STAMP is a simple tool to create logfile entries with timestamps. Often a script (or batchfile) will want to report at various stages of its progress. STAMP allows the script to make a one-line entry to STDOUT (the console) which can then be redirected to a logfile.

STAMP automatically prefixes the current date and time to the logfile entry.

STAMP also inserts a single "flag" character at the very beginning of the entry.

Finally, STAMP can insert a "program identifier" into the entry, so that the script making the entry can identify itself.

STAMP is fully command-line driven, requires no extra files, and does not need to be installed in any particular location.

 

important bits

• requires MS-DOS 7.x or later

• the following points are this program's terms and conditions of use:

There is a feedback form here.

1. run the self-extracting distribution archive
2. (optional) copy STAMP.EXE to a directory in your PATH

 

configuration and startup

Commandline syntax:

stamp <flag> <message> [/logsrc:<source>]

Where:

<flag>	leading character or string for the log entry
<message>	message for the log entry
<logsrc>	(optional) a name for the source of the log entry

Example:

stamp ! An error has been detected. /logsrc:testtool >> logfile.log

Results in this output appended to the file "logfile.log" (your timestamp will vary):

! testtool Aug 16, 2005 14:59:46 An error has been detected.

 

controls and methods

• N/A

 

issues and limitations

• none known

• 32-bit version for Win64

August 16, 2005	0.01	initial development
August 17, 2005	0.02	added /logsrc switch and HTML documentation
September 5, 2005	0.03	?
June 11, 2006	0.04	bugfix

Note: The supplied STAMP.EXE is an improved workalike of "STAMP.COM", a 12k program written on February 15, 1987 by an unknown author. I have used STAMP.COM for many years, and only retired it when I started needing to distribute a timestamper. Greetz to you, whoever you are!