Parameters

path

The file or directory for which to obtain creation date and time information.

Returns

A DateTime structure set to the creation date and time for the specified file or directory. This value is expressed in local time.

Exceptions

Type	Reason
ArgumentException	path is a zero-length string, contains only white space, or contains one or more implementation-specific invalid characters.
ArgumentNullException	path is null.
System.IO.IOException	path was not found.
System.IO.PathTooLongException	The length of path or the absolute path information for path exceeds the system-defined maximum length.
System.Security.SecurityException	The caller does not have the required permission.
UnauthorizedAccessException	The caller does not have the required permission.

Remarks

Note:

This method may return an inaccurate value, because it uses native functions whose values may not be continuously updated by the operating system.

The path parameter is permitted to specify relative or absolute path information. Relative path information is interpreted as relative to the current working directory. To obtain the current working directory, see Directory.GetCurrentDirectory.

If the file described in the path parameter does not exist, this method returns 12:00 midnight, January 1, 1601 A.D. (C.E.) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), adjusted to local time.

NTFS-formatted drives may cache information about a file, such as file creation time, for a short period of time. As a result, it may be necessary to explicitly set the creation time of a file if you are overwriting or replacing an existing file.

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Permissions

Requirements