MS-DOS date and time are packed 16-bit values that specify local date/time. The time is always stored in the current UTC time offset set on the computer which created the file. Note that the daylight saving time (DST) shifts also change the UTC time offset.
For example, if you pack two files A and B into a ZIP archive, file A last modified at 2020-03-29 00:59 UTC+00:00 (GMT) and file B at 2020-03-29 02:00 UTC+01:00 (BST), the file modification times saved in MS-DOS format in the ZIP file will vary depending on whether the computer packing the files is set to GMT or BST at the time of ZIP creation.
It follows that you are unable to determine the actual last modified time of any file stored in the ZIP archive, if you don't know the locale time setting of the computer at the time it created the ZIP.
This format is used in some data formats from the MS-DOS era, for example:
This page hosts a formal specification of MS-DOS datetime using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.
All parsing code for Ruby generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the Ruby runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.
The Ruby runtime library can be installed from RubyGems:
gem install kaitai-struct
Parse a local file and get structure in memory:
data = DosDatetime.from_file("path/to/local/file.bin")
Or parse structure from a string of bytes:
bytes = "\x00\x01\x02..."
data = DosDatetime.new(Kaitai::Struct::Stream.new(bytes))
After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by invoking getter methods like:
data.time # => get time
# This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild
require 'kaitai/struct/struct'
unless Gem::Version.new(Kaitai::Struct::VERSION) >= Gem::Version.new('0.9')
raise "Incompatible Kaitai Struct Ruby API: 0.9 or later is required, but you have #{Kaitai::Struct::VERSION}"
end
##
# MS-DOS date and time are packed 16-bit values that specify local date/time.
# The time is always stored in the current UTC time offset set on the computer
# which created the file. Note that the daylight saving time (DST) shifts
# also change the UTC time offset.
#
# For example, if you pack two files A and B into a ZIP archive, file A last modified
# at 2020-03-29 00:59 UTC+00:00 (GMT) and file B at 2020-03-29 02:00 UTC+01:00 (BST),
# the file modification times saved in MS-DOS format in the ZIP file will vary depending
# on whether the computer packing the files is set to GMT or BST at the time of ZIP creation.
#
# - If set to GMT:
# - file A: 2020-03-29 00:59 (UTC+00:00)
# - file B: 2020-03-29 01:00 (UTC+00:00)
# - If set to BST:
# - file A: 2020-03-29 01:59 (UTC+01:00)
# - file B: 2020-03-29 02:00 (UTC+01:00)
#
# It follows that you are unable to determine the actual last modified time
# of any file stored in the ZIP archive, if you don't know the locale time
# setting of the computer at the time it created the ZIP.
#
# This format is used in some data formats from the MS-DOS era, for example:
#
# - [zip](/zip/)
# - [rar](/rar/)
# - [vfat](/vfat/) (FAT12)
# - [lzh](/lzh/)
# - [cab](http://justsolve.archiveteam.org/wiki/Cabinet)
# @see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/sysinfo/ms-dos-date-and-time Source
# @see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-dosdatetimetofiletime Source
# @see https://github.com/reactos/reactos/blob/c6b64448ce4/dll/win32/kernel32/client/time.c#L82-L87 DosDateTimeToFileTime
# @see https://download.microsoft.com/download/0/8/4/084c452b-b772-4fe5-89bb-a0cbf082286a/fatgen103.doc page 25/34
class DosDatetime < Kaitai::Struct::Struct
def initialize(_io, _parent = nil, _root = self)
super(_io, _parent, _root)
_read
end
def _read
@time = Time.new(@_io, self, @_root)
@date = Date.new(@_io, self, @_root)
self
end
class Time < Kaitai::Struct::Struct
def initialize(_io, _parent = nil, _root = self)
super(_io, _parent, _root)
_read
end
def _read
@second_div_2 = @_io.read_bits_int_le(5)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationGreaterThanError.new(29, second_div_2, _io, "/types/time/seq/0") if not second_div_2 <= 29
@minute = @_io.read_bits_int_le(6)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationGreaterThanError.new(59, minute, _io, "/types/time/seq/1") if not minute <= 59
@hour = @_io.read_bits_int_le(5)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationGreaterThanError.new(23, hour, _io, "/types/time/seq/2") if not hour <= 23
self
end
def second
return @second unless @second.nil?
@second = (2 * second_div_2)
@second
end
def padded_second
return @padded_second unless @padded_second.nil?
@padded_second = (second <= 9 ? "0" : "") + second.to_s(10)
@padded_second
end
def padded_minute
return @padded_minute unless @padded_minute.nil?
@padded_minute = (minute <= 9 ? "0" : "") + minute.to_s(10)
@padded_minute
end
def padded_hour
return @padded_hour unless @padded_hour.nil?
@padded_hour = (hour <= 9 ? "0" : "") + hour.to_s(10)
@padded_hour
end
attr_reader :second_div_2
attr_reader :minute
attr_reader :hour
end
class Date < Kaitai::Struct::Struct
def initialize(_io, _parent = nil, _root = self)
super(_io, _parent, _root)
_read
end
def _read
@day = @_io.read_bits_int_le(5)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationLessThanError.new(1, day, _io, "/types/date/seq/0") if not day >= 1
@month = @_io.read_bits_int_le(4)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationLessThanError.new(1, month, _io, "/types/date/seq/1") if not month >= 1
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationGreaterThanError.new(12, month, _io, "/types/date/seq/1") if not month <= 12
@year_minus_1980 = @_io.read_bits_int_le(7)
self
end
##
# only years from 1980 to 2107 (1980 + 127) can be represented
def year
return @year unless @year.nil?
@year = (1980 + year_minus_1980)
@year
end
def padded_day
return @padded_day unless @padded_day.nil?
@padded_day = (day <= 9 ? "0" : "") + day.to_s(10)
@padded_day
end
def padded_month
return @padded_month unless @padded_month.nil?
@padded_month = (month <= 9 ? "0" : "") + month.to_s(10)
@padded_month
end
def padded_year
return @padded_year unless @padded_year.nil?
@padded_year = (year <= 999 ? "0" + (year <= 99 ? "0" + (year <= 9 ? "0" : "") : "") : "") + year.to_s(10)
@padded_year
end
attr_reader :day
attr_reader :month
attr_reader :year_minus_1980
end
attr_reader :time
attr_reader :date
end