Computer File Names

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Computer File Names

DOS -- Do you remember DOS? Okay, for those of you who do not remember, DOS stands for Disk Operating System.

In the olden days of DOS, a file name had a convention of eight characters or less plus an extension of three characters. These characters could be numbers, letters, and some symbols. Other symbols were prohibited as they had special meaning for the operating system.

Today some of these rules still apply. Even though there is more flexibility in how files are named, some conventions still need to be followed. When naming files, XXX999XX.123 is still perfectly acceptable. So "myfile10.doc" is just fine. In fact, this example is the safest thus far. Every operating system can understand this file name, including DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac, Linux, Unix, and so on.

Another acceptable standard is naming the documents in this fashion: "My File number10.doc." Fewer operating systems understand this name, but who cares if DOS or Win3.1 do not understand. Unless you still have an old computer with one of these operating systems you should stick to naming your files as in the first example.

Eight Dot Three or Long Name

In the first example you witnessed a convention known as "Eight-dot-Three" (8.3). In the latter example, you experienced a much longer version of the 8.3 convention. If memory serves me well, this one is called "long name" convention due to the fact that you could name a file by a truer name than an eight-letter abbreviation.

Now, with the "long name" at our disposal, files can be named in proper grammar including the spaces between words (a task not allowable back in the days of 8.3.)

So what's with the dot? The dot represents a system of recognition. The dot separates the first name from the last name. John Smith has a personal name, John; Smith is his family name. The same could be said about the file names. The first part of the file labels the actual work, whereas the name after the dot represents its family name.

Consider this: "my novel number10.doc" has a name and belongs to the "doc" family. Most of us recognize that the "doc" family is part of an "MS Word" file. If this had been written in Word Perfect, then its family name would be "wpd." If the file were a picture, then its family name would be "jpg," or "gif" or "bmp." You get the point.

Dot your i's not your file names

The name after the dot is known as the extension. Normally it is a three-letter abbreviation but is not limited to three letters anymore. Newer operating systems hide the extension from human eyes. For the most part this is a good thing. If a file is renamed and the extension was left out accidentally, the file could lose its identity and the user would not be able to open it anymore.

Leaving the extension hidden prevents accidents like these. Sometimes writers get the urge to (always) end a sentence with a period. Raise your hand if you have done this. You spent four hours on a short story and when you saved the file you named it something like "The four minute mile." To you, it looks right. But to the computer it looks as if you decided to name the your kid John and without a last name. By putting a period at the end of your sentence you accidentally left out the extension.

Programs (by default) automatically brand file names with its family name unless specified by the user not to include it. Supplying the "dot" at the end of the file name prompts the program not to include the extension. Sometimes the program is smart and includes its family name automatically by adding "dot-extension." This action on the part of the program creates a different problem.

Example: "The four minute mile..doc" -- now the extension looks as if its named ".doc" (dot-doc) instead of just "doc". Some programs will have a problem with that. Moral of the story: Don't add periods to your file names (unless you know what you are doing).

Conclusion:
It matters how a file is named. Therefore, one should use caution when using special characters in the name of the name of a file. In fact, there are some characters one should NEVER use. Follow these rules when naming files:

    * NEVER use < > : " / \ | as part of the name.
    * Use Letters or Numbers only (Best Option!)
    * Use the DOT with extreme caution ? better yet don?t use it!
    * Do not BEGIN a file name with a space
    * Do not END a file name with a space

Do you have a file that does not work because it lost its identity? Let me know and I can help you rename it. -Juan