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pdk update-dates

pdk update-dates adds per-page revision dates to an already-built website. It changes generated HTML, never source Markdown or configuration.

Use the page update dates guide to configure placement and understand the website/PDF relationship.

Synopsis

Use the default Git dates or request filesystem modification dates explicitly.

pdk update-dates [--config-file PATH] [--modification-dates]

Working directory

Run this command from the project root, after Zensical has built the site. Use --config-file PATH when deliberately updating another project's built output.

From the wrong directory it normally reports project configuration not found: .../zensical.toml. If the configuration exists but its generated site does not, expect built site not found: ...; run zensical build first.

Options

Table 48.1 lists source and date-selection controls.

1. Page-date options

Option Behaviour
-f, --config-file PATH Read another Zensical configuration; defaults to zensical.toml.
--modification-dates Use source-file modification times instead of Git author dates.
-h, --help Show installed help and exit.

Inputs and effects

Run Zensical before this command. By default, Git supplies the last author date for each tracked page. An untracked page or non-Git project falls back to its source modification time; configured manual or existing dates are retained where applicable.

The command updates only the configured site_dir. A later clean website build replaces generated HTML, so run the date update at the documented point in the publishing workflow.

Use these commands to align other repository metadata or build the PDF output:

  • pdk sync-repo aligns other repository-derived website metadata.
  • pdk pdf reads revision information through the configured PDF pipeline.