I am trying to figure out how to auto-add a date stamp to the file name of a compiled manuscript or partial manuscript. I compile frequently and would like a unique file name automatically added to each saved Word doc or PDF I compile so I can find it later, and so I don’t overwrite earlier or larger versions of these exported docs. by mistake. I am mostly compiling to Word, but sometimes as a PDF. Thanks.
I don’t know if it is possible, but it would help to know if you’re on Mac or Windows, which version of the OS and which version of Scrivener.
Mark
Scrivener’s file naming for compile is pretty simple: it favours whatever you used the last time for that project (well, Windows was never fixed, so there you have to type it in by hand every time).
This is something I do a lot, and not just with Scrivener, I put the date and time as a prefix for nearly every file I save. As such, I don’t want to have to depend on programs having complex features for this (and honestly very few do), so I use my system-wide text expansion utility for that job. I use such tools for hundreds of things, from email address to commonly used URLs, to boilerplate text—so using it for dates (wherever I want to insert them) is only another thing to use them for. I can type in ‘isoD’, case-sensitive, and it immediately turns into ‘2025-02-06’.
It’s a pretty well established genre, so you’re bound to find something that works well for you. I used Typinator for many years, back when I primarily just used a Mac. These days I use the open source Espanso which works the same across all computers.
Fair warning, it’s an addictive kind of tool. Once you start using it for one thing, you’ll starting finding other reasons to use it, and before you’ll know it you’ll be saving yourself accumulated years of pointless, repetitive typing tasks. 
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I’m working on a Mac.
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As @AmberV says, it’s not automated at all.
I too start all my file names with a date, usually in the form 20250206. But I too use Espanso, though to a limited extent so far. Using it to automatically enter the date in file names is a great idea.
Would you believe it turns out I had already set it up to enter the date without dividers like the above, but had forgotten entirely that I’d done so!
So thank you @AmberV!!
Mark
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Thank you, Amber. I’ve never heard of Typinator or anything like it. I’m wondering now if I need to train myself to add a date identifier, as you do, with every document I save.
Sure, you could think of it as that, but the nice thing about these tools is that you are the one that sets up the bit to type in. In my example, that is easy for me to remember because that date format is ISO standard, and “D” stands for date (“T” would do the time). But you can set it to use whatever is familiar or comfortable to type in. Think of it as an abbreviation.
I use RocketTypist on my Mac for a similar purpose. They now have an iOS version so I can have my shortcuts on my iPad and iPhone.
The catch there is that with adding a Windows machine to the mix, I don’t have access to my shortcuts on the Windows system since RocketTypist is Mac-only.
I’ll have to check out Espanso…
I don’t think there is an iOS version of it (it strikes me as being somewhat at odds with it). The configuration for it is admittedly aimed at those that don’t shy away from technical things, but if you’ve ever messed with iOS compile settings it’s not too much different from that! For example, this would expand ‘lnl-forum’ to the full forum URL:
matches:
- trigger: lnl-forum
replace: https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/
You save that into a text file where it picks up configuration and that’s about it for the basics.