I use timestamp on MySQL 5.x (with PHP) to remember event times. During development I had to update the table with a query that changes something in all columns. The timesta
You can use a default value for that field and not include it in the insert or update query.
Here's all you need to know. In short, though, I think this should do it:
ALTER TABLE `mytable`
CHANGE `mydatefield` `mydatefield`
TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
ts TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
Very good documentation here for time-stamp.