diff --git a/editor.lib/src/org/netbeans/editor/BaseDocument.java b/editor.lib/src/org/netbeans/editor/BaseDocument.java
--- a/editor.lib/src/org/netbeans/editor/BaseDocument.java
+++ b/editor.lib/src/org/netbeans/editor/BaseDocument.java
@@ -139,6 +139,9 @@
     /** This document's version. It's accessed by DocumentUtilities.getDocumentVersion(). */
     private static final String VERSION_PROP = "version"; //NOI18N
 
+    /** Timestamp when this document was last modified. It's accessed by DocumentUtilities.getDocumentVersion(). */
+    private static final String LAST_MODIFICATION_TIMESTAMP_PROP = "last-modification-timestamp"; //NOI18N
+
     /** Line separator property for reading files in */
     public static final String READ_LINE_SEPARATOR_PROP = DefaultEditorKit.EndOfLineStringProperty;
 
@@ -2128,6 +2131,7 @@
 
     /* package */ void incrementDocVersion() {
         ((AtomicLong) getProperty(VERSION_PROP)).incrementAndGet();
+        ((AtomicLong) getProperty(LAST_MODIFICATION_TIMESTAMP_PROP)).set(System.currentTimeMillis());
     }
 
     /** Compound edit that write-locks the document for the whole processing
diff --git a/editor.util/apichanges.xml b/editor.util/apichanges.xml
--- a/editor.util/apichanges.xml
+++ b/editor.util/apichanges.xml
@@ -104,6 +104,20 @@
 
   <changes>
 
+    <change id="DocumentUtilities.getDocumentTimestamp-added">
+      <summary>Added DocumentUtilities.getDocumentTimestamp(Document)</summary>
+        <version major="1" minor="34"/>
+        <date day="14" month="1" year="2010"/>
+        <author login="vstejskal"/>
+        <compatibility addition="yes" deletion="no" modification="no" binary="compatible" semantic="compatible" />
+        <description>
+        <p>
+            Adding DocumentUtilities.getDocumentTimestamp(Document) to provide access
+            to documents' timestamp property.
+        </p>
+        </description>
+    </change>
+
     <change id="DocumentUtilities.getDocumentVersion-added">
       <summary>Added DocumentUtilities.getDocumentVersion(Document)</summary>
         <version major="1" minor="28"/>
diff --git a/editor.util/manifest.mf b/editor.util/manifest.mf
--- a/editor.util/manifest.mf
+++ b/editor.util/manifest.mf
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 OpenIDE-Module: org.netbeans.modules.editor.util/1
 OpenIDE-Module-Localizing-Bundle: org/netbeans/lib/editor/util/Bundle.properties
 AutoUpdate-Show-In-Client: false
-OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 1.33
+OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 1.34
diff --git a/editor.util/src/org/netbeans/lib/editor/util/swing/DocumentUtilities.java b/editor.util/src/org/netbeans/lib/editor/util/swing/DocumentUtilities.java
--- a/editor.util/src/org/netbeans/lib/editor/util/swing/DocumentUtilities.java
+++ b/editor.util/src/org/netbeans/lib/editor/util/swing/DocumentUtilities.java
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
     
     /** BaseDocument's version. */
     private static final String VERSION_PROP = "version"; //NOI18N
+    private static final String LAST_MODIFICATION_TIMESTAMP_PROP = "last-modification-timestamp"; //NOI18N
 
     private static final Object TYPING_MODIFICATION_DOCUMENT_PROPERTY = new Object();
     
@@ -878,4 +879,23 @@
         Object version = doc.getProperty(VERSION_PROP);
         return version instanceof AtomicLong ? ((AtomicLong) version).get() : 0;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Attempts to get the timestamp of a <code>Document</code>. Netbeans editor
+     * documents are versioned and timestamped whenever they are modified.
+     * This method can be used to read the timestamp of the most recent modification.
+     * The timestamp is a number of milliseconds returned from <code>System.currentTimeMillis()</code>
+     * at the document modification.
+     *
+     * @param doc The document to get the timestamp for.
+     *
+     * @return The document's timestamp or <code>0</code> if the document does not
+     *   support timestamps (ie. is not a netbeans editor document).
+     *
+     * @since 1.34
+     */
+    public static long getDocumentTimestamp(Document doc) {
+        Object version = doc.getProperty(LAST_MODIFICATION_TIMESTAMP_PROP);
+        return version instanceof AtomicLong ? ((AtomicLong) version).get() : 0;
+    }
 }