Text Formatting ⇒ Getting date & time into logfile

[BKthesis]

I sometimes process my LaTex through a server for publication I want to get the current date and time into the log file. I've tried things such as:

Code: Select all

\usepackage{datetime}
\ClassWarning{}{Processing File... \today  \currenttime}%
\typeout{Processing File... \today  \currenttime}%
\newcommand*{\bkdatemsg}{Today is \today}%
\typeout{\bkdatemsg}%
\typeout{\today}%

But each time I get the text "\today" and not the commands' evaluated result.

[cgnieder]

The commands \today and \currenttime need to be (fully) expanded first. However, as I tried to get a solution expanding them before I got errors. It seems they're not expandable.

So I came up with a solution using expl3 (which provides easy expansion control). You would need a rather new version of the l3kernel, I guess. I'm not sure since when \iow_log:n is provided.

Here's what I have:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{expl3}
\ExplSyntaxOn
% save original \today since the new one is not expandable:
\cs_set_eq:NN \lgt_file_date: \today

\usepackage{datetime}

% avoid \currenttime since it's not expandable:
\cs_new_nopar:Npn \lgt_file_time:
  {
    \lgt_get_time:N \currenthour :
    \lgt_get_time:N \currentminute :
    \lgt_get_time:N \currentsecond
  }

% add leading 0 if necessary:
\cs_new_nopar:Npn \lgt_get_time:N #1
  {
    \int_compare:nNnT { #1 } < { 10 } { 0 }
    \int_use:N #1
  }

% write to log file (argument is expanded first):
\iow_log:x
  { Processing~File... ~ \lgt_file_date: \tl_use:N \c_space_tl \lgt_file_time: }

% give a message:
% \ClassWarning { }
%   { Processing~File... ~ \lgt_file_date: \tl_use:N \c_space_tl \lgt_file_time: }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

bla

\end{document}

Regards