Page update dates¶

Page update dates are optional. Use this feature only when readers need to see when individual pages changed. If dates are not required, do not run prodockit update-dates; an ordinary Zensical build needs no replacement command or other configuration.

When enabled, page update dates record when each source page was last changed. After the publication build, Prodockit finds the HTML page produced from each Markdown file and supplies its update date. It uses the latest Git author date when history is available and the Markdown file's modification date otherwise. Every automatic timestamp is converted to UTC before its YYYY-MM-DD calendar date is selected, so the result does not depend on the time zone of the computer running the build.

Figure 31.1 shows the two date sources converging on the author-selected position in both outputs.

How time zones are handled¶

All automatic timestamps are converted to UTC before prodockit selects the calendar date, regardless of where the build runs:

• Git history: the author timestamp includes its recorded UTC offset. Prodockit converts that instant to UTC, then selects its calendar date.
• File modification time: the filesystem timestamp is converted directly to UTC before its calendar date is selected.
• Manual front matter: a revision_date is already a calendar date, so Prodockit uses the author's value exactly as written.

Only the resulting YYYY-MM-DD value is displayed; no time or time-zone label appears. The website and PDF use the same resolved date.

Place the website date¶

Write the introductory text you want and put <!-- prodockit-update-date --> at the exact insertion point:

Document reviewed: <!-- prodockit-update-date -->

The completed website renders, for example:

Document reviewed: 2026-08-27

The text before or after the marker is ordinary Markdown and is entirely the author's choice. Without a marker, Prodockit retains the default behaviour and places an Updated fact at the bottom of the generated page.

During zensical serve, the marker itself is invisible and only the author's text is shown. Run the static build followed by prodockit update-dates to inspect the date in its final position.

Understand the PDF position¶

The PDF uses the same page date automatically. prodockit pdf prints Updated on YYYY-MM-DD below the page number for each source section. The PDF position follows the document's running-footer design and is not controlled by the website marker.

The website and PDF need no date macro, Markdown extension, or change to zensical.toml.

Override one page's date¶

To override the automatic date for one page, add revision_date to that page's YAML front matter:

---
revision_date: 2026-08-27
---

# Page title

The explicit value appears in a zensical serve preview and takes priority in the completed website and PDF. Use it only when the displayed date needs to be controlled independently of the file's history.

This page was updated: 2026-08-28

Continue to Build with revision dates for the two publication commands, Git and non-Git behaviour, and CI history requirements.