At
some point in a file's lifetime, someone other than
you will have to find it. This may not sound like a
problem for a small project, but as a project grows
and as the number of files required for that project
increases, finding a specific file becomes more difficult.
You can avoid this problem by including a hint to a
file's contents within the name of the file. Rather
than using cryptic numbers or abbreviations, such as
"My_good_stuff.doc" for example, use descriptive
terms or titles instead, such as "naming_files.doc".
examples
Good
Bad
naming_files.doc
My_good_Stuff
ltr_mike_Mar10_03
Letter to Mike
Use
Alphanumeric Characters
As
you're developing a file naming system, avoid using
special characters, including those at right.
Instead, use alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers).
Avoid these
\
/
:
*
?
"
<
>
|
(space)
%
@
+
-
Use
Underscores
Using
spaces in file names can cause problems for some users;
however, using underscores between words in the file
name can help readability.
(
_ )
Our
Filename Convention
When
you name a file for computer class
use the following convention -
p_fnamel_title, where:
p
=
period
fname
=
your
first name
l
=
your
last name initial
title
=
title
of the assignment
For
example, "5_ralphm_namingfiles" is a file
created in 5th period by Ralph Mateeka related to
naming files.
Credits:
This
article was rewritten with permission
The
original, written by Sean Hower, can be found at:
www.raycomm.com
Assignment
Define "convention"
Define "alphanumeric"
Copy
the above "Five Conventions for Naming Files"
Save
your file using our filename convention (see
Example above-right)
