DXARTS 411
Applications of Digital Technologies to Research in the Humanities
Tips on File Names
File Name Constraints
- For cross platform compatibility
- keep your filenames 31 characters or less
[but preferably 11 characters or fewer]
- avoid putting / \ : * ? " < > | in a filename
- Search for offending characters on a CD you are about to
burn
[see more about ISO9660 compatibility]
- Put no more than one period in a filename and do not use a period as
the first or last character of the filename.
- Be consistent about your use of capitalization. Random capitalization
in html files on a UNIX server may result in dead links.
- Putting a comma or semicolon in a filename could cause major
problems under various circumstances on any platform when working with
lists of filenames and should be avoided.
- A space or percent sign may be a little safer, but for the web a
%20 will be automatically inserted in place of a space.
[The UNDERSCORE
character is a good substitute for a space. "Spaces in file names are
a form of evil."]
- If a user on one platform downloads part of a site hosted on
another platform, links may break if spaces or % are used in
names.
File Naming Advice for Large Projects
- Nine (9) files or more constitute a large project
[but sometimes a few as three files can be a large project].
- Standardize all file names:
- USE lower case letters only
[unless your project has special file naming requirements]
- PREFER '8+3' file names
- Devise a mneumonic system that will:
- KEEP file names short
- INDICATE adequately the (likely) contents of the
file without your having to open it
- GROUP files with like or related content
when generating a compterized listing
- REMEMBER: taking time to analyze your data and developing an appropriate
file naming sytem will (1) avoid seeable and unforeseen problems
and (2) greatly facilitate your progress
fnames.html (10/05)