File Naming and Document Archiving

File Naming

It is necessary to title all images and documents for visitors and department staff. Using short and identifiable names for all files makes them recognizable and easy to find. Store your documents in your website's Document folder.

Guidelines

• Document file names should match the title of the document.
  
• The use of dates and versions numbers within filenames is discouraged.
• In most cases, there should be only one published version of any given document at any given time. This helps prevent old documents from reappearing and prevents broken links.
• Dates should be used in the title and filename if the subject of the document is date specific
• If a date is used when archiving a document, the date should be placed at the end of the filename when possible. 

File Naming Examples

Document Type	Document Title	PDF File Name	Guidelines
Current Published Document	APS Web Standards	aps-webstandards.pdf	Document title and file name match. Dates are version numbers are omitted.
Document subject is date specific	APS Web Standards 2011	aps-webstandards-2011.pdf	The date is placed at the end of the title and filename.
Document subject is date specific	Human Resources May 2011 Calendar	human-resources-may-2011-calendar.pdf	The date is placed at the end of the title and filename.

Archiving Documents

The Web Team recommends removing outdated documents from the website and storing them internally. The Web Team can assist in an archiving process when handling outdated documents.

This page was last updated on: June 29, 2020.