Adding a timestamp field to a table (MySQL database)

Question

I've defined a field in a MySQL table as type 'timestamp'
eg. 2010-05-25 21:36:19
When I perform an insert using coldfusion, the row doesn't change the value in the timestamp automatically
Am I better creating my own timestamp field, type varchar and manually insert my timestamp values ?

Answer 1

No, it is a pretty bad idea to use a text field to store date-time information.  It makes it much harder to do date and|or time calculations on the data.
A timestamp field does not mean you have a field that automatically inserts a timestamp on record insert and|or update.  Just that you have a field that expects a 'timestamp' value which is usually a date-time value down to the millisecond precision.
You can set up the database to automatically create this value when data is inserted and|or updated, but that is more then just creating the timestamp field.  And the specifics will change depending on your exact database management system.  Searching the internets for information on your database managerment system of choice and auto and|or default values for fields should guide you in the correct direction.
Or you can insert timestamp data along with the other data you are inputting into the database.  The now() function combined with the <cfqueryparam value="#timeData#" cfsqltype="cf_sql_timestamp"> is a useful combination to do this.