 kB
[System]        FileModifyDate                  : 2004:03:17 02:25:50+00:00
[System]        FileAccessDate                  : 2004:03:17 02:25:50+00:00
[System]        FileCreateDate                  : 2017:10:15 00:00:00+01:00
[System]        FilePermissions                 : rw-rw-rw-
[File]          FileType                        : PDF
[File]          FileTypeExtension               : pdf
[File]          MIMEType                        : application/pdf
[PDF]           PDFVersion                      : 1.4
[PDF]           Linearized                      : Yes
[PDF]           Encryption                      : Standard V1.2 (40-bit)
[PDF]           UserAccess                      : Print, Fill forms, Extract, As
semble, Print high-res
[PDF]           CreateDate                      : 2004:03:01 03:00:24Z
[PDF]           ModifyDate                      : 2004:03:17 11:25:50+09:00
[PDF]           Producer                        : Acrobat Distiller 5.0.5 (Windo
ws)
[PDF]           Creator                         : PScript5.dll Version 5.2
[PDF]           Title                           : HR-S5970E
[PDF]           Subject                         : LPT0916-001A
[PDF]           Author                          : JVC
[PDF]           PageCount                       : 16
[PDF]           PageLayout                      : SinglePage
[XMP-pdf]       CreationDate                    : 2004:03:01 03:00:24Z
[XMP-pdf]       ModDate                         : 2004:03:17 11:25:50+09:00
[XMP-pdf]       Producer                        : Acrobat Distiller 5.0.5 (Windo
ws)
[XMP-pdf]       Creator                         : PScript5.dll Version 5.2
[XMP-pdf]       Title                           : HR-S5970E
[XMP-pdf]       Subject                         : LPT0916-001A
[XMP-pdf]       Author                          : JVC
[XMP-xmp]       CreateDate                      : 2004:03:01 03:00:24Z
[XMP-xmp]       ModifyDate                      : 2004:03:01 03:00:24Z
[XMP-xmp]       MetadataDate                    : 2004:03:17 11:25:50+09:00
[XMP-xmp]       Title                           : HR-S5970.5971_001EN-.fm
[XMP-dc]        Title                           : HR-S5970.5971_001EN-.fm


...There are 2 'CreateDate' tags, the [PDF]  and the [XMP-xmp]. How do I select a particular one?.

[StarGeek]

Got it working. But with some PDF files the 'Hour' is a off/different by the one in the PDF meta data. For example the 'ModifyDate' from the PDF metadata for the attached file has a '11' as the hour, but when I update the filesystem one it is '2' as the hour.  See the metadata below.

Can you explain why or how to correct it? (I sense it maybe a issue due to World TimeZones)

Yes, since both timestamps have a timezone, there is an adjustment being made.  If you wish to strip the timezone, you can use "-FileModifyDate<${ModifyDate;s/+.*//}" to strip off the timezone.

...There are 2 'CreateDate' tags, the [PDF]  and the [XMP-xmp]. How do I select a particular one?.

Add the group name to the beginning of the tag separated by a colon, e.g. PDF:CreateDate or XMP-xmp:CreateDate (or simply XMP:CreateDate).

[newexif]

I am trying the following command line, but the file's time on my filesystem is still hours away from the one in the PDF metadata.

     exiftool.exe "-FileModifyDate<${ModifyDate;s/+.*//}" ExitTest.pdf


Also I get the warning:

     Warning: Quantifier follows nothing in regex; marked by <-- HERE in m/+ <-- HERE .*/ for 'ModifyDate' - ExitTest.pdf


?

[StarGeek]

Sorry, my mistake.  I forgot to escape the plus sign (it has special meaning in RegEx).  And I should account for negative time zones as well as Zulu time.  Try this

"-FileModifyDate<${ModifyDate;s/[-+Z].*//}"

[rsalois]

The trick explained by Phil above works like a charm for me! To be clear, ExifTool is not the very thing I got used to, all the soft I was working with before in order to do some amends for pdfs like this one https://www.altoextractpdf.com/ were dead simple to understand, I would say, and didn't require any specific skills. But as I can see, Exif does all the same things and in pretty interesting manner, so there are many things to compare, I do think