File Naming Conventions

To maximize access to your records, we recommend establishing a naming convention for your files.

A file naming convention is a framework for naming your files in a way that describes what they contain and how they relate to other files.

File naming conventions help you stay organized and quickly identify your files. In a shared or collaborative group file-sharing setting, it will help others more easily navigate your work.

It is essential to establish a convention before you begin collecting files or data in order to prevent a backlog of unorganized content that will lead to misplaced or lost data!

Example File Names

No naming convention:

• Test data 2016.xlsx
• Meeting notes Jan 17.doc
• Notes Eric.txt
• Final FINAL last version.docx
  

With a naming convention:

• 20160104_ProjectA_Ex1Test1_SmithE_v1.xlsx
• 20160104_ProjectA_MeetingNotes_SmithE_v2.docx
• ExperimentName_InstrumentName_CaptureTime_ImageID.tif

Tips for File Naming

The following tips were adapted from Briney, K. A. (2020, June 2). File Naming Convention Worksheet. California Institute of Technology. This resource was recently awarded a 2023 DataWorks! Prize Significant Achievement Award.

Think about your files

• Identify what group of files your naming convention will cover
• You can use different conventions for different file sets
• Check for established file naming conventions in your discipline or group
  

Example: This convention will apply to all of my microscopy files, from raw image through processed image.

Identify metadata (for example, date, sample, experiment)

• Experiment conditions
• Type of data
• Researcher name/initials
• Lab name/location
• Project or experiment name or acronym
• Date or date range of experiment
  • A good format for date designations is YYYYMMDD. This format makes sure all of your files stay in chronological order. To add a timestamp to your filename, use the format YYYYMMDDThhmm.
  • When using a sequential numbering system, use leading zeros for clarity and ensure files sort in sequential order. For example, use "001, 002, . 010, 011 . 100, 101 . " instead of "1, 2, . 10, 11 . 100, 101 . "
    

  Example: For my images, I want to know the date, sample ID, and image number for that sample on that date.

  Abbreviate or encode metadata

  Don't forget to document any codes!
  • Decide what shortened information to keep
  • Standardize the categories and/or replace them with 2- or 3-letter codes
  • Be sure to document these codes!
    

  Example: Sample ID will use a code made up of: a 2-letter project abbreviation (project 1 = P1, project 2 = P2), a 3-letter species abbreviation (mouse = “MUS”, fruit fly = “DRS”), and 3-digit sample ID (assigned in lab notebook).

  Use versioning

  Are you maintaining different versions of the same file?
  • Use versioning to indicate the most current version of a file
  • Track versions of a file by adding version information to end of the file name, e.g. filename_v2.xxx
  • Use a version number (e.g. “v01” or “v02”)
  • Use the version date (use ISO 8601 format: YYYYMMDD or YYYY-MM-DD)

  Think about how you will search for your files

  What comes first?
  • Think about how you want to sort and search for your files in order to determine the order for the metadata in the file name
  • Decide what metadata should appear at the beginning
  • Use default ordering: alphabetically, numerically, or chronologically
  • Use ISO 8601-formatted dates (YYYYMMDD or YYYY-MM-DD)

  Deliberately separate metadata elements

  Avoid spaces or special characters in your file names
  • Use dashes (-), underscores (_), or capitalize the first letter of each word
    • Dashes: file-name.xxx
    • Underscores: file_name.xxx
    • No separation: filename.xxx
    • Camel case (the first letter of each section of text is capitalized): FileName.xxx

    Example: I will use underscores to separate metadata and dashes between parts of my sample ID.

    Write down your naming conventions

    Include a top-level README file on how to navigate the structure
    • If the file is moved or shared, users will be able to identify the file from its file name.
    • File names should be 40-50 characters and conventions should only use alphanumeric characters, dashes, underscores
      • If you find that you are encoding a large amount of metadata in the file names, you should consider storing this metadata in a master spreadsheet with your data for future reference.
        

      Example: My file naming convention is [SA-MPL-EID]_[YYYYMMDD]_[###]_[status].[tif]