Comments on: Computer Tricks 3 – Naming Electronic Files http://blog.progenealogists.com/2009/11/computer-tricks-3-naming-electronic-files/ Regular posts from each member of our corporate office in Salt Lake City. We hope you’ll notice just how passionate we are about research and about the extensive services we provide to our clients. Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:34:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: dallyhorton http://blog.progenealogists.com/2009/11/computer-tricks-3-naming-electronic-files/comment-page-1/#comment-222 dallyhorton Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:34:17 +0000 http://blog.progenealogists.com/?p=467#comment-222 Thanks for the post Natalie, just what I was looking for. I've been researching my family history for the past four years using The Master Genealogist, but the media capabilities of TMG are awful, so I've never spent time in this area. I've just purchased FTM 2012 with the awesome TreeSync feature, and now I'd really like to nail the naming and storage of my images. Your post really makes sense to me, and I know it's two years old, but how do you go about naming group images? Regards, Troy Thanks for the post Natalie, just what I was looking for. I’ve been researching my family history for the past four years using The Master Genealogist, but the media capabilities of TMG are awful, so I’ve never spent time in this area. I’ve just purchased FTM 2012 with the awesome TreeSync feature, and now I’d really like to nail the naming and storage of my images. Your post really makes sense to me, and I know it’s two years old, but how do you go about naming group images?

Regards,
Troy

]]> By: Arthur Dirks http://blog.progenealogists.com/2009/11/computer-tricks-3-naming-electronic-files/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Arthur Dirks Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:07:13 +0000 http://blog.progenealogists.com/?p=467#comment-46 I've bookmarked and returned to this page several times, as I struggle with this same problem. This is among the closest I've found to a useful idea for me as I rethink it all. For more than a decade I've tried many naming conventions and variations for what have become thousands of images and files. A scanned image often lands in a half-dozen places besides my family history file, in several croppings, resolutions, and states of digital improvement. Over time the same image can have many filenames, and I have wasted cumulative hours, if not days, trying to locate and identify the best version of perhaps slightly different images shot at the same time. Often I create yet another version from an original. My family images are associated with a text file with full description, provenance and identifications. Documents also get a transcription and a pdf. I've tried to work with metadata to differentiate versions, but entering and maintaining it is cumbersome and uncompressed formats don't carry it. A clear file name is required to associate and reference all these related data. THAT SAID - your scheme has promise, particularly for documents and some photos - group photos might be a challenge. I like the rationale of your system, beginning with surname and including birth year - followed by date and subject. I'm looking for ways to adapt this for my needs, but I suspect you came up on a Mac without the old Intel filename restrictions. I would find more than a 30-character filename cumbersome, requiring side-scrolling in lists, and perhaps error-prone. A numbering scheme, preferred by more impersonal researchers, is much clearer and shorter but not user-friendly. So, now I'm moving toward conventionalizing on a filename with: a 4- or 5-character consistent surname abbreviation with unique initials - birthdate (if known) - document date (if known) - document nature abbreviation - version abbreviation (including resolution). And I'll try to get it all under 20 or so characters. Now I just have to figure out how (or whether) to migrate to it. Thanks for sharing your methods. I’ve bookmarked and returned to this page several times, as I struggle with this same problem. This is among the closest I’ve found to a useful idea for me as I rethink it all. For more than a decade I’ve tried many naming conventions and variations for what have become thousands of images and files. A scanned image often lands in a half-dozen places besides my family history file, in several croppings, resolutions, and states of digital improvement. Over time the same image can have many filenames, and I have wasted cumulative hours, if not days, trying to locate and identify the best version of perhaps slightly different images shot at the same time. Often I create yet another version from an original. My family images are associated with a text file with full description, provenance and identifications. Documents also get a transcription and a pdf. I’ve tried to work with metadata to differentiate versions, but entering and maintaining it is cumbersome and uncompressed formats don’t carry it. A clear file name is required to associate and reference all these related data. THAT SAID – your scheme has promise, particularly for documents and some photos – group photos might be a challenge. I like the rationale of your system, beginning with surname and including birth year – followed by date and subject. I’m looking for ways to adapt this for my needs, but I suspect you came up on a Mac without the old Intel filename restrictions. I would find more than a 30-character filename cumbersome, requiring side-scrolling in lists, and perhaps error-prone. A numbering scheme, preferred by more impersonal researchers, is much clearer and shorter but not user-friendly. So, now I’m moving toward conventionalizing on a filename with: a 4- or 5-character consistent surname abbreviation with unique initials – birthdate (if known) – document date (if known) – document nature abbreviation – version abbreviation (including resolution). And I’ll try to get it all under 20 or so characters. Now I just have to figure out how (or whether) to migrate to it.
Thanks for sharing your methods.

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