fix-nextcloud-file-creation-date

Contents

• About
• Fixing file creation dates
• Examples
• Troubleshooting

About

• fixes file creation date set back to 1970 by bugged version of nextcloud client (see Desktop client 3.4.0 destroys local time stamp and keeps uploading data to server)

• It is best to have a backup of nextcloud DB and data directory before running the script!

• This script overrides the file system file creation date of files in the nextcloud data directory with the date taken from nextcloud DB

• Uses SQL query by wwe see SQL query by wwe

• Tested on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, MySQL DB, Nextcloud version Nextcloud Hub 3 (25.0.1)

• Requires PowerShell as well as the PS module SimplySql

Fixing file creation dates

1) Install PowerShell

• Microsoft recommended way

  • download PowerShell

    wget https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases/download/v7.3.0/powershell_7.3.0-1.deb_amd64.deb
    

  • Install the downloaded package

    sudo dpkg -i powershell_7.3.0-1.deb_amd64.deb
    

  • Resolve missing dependencies and finish the install (if necessary)

    sudo apt-get install -f
    

• using Snap

snap install powershell --classic

2) Start PS

• if downloaded, installed manually

  /opt/microsoft/powershell/7/pwsh
  

• if installed using Snap

  powershell
  

3) Install SimplySql

• install module

  Install-Module -Name SimplySql -Scope CurrentUser
  

• optional: test if module can be imported

  Import-Module SimplySQL
  Get-Module SimplySQL
  

4) Download script

wget https://github.com/HappyRogue658/fix-nextcloud-file-creation-date/raw/main/fix%20nextcloud%20file%20creation%20date.ps1

5) Optional: provide database credentials

If you run the script multiple times, it now makes sense to enter SQL credentials, before running the script

$cred = get-credential

6) lock out users so they cannot change files while you are trying to fix files

sudo -u www-data php '/var/www/nextcloud/occ' maintenance:mode --on

7) Run script

see below for options

& './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1'

You should now look for files that the script could not fix, see Troubleshooting

8) Run occ scan and turn maintenance mode off

example

sudo -u www-data php '/var/www/nextcloud/occ' maintenance:mode --off
sudo -u www-data php '/var/www/nextcloud/occ' files:scan --all

9) optional: clean-up

• remove script

  rm 'fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1'
  

• remove PS module SimplySQL
  in PS, run

  Uninstall-Module -Name SimplySql
  

• remove PowerShell

  • if downloaded, installed manually
    • remove PS install file

      rm 'powershell_7.3.0-1.deb_amd64.deb'
      

    • uninstall PS

      sudo apt-get remove powershell
      

  • if installed using Snap

    snap remove powershell
    

Examples

list files that will get their date changed

& './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
	-dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
	-dbname 'owncloud' `
	-dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
	-action 'list'

list files that will get their date changed, table, show file name, create date in file system, and mtime in DB, sort by file name

& './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
	-dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
	-dbname 'owncloud' `
	-dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
	-action 'list' `
	| sort-object fileName `
	| select-object fileName, CreationTime, epochToDateTime

show touch command syntax but do not touch files

& './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
	-dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
	-dbname 'owncloud' `
	-dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
	-action 'changeDateSimulated'

change create date ('Modify' date in Linux) to the date retrieved from DB

& './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
	-dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
	-dbname 'owncloud' `
	-dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
	-action 'changeDate'

Troubleshooting

• files are found in DB but not in file system

  before running occ scan, list files that were found in DB but were not found in file system
  this seems to get fixed by running occ scan

  & './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
    -dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
    -dbname 'owncloud' `
    -dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
    -action 'list' `
    | where-object {$_.fileName -eq $null}
  

  same as above but count how many file are affected

  & './fix nextcloud file creation date.ps1' `
    -dbserver '127.0.0.1' `
    -dbname 'owncloud' `
    -dataDirectory '/media/owncloud_storage/data/' `
    -action 'list' `
    | where-object {$_.fileName -eq $null} `
    | measure-object
  

• some files still have the wrong create date after running the script
  this may happen if the file does not exist in the DB or if no viable mtime was found for the file.
  You can check for this like so

  $NextCloudDataDir = '/media/owncloud_storage/data'
  $files = get-childitem -Recurse  $NextCloudDataDir
  foreach ($file in $files) {$file.CreationTime = [DateTime]$file.CreationTime}
  $BrokenFiles = $Files | where-object {$_.CreationTime -lt (get-date 1970-02-01)}
  $BrokenFiles | select-object Name, FullName, CreationTime
  

  In my case, all those files where in user's trash bin and I decided to delete them

  $BrokenFiles | foreach {rm $_.FullName}