File Management Strategies

File naming conventions are really simple - give each file a name that makes sense to you, but also includes enough clues for you to be always able to find it:

Example 1 - Assignment (Word Document)

You are starting your essay (first assignment) for the Level 4 Business and Computing module. You open a new Word document and immediately save it with a name that includes enough of the important information (i.e Module number / Assignment number / Draft / Final / Due Date / Your Student Number / Name or Initials).

• UCBS4008-Assignment1-SDM (Module Number / Assignment Indicator / Your Initials)
• UCBS4008-120122-Draft1 (Module Number / Due Date / Draft Number)
• UCBS4008-A1-SDM-F1 (Module Number / Assignment Number / Your Initials / Final version 1)

In each of these example document names - you provide enough information to be able to find the file. You can search for the Module Number (using Windows Search) and each of these documents will be found. Using the additional information - you will be able to easily pinpoint which is the latest version.

Including Your Initials will make it easier to identify your files on a shared computer and will also make it easier to get your files back if you leave them on a University computer or even leave your pendrive behind (in one of the labs).

If you re-save the document with a different Draft or Final number, each time you work on it, you will be able to work on your assignment on different computers and still know which is the latest version when you bring them all back together on your own PC.

Example 2 - Photography Portfolio (Images)

You have taken hundreds of photographs towards a Level 5 Photography Portfolio assignment. You transfer all of the images from your camera to your computer and they all have names like:

• DSCF0371
• DSCF0372

When you come back to select the best ones - how will you easily identify them without previewing them all again?

If you manage the file names, when you first transfer them, you will make life much easier for yourself:

• PHOT5061-121221-Faces-R (Module Number / Photo Date / Subject Matter / Reject)
• PHOT5061-121221-Faces-K (Module Number / Photo Date / Subject Matter / Keep)
• PHOT5061-121221-Faces-1 (Module Number / Photo Date / Subject Matter / Grade 1)

Each of these example image names includes the Module Number (for easy searching), the date you took the photo (for use in your analysis of, or reflection on, the project), the subject matter (because you will often takes photos of different subject matter within a single project) and an indicator of how good you think the photo is (Reject / Keep / Perfect / Numerical Scoring?).

Now that your files have usable and searchable names - you also need to create folders for storing these files in.

Even with good naming conventions, for your files, when you dump everything onto your Desktop or into a single folder - it remains difficult to visually identify documents when you are staring at hundreds of them.

When a module is finished - it is always helpful to be able to put those files to one side. You still may need to find them, to help inform future assignments, but you don't want them cluttering up your Documents folder.

Create a folder for each module you are studying (examples from a Nursing first year):

• HWTN4001
• HWTN4002
• HWTN4003

You can also include the Module Name. This can make the folder names very long, but you might want to include a keyword:

• HWTN4001-Intro
• HWTN4002-Practice
• HWTN4003-Policy

Save all of the Drafts, Notes and Assignments (for each module) into the correct folder. This will make it easier to locate all of your work and will also separate each module for when you have completed them. You can also create a Notes and/or Drafts folder(s) inside each module folder, to help keep everything more organised. In the following example, I have created the HWTN4001 folder and then made a Drafts, Notes and Readings folders inside it:

If I now save all of my HWTN4001 work, into these folders, I should never struggle to find anything related to this module.

Good folder naming conventions will also work for all of your personal / non-university files and will help you with your Backup Strategies.

To create a new folder:

Windows

1. Open My Documents (or another file storage location such as "This computer" on your desktop).
2. Right-click in the window.
3. Browse to find where you want to place your new folder.
4. Select New > Folder.
5. Enter a name for the folder, then press Return.

Mac

1. On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window
2. Navigate to where you want to create the folder.
3. Choose File > New Folder (or press Shift-Command-N).
4. Enter a name for the folder, then press Return.

When you create a new folder you don't always get the name right the first time or you click away from it before changing the default name from "New folder". This is OK because we can go back and rename any file or folder whenever we want.

Rename a File / Folder / Document (simple)

This process works just the same for Windows and Mac, all you need to do is locate the object you want to rename using File Explorer in Windows or Finder on a Mac.

1. With the file or folder located, simply click on it and then click on it again (do not double-click as this will open the file/folder).
2. This will highlight the text that is the name of the object and you can simply start typing the new name.
3. Hit Return when you are done and the object will have the new name.

Rename a File / Folder / Document (with right-click)

Again, this works the same for Windows and Mac. Having located the file/folder you want to rename:

1. Right-click on the name of the file/folder:
   
   
2. Select Rename.
3. Type a new name for the file (using good naming conventions). If the file type is showing (i.e. .doc, .ppt, etc.) - make sure that you do not replace or rename this too.
4. Hit Enter on your keyboard or Click away from the file using your mouse.
5. The file has now been renamed.

Files and Folders - Fundamentals

 Viewing, Ordering and Managing Files & Folders

Moving vs. Copying Files (or folders)

 Archived File Types (.zip)

"Thought file management was just for paper files? Think again. It's just as important to keep the files on your computer and/or mobile devices organized and up-to-date. Just as with paper files, the goal of computer file management is to ensure that you can find what you're looking for, even if you're looking for it years after its creation." ­ (from About.com)

1. File Naming - Employ good file naming conventions. It will help ensure that you can locate anything/everything when you need it and you should know what each file is without having to open it first.

2. Folder Naming - Employ good folder naming conventions. It is important that you know where to file your documents and how to find them later.

3. Create a folder structure - Put folders within folders to build up your filing structure. It will help make sense of your documents and their relationship to other documents. An example would be:

• Module Folder
  • Assignment Folder
  • Drafts Folder
  • Notes Folder
  • References Folder

4. Get friendly with Windows Explorer - Windows Explorer is the program that most people use to view and organise files/folders on a Windows computer. It is the window that opens when you view My Computer or the Documents Library.

Getting familiar with Windows Explorer (or an equivalent program) will allow you to proficiently locate and manage your files and folders.

5. File as you go - Don't rely on coming back later to file something properly. Spend an extra 30 seconds now and potentially save hours later when you can't find it.

6. Manage Your Files Everywhere - File management is not just about the files and documents on your computer - use the same strategies and conventions for all of your storage (CD, pendrive, cloud, etc.).

7. Use Backup Strategies - Even with the perfect filing system; there is nothing to stop your computer from breaking. Keep your important files safe. See Backup Strategies (below) for more information.

8. Clean up after yourself - Put away your finished work. When a module, document, photo is finished with or you don't expect to need it for a while - file it away somewhere safe. Consider filing it in the Cloud.

The idea of Backup Strategies is very simple - it is about making and storing an extra copy of all of your important files / documents in order to keep all of your hard work safe from potential disasters.

It is very IMPORTANT that you do this, that you do it regularly and you do it efficiently. Not using some basic backup strategies can mean that you lose part or all of an assignment before it is due to be submitted.

See our File & Document Backup Strategies page.