We all upload images to add to our web pages or PDF documents that we’ll link to, and using a strong file naming convention is important! Yes, we’re often in a rush to update our websites and just don’t bother renaming our files either before we upload them or even at the time we do upload, but this simple rule – using proper file names – really saves time and effort in the long run.
Standard Guidelines for Naming Files
DO:
- Be consistent!
- Make sure your image files are saved as .jpg files and your documents as .pdf prior to uploading.
- It is important to use all lower case letters with hyphens between words when naming files. Do not use spaces. Example: this-is-my-filename.jpg
- A unique filename describes what the content is about. DSCN73895. jpg tells us absolutely nothing about an image, but students-using-gps.jpg certainly does!
- With a good file name, you’ll find a file more quickly in the future when you need to delete it. It’s easier to search your Assets lists for a specific file that has been named 2017-03-cloverleaf-newsletter.pdf rather than one called newdoc.pdf or a file named students-using-gps.jpg rather than DSCN73895.jpg.
- Use a date format of YYYY-MM-DD or YYYYMMDD as a prefix for files like monthly newsletters or meeting minutes that may need it. This format helps to keep your files in chronological order.
DON’T:
- Upload native files like Word documents (.docx) – convert to PDF first.
- Use spaces in the file name.
- Use special characters like: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + ` ; / \ : ? “ < > |[ ] { } or ,
- Use initials or abbreviations that may not be commonly understood.
- Use redundant or repetitive words. thrift-county–2017-march-newsletter.pdf could be simply be named as 2017-03-newsletter.pdf.