Generate a formatted timestamp

Summary

The tstamp macro creates a formatted timestamp string using a custom date format pattern, timezone, and optional timestamp value.

Syntax 

${tstamp[;<format>[;<timezone>[;<millis>]]]}

Parameters

  • format (optional) - Date format pattern (default: “yyyyMMddHHmm”)
  • timezone (optional) - Timezone ID (default: “UTC”)
  • millis (optional) - Timestamp in milliseconds (default: current time)

Behavior

  • Formats current time by default
  • Uses SimpleDateFormat patterns
  • Default format: “yyyyMMddHHmm”
  • Default timezone: UTC
  • All parameters are optional

Examples

Default format (UTC):

${tstamp}
# Returns: "202411201030" (example)

Custom format:

${tstamp;yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}
# Returns: "2024-11-20 10:30:45"

With timezone:

${tstamp;yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm;America/New_York}
# Returns: "2024-11-20 05:30"

ISO 8601 format:

${tstamp;yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss'Z'}
# Returns: "2024-11-20T10:30:45Z"

Specific timestamp:

${tstamp;yyyy-MM-dd;;1700000000000}
# Formats the provided timestamp

Build timestamp in manifest:

Build-Timestamp: ${tstamp;yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss z;UTC}

Use Cases

  • Creating build timestamps
  • Generating unique version qualifiers
  • Formatting dates for manifests
  • Creating timestamped file names
  • Documentation generation
  • Build reproducibility tracking

Notes

  • Uses Java SimpleDateFormat patterns
  • Default timezone is UTC
  • For current time in millis, use ${currenttime}
  • For conversion from millis, use ${long2date}
  • Format patterns are locale-independent
  • Common patterns: yyyy (year), MM (month), dd (day), HH (hour 24), mm (minute), ss (second)
  • See also: ${currenttime}, ${long2date}, ${now}

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java