Last modified directory date

Question

I wonder when the date of the last directory change changed. I changed the file inside a specific directory (via FTP), but the LMD directory has not changed. How should it function?

Answer 1

The mtime time (modification time) in the directory itself changes when you add, delete, or rename a file or subdirectory.

Changing the contents of a file in a directory does not change the directory itself or update the changed times of a file or subdirectory. If you change the permissions in the directory, ctime will change, but mtime does not.

Answer 2

A directory is similar to a file containing a list of file names in it (indeed, you accidentally opened a directory in an editor where you can see its most readable list of its contents) - this changes when a file in this directory is added, deleted or renamed.