05.24.05
Filenames for downloadable files
When you’re linking to a set of PDFs or Word docs in a web site, it is important to remember to name the files so that they are usable once someone has them on their virtual desktop. Here are some guides:
The name needs to:
- be under 31 characters.
- have no spaces in the name (important when a URL might be handed out, or mailed or retyped).
- identify the project very briefly (this is a memory trigger rather than a full name).
- group the files from the site together alphabetically (when someone downloads more than one file, they should stay near each other).
- be distinct from other files so that individual files can be identified easily when they’re in a group.
- avoid cryptically numbered or abreviated names that can only be deciphered by someone involved with the project.
This is a good example here: Confluence Project Newsletters
Spring 2005 edition — (Confluence_Spring_2005.pdf)
Fall 2004 edition: Part I — (Confluence_Fall_2004_p1.pdf)
Fall 2004 edition: Part II — (Confluence_Fall_2004_p2.pdf)
Fall 2003 edition — (Confluence_Fall_2003.pdf)
Spring 2003 edition — (Confluence_Spring_2003.pdf)
Fall 2002 edition — (Confluence_Fall_2002.pdf)
Note that the naming convention still leaves room for flexibility such as for the Part 1 and Part 2 of the Fall 2004 edition. Also Spring and Fall are much better than “Q1” and “Q3” or “sp” and “fl”. Potentially the year and the season could be swapped so that the years would line up together, but that would also place Fall before Spring, so it’s not a huge improvement.
Here are some bad ones I’ve come across recently: “2005-1164.pdf” “158STR197B.pdf”. Seriously unfriendly.