Naming files for the CMS library

When preparing a file to send to the WebTeam for upload to your CMS library make sure that you give the file an appropriate name.

Please make sure that you:

• Give your file a logical and descriptive name.
• Make sure it's a name you would be happy for other people to see, and more importantly, make sure it's a name other people will understand.
• Keep file names in lower case. Case is ignored in URLs, and for the sake of simplicity, lowercase is easier.
• Don't use blank spaces in file names. Separate words with a hyphen '-', and make sure there is no blank spaces at the start or end of the file name.
• It should include no special characters e.g. & # ? ( ) @ \ / (There is a good collection of special characters on this web site)
  Special characters can cause problems when they become part of web addresses, or when the file is downloaded onto somebodies computer. Don't forget that Windows and Mac computers may handle special characters differently and you have no way of knowing which system the people who download your files will be using.
• Try to give the file a name that can be reused. Do not include dates or version numbers in your file name (unless it is a date specific document like meeting minutes). This ensures that new versions of your files can be easily uploaded and your library does not become cluttered with unnecessary files.
• Consider that the file name becomes part of the address to that file. If you have a version number or date that changed in the title everytime you upload a new version, you are breaking any existing links to the file each time you publish a new version. This makes it very hard for people to find you file.

Consider the following examples...

Using PDF files

Please familiarise yourself with the guideline Using PDF format before investing time creating PDF files for your site.