Naming Conventions for Documents
When site visitors select a file, such as a pdf or Word doc, the name of that file becomes part of the URL.
Kabob Case
This is the preferred naming convention. Use dashes instead of a space when naming a document. Dashes are treated as separate words.
Example: your-file-name.pdf
Camel Case
Camel case starts with a lowercase letter followed by an uppercase letter. Using Camel Case is helpful for those using assistive technology. The technology will read the file name as separate words when camel case is used.
Example: yourFileName.pdf
Pascal Case
Pascal case capitalizes each word in a file name.
Example: YourFileName.pdf
Lowercase
If the document file name is one-word, use lowercase.
Example: file.pdf
Naming Conventions to Avoid
Dates
Dates can create confusion for the user. They may not know if they are accessing the most recent file.
Example: sushi2016.pdf should be sushi.pdf
All Caps
All Caps is not recommended.
Example: SUSHI.pdf should be sushi.pdf
Spaces
Having a space or spaces between words in your file name creates a messy URL. To fill the space, the URL will automatically insert %20.
Example: IllinoisState.edu/downloads/sushi menu.pdf becomes IllinoisState.edu/downloads/sushi%20menu.pdf
The proper file name should be sushi-menu.pdf which becomes IllinoisState.edu/downloads/sushi-menu.pdf
Internal Review Terms
For documents uploaded to the web, avoid any terminology that indicates the file has gone through a review process.
Examples:
- sushi-FINAL.pdf
- sushi-DRAFT.pdf
- sushi-APPROVED.pdf
- sushi-UPDATED.pdf
The proper file name should have no review terms and should be named sushi.pdf.
Abbreviations
Avoid abbreviations in files names.
Example: sushi-assc.pdf should be sushi-association.pdf
Version
Do not include any version history in your file name. This can cause confusion to the user who may not know if they are accessing the most recent version of the file.
Example: california-roll_v2.pdf should be california-roll.pdf
Snake Case
Snake case uses underscores to separate words. Search engines read files with snake case as one word. This makes it more difficult for people to find what they're looking for.
Example: california_roll_price.pdf reads as "californiarollprice" for search engines.