How do I create timestamp type columns in (mySQL) database?

[Subodh Nijsure]

I am working with situation where I would like to maintain timestamp (in
UTC) of when a record is created or updated.

mySQL offers such facility if one declares column of type 'timestamp' with
attributes - default CURRENT_TIMESTAMP on update CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'

However I haven't found way to declare a column time as timestamp in django
(1.4).

I have come across postings - http://ianrolfe.livejournal.com/36017.html

that tries to define field as timestamp, but it doesn't seem to work.

Is there way to declare column of type 'timestamp' in django and not
datetime and assign some properties to the column.

As a hack I can always execute alter table command, but I am not sure what
effect that will have if I want to use admin interface to edit those tables.

Would appreciate any help/pointer on how one can go about handling UTC
timestamp columns in database.

Thanks.

-Subodh

[Mike Dewhirst]

Post by Subodh Nijsure
I am working with situation where I would like to maintain timestamp (in
UTC) of when a record is created or updated.

I can't help with MySQL but Postgres makes it easy. If you syncdb a
models.DateTimeField, Postgres (or more correctly, the Postgres backend
in Django) makes it "timestamp with time zone"

Thereafter, to put the right data into such a column you need to make
sure you are giving it a UTC date/time.

This is how I return a UTC timestamp wherever I want one ...

import pytz
from datetime import datetime

def when():
return datetime.now(tz=pytz.utc)

For datetime arithmetic I have a little utility like this which uses
Django's timezone.make_aware() ...

def addyears(dday=None, yrs=5):
from django.utils import timezone
from calendar import leapdays
if not dday:
dday = when()
ldays = leapdays(dday.year, dday.year + yrs)
future = datetime.fromordinal(dday.toordinal() + (yrs * 365) + ldays)
return timezone.make_aware(future, pytz.utc)

And, as general practice I long ago decided to use datetimes exclusively
so I don't have to think too hard.

hth

Mike

Post by Subodh Nijsure
mySQL offers such facility if one declares column of type 'timestamp'
with attributes - default CURRENT_TIMESTAMP on update CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'
However I haven't found way to declare a column time as timestamp in
django (1.4).
I have come across postings - http://ianrolfe.livejournal.com/36017.html
that tries to define field as timestamp, but it doesn't seem to work.
Is there way to declare column of type 'timestamp' in django and not
datetime and assign some properties to the column.
As a hack I can always execute alter table command, but I am not sure
what effect that will have if I want to use admin interface to edit
those tables.
Would appreciate any help/pointer on how one can go about handling UTC
timestamp columns in database.
Thanks.
-Subodh
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