Acceptable File Names

Naming conventions make sure users know how to name digital assets so that file names or titles are consistent and contain all the right information. They help you store and organize your files, find assets faster, maintain version control, and avoid duplication.

Downloadable files normally retain the file name of the original source document, but with a language identifier and an extension. Original image files must retain the source information, whereas modified images should have a descriptive name for their assigned function.

Follow the guidelines below to keep file names on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) simple and consistent.

Downloadable Files
Original Images
Modified Images
Interactive Learning Modules

Downloadable Files

• Before creating a file name, check to see if the file is part of a series.
  • If it is part of a series, follow the existing naming convention. For example, for 15-minute in-service Suites attachments:
    • dev-learning1-tips-es-responsive-learning-env
    • dev-learning2-tips-es-responsive-learning-experience
• Use only lowercase alpha-numeric characters, with the exception of well-known acronyms.
  • a–z
  • 0–9
  • hyphen (-)
• Never use blank spaces, accented characters, or illegal characters:
  • &, @, #, $, %, >, <, /, \, |, ""
• Scan the file name carefully for leading and trailing spaces and remove them.
• Create short and unique file names based on the title of the document, but omit words like "a," "an," "of," and "the."
• Use a hyphen (-) instead of an underscore (_) to separate words.
• In most cases, do not use dates or version numbers in a file name. Most files are simply overwritten on the website with a newer version using the same name.
  • Exceptions may include monthly newsletters (e.g., health-services-newsletter-201703-eng) and various reports (e.g., fy-2018-fiscal-reports-eng).
  • If dates are required, use a numerical system by starting off with the four-digit year and then month (e.g., 202101 for January 2021). This allows all files to be displayed in chronological order in the file browser.
• Never include a National Centers' name or acronym or the OHS acronym, unless they are part of the file title.
• When a zip file is created to be downloaded from the ECLKC, its content must be 508-compliant and meet file naming conventions.

Files in Multiple Languages

Regardless of the language used in the file, all file names must be in English and have the suffix of their language added at the end. This makes it easy to match up files in multiple languages.

For example, the same PDF in English and in Spanish would have the following file names:

• Helping Children Learn
  • English: helping-children-learn-eng
  • Spanish (español): helping-children-learn-esp

Follow the same rule for other languages:

• Chinese: -chinese
• Arabic: -arabic

Original Images

Images can come from multiple sources. Follow these naming conventions when submitting an original image file:

• If the image was obtained from a stock photo service, keep the original stock file name and number.
• If the image was taken by a professional photographer, a partner organization, a grant recipient staff, or anyone involved in the Head Start community, keep the image name as it was documented by the creator/photographer. Photos are required to follow the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 8601) date and time format. Original images files names start with the year, month, day, followed by the source name, and ending with the word "original", all in title case and separated by hyphens.
  
  YYYY-MM-DD-Source-Name-Original
  • 50-character limit per file name
    • Permitted characters:
      • a–z
      • 0–9
      • hyphen (-)
    • Never use blank spaces, accented characters, or illegal characters:
      • &, @, #, $, %, >, <, /, \, |, ""

Example

An original photo taken on Jan. 1, 2023, and titled "Children Reading at School," is named: 2023-01-01-Children-Reading-at-School-Original.jpg

Modified Images

Images might need to be modified for the element or layout of the webpage. That modification includes changing the aspect ratio and size. See Page Elements and Page Layouts for guidelines on size and resolution, when exporting modified images for web, standalone, and mobile applications. Modified images do not require tagging and or metadata within Box.

Name modified images after the product ID as identified by Smartsheet, title, and function. The function must include the page title if the product includes more than one, abbreviated if becomes too long. Use lowercase and separate words with hyphens.

Examples:

• 00092-cooks-corner-healthy-snacks-inline2
• 00105-building-partnerships-families-hero

Images with burned-in-text, such as social media images, must be submitted in English and Spanish, using the suffix that indicates language ("-eng" or "-esp").

Interactive Learning Modules

The proper naming convention must be followed to maintain standardization for all learning modules and to avoid the duplication of names. The folder must be named following the convention before creating the zip file.

The components of a module file name are:

Module Name:

• modulenameword1-modulenameword2-modulenameword3

Module Language:

• English: en
• Spanish: es

Module Number:

• module1, module2, module3, etc.

1. The module name should be up to three words separated by hyphens (-) in between.
2. The module language should be specified with es or en, separated by underscore (_) after the module name.
3. The module number should be specified separated by an underscore after the module language.
4. Lowercase letters should be used, and no special characters are allowed.

The module zip file name, when combined, should look: modulename_modulelanguage_modulenumber

Examples:

• partnering-with-families_es_module1
• facilities-funding-management_en_module3

Note: It is extremely important to follow naming conventions, as the final URL replaces underscores with forward slashes (/).

Last Updated: March 11, 2024