Introduction

We have all encountered this situation: you need to find the latest version of a document. Upon accessing the shared directory, you cannot identify the correct document version for review. You open the folder and discover a file list resembling the following:

• Brochure-season2022-George-edits-finalfinal.doc

• Brochure-season2022-final-Helen_edits_v4.doc

• FINAL_brochure_december2023_cap-updated.doc

In today's fast-paced world, we often struggle to locate the most recent version of a document amidst a sea of poorly named files. 

This common issue highlights the importance of maintaining a well-structured filing system for various file types and the challenges and frustrations of an unorganized file system. 

By adhering to proper file naming conventions, we can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of any workflow.

tl;dr

Efficient file naming systems improve file organization and retrieval using descriptive names, metadata, and consistent conventions. To create an effective system, determine its purpose, choose an approach, and follow standard patterns like using information blocks, abbreviating repetitive parameters, formatting dates, and implementing version control. Document the system and train team members to ensure consistent usage.

What is a file naming system?

A file-naming system (FNS) is a framework with guidelines employed to consistently and systematically name and organize files. Its main goal is to help users to manage, identify and locate files in a computer system or storage device easily and quickly.

A well-designed FNS typically includes elements such as descriptive names, metadata, dates, or other information blocks that follow a consistent convention.

FNS can and should be customized to meet specific requirements, depending on the type of users or teams utilizing them. For instance, a file naming system for personal file management will significantly differ from one designed for a business project organization or a university research department.

Why an efficient file naming systems matters

The following are some of the benefits you get by using an effective file naming system:

1. An efficient file naming system enables swift retrieval by leveraging names or relevant keywords.

2. A descriptive file name provides helpful information about the content or purpose of the file without opening it.

3. A practical file naming system implements consistent methodologies and structures for designating files. This uniformity fosters coherence across various projects or within an organization, facilitating comprehension and adherence to the system for everyone involved.

What is an information block in a file naming system?

File naming systems use information blocks to establish the structure of file names and folders. 

An information block or parameter is a word or phrase that provides sufficient information to describe a file based on that information. For instance, take the following file name:

20230131-FinanceReportIncome-histogram.png

From it, we could say it has four information blocks:

• 20230131 -> date

• FinanceReportIncome -> type of document

• histogram -> content type

• .png -> file extension

With these parameters, we can infer the file is an image with a histogram representing the finance report income from the first month of 2023.

Designing an efficient file naming system

Designing an effective file naming system requires time and effort. This task can be easy or complex, depending on the primary purpose of the FNS.

For instance, designing an FNS to manage all the images of a photoshoot could be considered easier than defining an FNS to manage all the project files on a design agency.

In the first example, one person can quickly develop an efficient file naming system, resulting in a straightforward and understandable naming structure.

On the other hand, a more elaborate system is necessary for a design agency, necessitating all employees' collaboration to ensure everyone understands and adheres to the established conventions.

The subsequent recommendations guide establishing rules and conventions within your FNS.

It is important to note that not all suggestions may apply to every scenario. Therefore, the FNS designer must exercise discretion in determining which guidelines to implement and which to skip or modify to fit its use case.

What is the file naming system for?

The first thing to do before initiating the design of an FNS is to define its intended purpose. Establishing a clear objective for the FNS will significantly facilitate determining and implementing appropriate rules and conventions.

Answering the following questions can help you to define the FNS purpose:

• How will you look for and order the files? When searching for a file, the keywords entered in the search field will differ based on the specific file type you are looking for. For example, one might search using the project's name to locate a file related to a particular project. On the other hand, if the objective is to retrieve a financial report from the previous month, it would be more appropriate to input a date in the search field followed by the "finance report" words.

• Which files include the file set that you will work with? This question is connected to the previous one, as the types of files within the set will determine the most effective search method or file organization strategy. For instance, a collection of files from an academic institution's research department may benefit from being organized by the research department rather than chronologically. In such cases, searching for the project's researcher could facilitate retrieving a specific file.

• Which information, such as categories and metadata, can be inferred from the file set? These pieces of information help understand the type of files included in the set and assist in determining which parameters should consist of the file names.

What approach should we use?

Once the goal of the FNS is clear, the next step is to define which approach we should use. When it comes to techniques, we could limit two of them.

One method is to define de FNS based on a folder structure. This approach has the following benefits:

• It can keep file names short because each directory in the folder structure gets its name from a parameter.

• Files can be separated or grouped by categories.

• If the file set is too big, we can divide the categories into subcategories or use metadata to group files.

This approach also comes with some drawbacks:

• If a file is shared with someone else by email, all the file context delegated to the folders where it belongs is lost.

• Managing folders can get very complex and tricky quickly.

• Deleting a folder by accident will result in losing all its files.

The other way is to use file name patterns by using well-defined blocks of information. With this approach, we get some advantages:

• We avoid the drawbacks of the folder structure approach. For instance, we don't need to deal with many folders; accidentally deleting one file won't be that bad.

• Searching by metadata will filter all the files belonging to the keywords used so we get the related files in the same search.

The downside of this will be that, at some point, using many parameters to name files will result in lengthy and difficult-to-read file names.

Standard and general conventions to follow

The subsequent recommendations outline essential guidelines that every FNS should stick to. These principles have significantly contributed to the organization and efficiency of multiple files and folders in daily operations.

Identify and define the information blocks

Ensure the inclusion of adequate metadata to facilitate seamless identification and retrieval of each file, customized to meet the unique demands for efficient access. Consider incorporating the following information blocks as foundational elements:

• Name of the business, institution, or project

• Document Type

• Date or period

• Document language

• Content Category

• Location

• Initials for the author, reviewer, editor, or any person working with the file

• Version

• Document state (draft, reviewing, editing, publish)

It is crucial to balance providing sufficient parameters for effortless identification and retrieval while avoiding excessive complexity.

Determine the sequence of the metadata

As computers organize files alphabetically by name, it is essential to prioritize the most critical information. For example, if you access invoices by the date they were issued, it will make more sense for the date to be the first piece of metadata.

Ensure all the information blocks offer enough information for easy identification. You can also consider ordering the parameters by putting first general information blocks and then parameters with more specific information.

For instance, a sequence of metadata for a photographer may include the following parameters in the given order:

[YYYYMMDD]_[Place]_[Subject of image]_[unique number].[file extension]

Abbreviate repetitive and lengthy parameters

It's common to find FNS that use information blocks repetitively along the system. Sometimes the block is short enough that you can't reduce the file length.

However, there are cases where these blocks are long or are composed of several words. You could make codes or define acronyms to identify those blocks in such cases.

Try to keep these codes short, with three or four letters at most, and remember to write these abbreviations so anyone using the system can know what each parameter means.

Use underscores or hyphens to delimit metadata

Underscores and hyphens are visually ergonomic and widely accepted on file names for delimiting words. 

Avoid spaces, as some computer systems may not function properly with them, and desist from using special characters such as "! # $ % & ' @ ^ ` ~, +; = ( ) [ ] { }" that could cause visual confusion or awkwardness.

Alternatively, you can write the information blocks as CamelCase; this is an efficient way of differentiating words but offers less readability.

Format dates to follow a chronological order

Dates should follow a standard date format such as year-month-day, for example, YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD, to guarantee the appropriate chronological arrangement of files. 

In rare cases, we must include the time as part of the file name, so the pattern to use is hour-minutes-seconds (HHMMSS).

Include version control for documents

If you know in advance that the file system will have many version documents, which will be updated or modified over time, it will be worth considering a parameter for file versioning.

An information block for version control should start with "v" followed by two digits with a leading zero to ensure that files sort correctly. The "v" helps to denote that the block corresponds to a version number. As you create files with a new version, keep the same file name but change the version number.

Sometimes file naming systems require to include as part of the file name the state of working files. For these cases, you should add at the end of the file name prefixes for words like "Final," "Draft," "Review," or "Editing."

Implement sequential numbering when needed

In some cases, the file set is a collection of files where all can have and share the same name except for a unique identifier, usually a sequential numbering parameter.

It is recommended to use leading left zeros to keep files organized. For instance, if there are up to 999 files, we should start the sequence like this "001", "002", "003," etc. If there are more than 1000 but less than 10 000 files, then we should start with "0001", "0002", "0003," etc.

Document your file naming system

The FNS should be documented so people can follow the rules and conventions. One way to achieve this is to write a text file at the folder's root. This file must include all the rules, conventions, abbreviations, and some examples of how the system works so that users can stay consistent in its use.

In addition to text files, if people inside a company or a work team will be using the FNS, then conducting a training session may be beneficial to elucidate the significance of adhering to the new system and its functionality.

It is important to note that an FNS may not be perfect from the beginning. As such, it is essential to periodically review the established rules, conventions, and abbreviations to identify areas that may require improvement or modification. The constant update and refinement of the system will improve its overall efficiency and effectiveness.

This ongoing process of evaluation and adaptation will contribute to the long-term success of the FNS, ultimately promoting a more organized and streamlined working environment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, implementing an efficient file naming system is crucial for better file management and organization. By adhering to proper conventions and guidelines, users can quickly locate and identify documents, enhancing workflow efficiency. Regularly reviewing and updating the system ensures its effectiveness and relevance, facilitating a more organized and streamlined working environment.