Importance of File Naming Convention
I am looking for an old file from my computer to be edited and to be submitted again this year. But I have a difficulty in finding it. I already used the search bar and enter the keywords but for no avail. I can't remember where I put it. As I look unto my files I realized that I have been doing wrong in my file management. Let me share to you a glimpse of how my files looks like.
Indeed an example of folders and files with no naming convention and it's really hard to locate a file for a specific purpose. Now, I really realize that I really need to have a proper naming convention for my files and folders. Ironic as it is, I am an IT faculty who teaches about file management for students but I myself is not practicing it.
I have a colleague who is very good in file naming convention. He really have a format for names of the files and he has a well organized files in his computer. He do not have a hard time in looking for a file. Here is a sample of how he name his files. When I look at it at compared to mine I can really see the difference and value of proper naming convention.
So how to properly name files? Longwood Research Data Management has given some tips in naming files and I have extracted at least 4 which I find very relevant.
Think about the files that you have. You should identify in which your files belongs and then you can set a naming convention for the different file sets.
Identify the details. To arrange your data properly, you can arrange it by date, memo number or experiment number. Example for the date it could be formatted as YYYYMMDD to ensure chronological order.
Use versions for files. To be able to track the versions of files you can add versions. If could be PrelimExam_v1.xxx, PrelimExam_v2.xxx and so on. Version dates could also be used.
Determine set of characters that will be used as separator. The use of dashes, underscores to separate details of the file. Example PrelimExam_2NDSEM_AY21-22 or PrelimExam2ndSemAY21-22.
Establishing a system for naming files is not an easy task at first especially if we already have the usual way of saving our files. But I can really say that it is important. Proper file management can help in conveniently finding a document and avoiding loss of files. It needs time and practice though but there is an advantage to it.
How about you? Do you name your files properly? Do you have naming convention? I would love to know your experiences too.
Thanks for reading. Keep Safe.
Lead Image from https://xkcd.com/1460/ - Shared under CC-BY-NC License
~MizLhaine
3.4.2022
Naalala ko tuloy ate kung pano ako malagay ng keyword sa mga files ko noon. Sinasadya kong talagang lagyan ng weird na names kasi nasa computeran kami tapos kapag may assignment rin sila tulad ng sa amin, itatanong lang nila sa nagaasikaso ng computeran tapos print na lang eh ang hirap maghanap ng picture.
But ngayon ate na modular class, medyo inaayos ko na specifically hehe.