Re: trick for time tracking

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On Fri 24 Jul, 2026, at 19:31, Bill Allombert wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 24, 2026 at 09:42:45AM -0400, Max Alekseyev wrote:
> > Just want to share a nice trick for printing the current date/time info
> in
> > lengthy computations, which works under linux:
> >
> > extern("date>&2")
> >
> > This command executes the standard "date" tool and redirects its output
> to
> > stderr, effectively printing it on the screen by avoiding extern()'s
> > processing of the standard output.
>
> You can do that too:
>
> ? externstr("date")[1]
> %1 =3D "Fri Jul 24 19:31:13 CEST 2026"


Or
system("date")

    which does, I think, exactly what you need.

           Lo=C3=AFc

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div clas=
s=3D"gmail_attr">O<span class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-family:verdan=
a,sans-serif">n Fri</span>=C2=A024 <span class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"f=
ont-family:verdana,sans-serif">Jul</span><span class=3D"gmail_default" styl=
e=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif">,</span>=C2=A02026<span class=3D"gmail=
_default" style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif">,</span>=C2=A0<span clas=
s=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif">at</span> 19:3=
1, Bill Allombert <span class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-family:verdan=
a,sans-serif">wrote</span>:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" styl=
e=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);paddin=
g-left:1ex">On Fri, Jul 24, 2026 at 09:42:45AM -0400, Max Alekseyev wrote:<=
br>
&gt; Just want to share a nice trick for printing the current date/time inf=
o in<br>
&gt; lengthy computations, which works under linux:<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; extern(&quot;date&gt;&amp;2&quot;)<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; This command executes the standard &quot;date&quot; tool and redirects=
 its output to<br>
&gt; stderr, effectively printing it on the screen by avoiding extern()&#39=
;s<br>
&gt; processing of the standard output.<br>
<br>
You can do that too:<br>
<br>
? externstr(&quot;date&quot;)[1]<br>
%1 =3D &quot;Fri Jul 24 19:31:13 CEST 2026&quot;</blockquote><div><br></div=
><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif" class=3D"gmail_default">Or</=
div><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif" class=3D"gmail_default">s=
ystem(&quot;date&quot;)</div><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif" =
class=3D"gmail_default"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-se=
rif" class=3D"gmail_default">=C2=A0 =C2=A0 which does, I think, exactly wha=
t you need.</div><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif" class=3D"gma=
il_default"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:verdana,sans-serif" class=
=3D"gmail_default">=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0Lo=C3=AFc</div>=
</div></div>

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