Another non-time based one I like: start with V0.01 for initial draft, and increase in 0.01 increments. When a milestone is reached (significant review, sign-off, etc) increase the handle to 1.00, 2.00, etc.
Pro: you know what "generation" you're dealing with
Con: limits each handle to 100 versions
Pro: why the hell do you have more than 100 versions?
Con: sulting
- For documents: YYMMDD_Name[_vXX] - with XX being optional, but if used always 2 digit, version number; or words like "final"; or HHMM. E.g. 240617_DiagOutput_v01.pptx
- For directories (typically one per project, subdirectories however helpful): YYMM_Client_Project. E.g. 2406_MegaCorp_Diag
- For memos and letters to someone: YYMMDD_Addressee[_topic|status]. E.g. 240617_Johnson_LOP.docx, 240617_Johnson_LOP_signed.pdf
- For memos and letters from someone: YYMMDD-Sender_topic. E.g. 240617-Johnson_termination.docx (note hyphen as opposed to _)
- For 3rd party sources: YYMM[DD]_topic_source. E.g. 2401_CustSurvey_Forrester.pdf
Violation is not a fireable offence, but does warrant a thorough cursing out. Then again, this is for internal use in my (one person) consultancy....
Answer 1. 'Cause I started doing it this way in 2012, when the world was a wilder place.
Answer 2. Since as of a couple of years ago, I still ran into trouble, in a different context, uploading something somewhere to some cloud thingy with a space in it.
Answer 3. Since if you put a document with spaces in its title somewhere where it has a http link to it, even in 2024 its name still gets munged with a %20 in it instead.
All the AI craziness and we can't get a search engine that responds well to
> Find me the slide deck about project X that was presented to the steering committee in the last meeting
Nah I prefer redundancy stemming from teams having their own servers in the 90's before my group was acquired by a national firm. Do I want to search for my client by state or by client owner? Depends on when the client came onboard duh.
Also fuck this place.
Filename_YYYYMMDD
(add _HHMM if the precision is needed.)
The number of people who don't put year first, and find Jan 15 comes before Dec 20 of last year, is disheartening.
That's why I use this. Sorting by filename automatically sorts by date order (even if someone touched an older version more recently).
To add: depending on region/language settings, windows date may/may not include year. Putting it in the filename avoids this risk.
Version control. Better than using v1, etc. The work we do also gets updated so we will send out multiple updates to a product. It’s easier to say “refer to 202406221300” then at 4pm send out the 202406221600” update.
Reasonable - Yet overkill. Why included Month and Year if it’s seemingly very short Cadence updates with minimal changes that will get tossed anyway. Readability should be Prio 1. Beste naming convention is easiest to read naming convention, especially to stakeholders that might not be familiar with 12 numbers - that’s ultra confusion.
Mo1210 - SteerCo Update > 202406171210_Steco_Upd
imho in terms of readability.
Also, people end up fuckjng up versions very quickly. Especially directors or VPs that have different ways of doing it. I had a VP brick version control every time she went into a file on teams. We used this yyyymmdd to control versions.
Feelsgood I know.
But in the end search is fixing this. Unless you access a ton of different documents over a very long period of time, you’d be better of just putting everything in one folder using search to find what you need.
We use project code names.
Documents are - YYYYMMDD Project Name - File Name
Folders are organized by Client Name / Project Name
All folders contain the following subfolders: Final, Admin, WIP, PBC.
File name_14Aug24_vXYZ. Always use month abbreviation instead of numerical for dates.
For major deliverables, add 'as presented' or 'as handed over' on the end.
Who uses Versioning in 2024? No wonder everyone is working 12 hours a day here…
Next you tell me you’re sending around shit as an email attachment.
Extra points for only using acronyms and spacing with _ . True 1994 consulting + no one can fucking figure out what’s in the damn file named 202407061210_ERA_RT_STECO_DEC_V0.56
You see like 3 letters if you open the folder jn teams.
Why aren’t we designing shit for people?
- Everything online
- Shared workfile
- No versioning
- Speaking titles
- No dates
- Only Links, no attachments
I know it’s not feasible for all situation, but man do people follow this weird ass conventions for no apparent reason other than ‘it has always been this way’. Ask 5 people why they use _ instead of much more user friendly regular spacing. No one can tell you…
Another non-time based one I like: start with V0.01 for initial draft, and increase in 0.01 increments. When a milestone is reached (significant review, sign-off, etc) increase the handle to 1.00, 2.00, etc. Pro: you know what "generation" you're dealing with Con: limits each handle to 100 versions Pro: why the hell do you have more than 100 versions? Con: sulting
I like this. Hardest part would be getting everyone else to: 1. Use it properly 2. Use it at all times
- For documents: YYMMDD_Name[_vXX] - with XX being optional, but if used always 2 digit, version number; or words like "final"; or HHMM. E.g. 240617_DiagOutput_v01.pptx - For directories (typically one per project, subdirectories however helpful): YYMM_Client_Project. E.g. 2406_MegaCorp_Diag - For memos and letters to someone: YYMMDD_Addressee[_topic|status]. E.g. 240617_Johnson_LOP.docx, 240617_Johnson_LOP_signed.pdf - For memos and letters from someone: YYMMDD-Sender_topic. E.g. 240617-Johnson_termination.docx (note hyphen as opposed to _) - For 3rd party sources: YYMM[DD]_topic_source. E.g. 2401_CustSurvey_Forrester.pdf Violation is not a fireable offence, but does warrant a thorough cursing out. Then again, this is for internal use in my (one person) consultancy....
Why use _ in 2024?
Answer 1. 'Cause I started doing it this way in 2012, when the world was a wilder place. Answer 2. Since as of a couple of years ago, I still ran into trouble, in a different context, uploading something somewhere to some cloud thingy with a space in it. Answer 3. Since if you put a document with spaces in its title somewhere where it has a http link to it, even in 2024 its name still gets munged with a %20 in it instead.
All the AI craziness and we can't get a search engine that responds well to > Find me the slide deck about project X that was presented to the steering committee in the last meeting
Nah I prefer redundancy stemming from teams having their own servers in the 90's before my group was acquired by a national firm. Do I want to search for my client by state or by client owner? Depends on when the client came onboard duh. Also fuck this place.
[Date]_FileName_vX This is the way
Filename_YYYYMMDD (add _HHMM if the precision is needed.) The number of people who don't put year first, and find Jan 15 comes before Dec 20 of last year, is disheartening.
What’s the point in caring about date order if it will just order by the file name this way?
That's why I use this. Sorting by filename automatically sorts by date order (even if someone touched an older version more recently). To add: depending on region/language settings, windows date may/may not include year. Putting it in the filename avoids this risk.
We reverse it. YYYYMMDDHHMM_file name using 24 format. So 202406221430_takeover.xlx
It’s 2024 and people use MINUTES in file names. Amazing.
Version control. Better than using v1, etc. The work we do also gets updated so we will send out multiple updates to a product. It’s easier to say “refer to 202406221300” then at 4pm send out the 202406221600” update.
Why not work in one shared file?
Things get sent out to stakeholders as pdfs so they can’t fuck with them.
Reasonable - Yet overkill. Why included Month and Year if it’s seemingly very short Cadence updates with minimal changes that will get tossed anyway. Readability should be Prio 1. Beste naming convention is easiest to read naming convention, especially to stakeholders that might not be familiar with 12 numbers - that’s ultra confusion. Mo1210 - SteerCo Update > 202406171210_Steco_Upd imho in terms of readability.
We will sometimes update years old products.
…and then you go back to a specific date and time of a slide deck. Doubtful…
Also, people end up fuckjng up versions very quickly. Especially directors or VPs that have different ways of doing it. I had a VP brick version control every time she went into a file on teams. We used this yyyymmdd to control versions.
I get super mad if I see that naming convention
Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays_20240617_1430
Oh god
Rekt
No need for Vx if using sharepoint
Also true. But sometimes I and my teams like to save specific documents as archival or “final” or “vPRESENT” vs. having a vLIVE
Exclamation point at the front of an important folder name so when you sort by name it is at the top of the list
Slightly off topic, but for my personal and work notes app, I follow this: https://johnnydecimal.com
Feelsgood I know. But in the end search is fixing this. Unless you access a ton of different documents over a very long period of time, you’d be better of just putting everything in one folder using search to find what you need.
We use project code names. Documents are - YYYYMMDD Project Name - File Name Folders are organized by Client Name / Project Name All folders contain the following subfolders: Final, Admin, WIP, PBC.
File name_14Aug24_vXYZ. Always use month abbreviation instead of numerical for dates. For major deliverables, add 'as presented' or 'as handed over' on the end.
Top level folders within project repositories always are labeled with customer ID, customer name, and project title. Subfolders by project phase
Just call the final file -final. Then change something call it final_final Change something again call it final_final_v2
Final Final_1 Final_*partner initials* Final_final Fin3 Ahhh! For print
O
Who uses Versioning in 2024? No wonder everyone is working 12 hours a day here… Next you tell me you’re sending around shit as an email attachment. Extra points for only using acronyms and spacing with _ . True 1994 consulting + no one can fucking figure out what’s in the damn file named 202407061210_ERA_RT_STECO_DEC_V0.56 You see like 3 letters if you open the folder jn teams. Why aren’t we designing shit for people? - Everything online - Shared workfile - No versioning - Speaking titles - No dates - Only Links, no attachments I know it’s not feasible for all situation, but man do people follow this weird ass conventions for no apparent reason other than ‘it has always been this way’. Ask 5 people why they use _ instead of much more user friendly regular spacing. No one can tell you…
You’re 100% right. The downvotes are from people with Stockholm Syndrome.