Naming Your Computer Files

 Naming Your Computer Files

Another feature of digital files that can make filing and retrieving files easier is the ability to perform a search based on the file name. For many people, searching is their main form of file retrieval. This means the name you give your file when you save it is very important in order to make the search function effective. The best naming format for a file would include a descriptive name with keywords, a purge date, and a version number or a creation date.

 

LaptopFile Naming Conventions

One example of a file name is: 2015_01_10_version 3.6_USF graduate thesis nocturnal animals eating habits_purge_2016_09. During a search you can easily choose any of the keywords -- graduate, thesis, nocturnal, animals or eating habits -- and find this document. If you have several versions of this document saved, including a created date and version number will make it obvious which is the most recent version.

File Naming Convention

To use this naming convention, place the date first -- year, month, day -- so the computer will sort with the newest files on top when sorting alphabetically. Even though the date does attach to the file within the computer system, this will help as you edit, copy, share, move and search for your document. Add a purge date if this is not a file you want to keep indefinitely. When you need to archive or purge your files, this will be a huge help. Notice for the purge date, I only used the month and year -- year, month format. This way it's easy to pull up in a search an entire year or a month's worth of documents that can be purged, rather than searching individual dates.

LaptopFiling Tips

  1. Don't rely on remembering a file name. Assume you won't remember the name, and think of any words you would type into the search box to find the document, and use those words in the file name.
  2. You can use underscores in dates to help them be easier to read.
  3. Don't use any special characters in your file name. Stick to just letters and numbers. Slashes, stars, and symbols aren't easily recognized by some software, and it could cause you a lot of trouble when you're trying to open the file again later.
  4. You can use spaces in your file name, or you can use the underscore between words, whichever you prefer. The underscore used to be required, instead of spaces, but the Internet and computers have been updated so they no longer require that adjustment.
  5. Be consistent. Once you decide on one format for all of your file names, use it the same way every time. This will make searching easier because you will have a better idea of what you're looking for.
  6. Don't put off naming your files until later. Leaving a document untitled or with a name created quickly will inevitably make it harder to find. Name your files consistently as soon as you save them.
  7. Using words like "final" to indicate that it's the last version of your file won't help much in the search, and they will throw you off if you need to make changes to what was labeled your final version. Instead, use version numbers or dates to indicate which version of the document you're looking at.
  8. Be descriptive. Use words that will stand out for that specific document, such as client or project names. Feel free to have longer file names to be more descriptive.

 

LaptopRenaming Multiple Files

Have multiple files to rename as you organize? Watch the video below: