folder structure best practices examples

These folder names act as both keyword tags and add an extra level of organization. If you search by product name or ad type, your folders should pop up easily. After you've invited team members and they add content to the team space, here are tips to stay organized: Store, share, and access files across devices, Send documents securely and track activity, Create screen recordings and video messages. This will become your second draft. Well know if it worked if its faster and easier for project managers to find the latest files for client projects.. Dont save everything to your desktop or My Documents and tell yourself Ill move it later. Otherwise, the only thing youll end up with is a half-finished organizational system. Structuring your data files in folders is important for making it easier to locate and organise files and versions. Alfred is a popular and powerful search tool for Mac, while Launchy is a common pick for Windows searching. 05 - final version (sent to publish): When edits are complete, put your final draft here. Keep your files and folders organized with automation. Filtered or edited data is where you store the intermediate steps as the data is manipulated from a copy of the raw state to its final state. Update group memberships when people move to different teams. Not only are they knowledgeable, they are also patient EZ Computer Solutions has proven to be a great partner for our staff! Get A Crash Course in Microsoft 365 with Teams to learn how to improve productivity and engagement while helping protect your data. And its worth repeating: save images to the cloud or make a backup copy on a flash drive. A new folder for each quarter's work might be good. Encourage people to ask first, rather than possibly saving something in the wrong place. We won't lay out every detail but rather take a big-picture perspective. Rather, we hope youll find this a useful combination of principles to apply and tools to adapt to your specific needs. Here are a few tips: Monthly folders should be named in the YYYY-MM format so theyll appear in chronological order. This lets users share content in their team member folder. Looking forward Tom and his staff have been more than helpful in my computer and network needs. 01, 02,,10 if instead of 1, 2, 3,,10). Create project folders Professor FilePlan can review your drafts, answer any questions you may have and give you advice. Pick what works for your team, and make sure that everyone is on board with it. Of course, you dont want to go overboard, but most people tend to suffer from too few subfolders, not too many. . Imagine walking into a grocery store. Heres what that could look like. Examples of Python package structure# If you look at the GitHub repositories for several large Python packages such as numpy, scipy, . While traditional DAM tools and workflow techniques relied heavily on folder organization, theres a new era of tools that streamline the process. After that, shared drive folder structure best practice is to start with your broadest categories for your main folders, and then get more specific with subfolders. Change the file name to include v2 on the end and remove the initials. Tell your organization how to organize digital files. But if you have duplicate files or documents youll never reference again, delete them. One folder structure best practice is to avoid having folders that compete with one another. The first step to using Zapier, in this case, is deciding when you will need new folders created. Make a cheat sheet: Its OK if you dont have every single folder memorized. For example, an ad agency could include the clients industry in file names, along with the project name, so searching is easier. Getting started: Be strategic, be flexible, Case studies: Choosing a file structure that matches the scale and aims of your project, see this case study by the Stanford Libraries, Hitchhikers Guide to Python: Structuring Projects. Open the file, make your edits, and send your file back out for review. Do not modify your raw data manually, or even better, at all. The best way to avoid issues with special characters is to iron out a naming convention for all folders. But sometimes theres overlap and its hard to figure out where a file should go. One of the most effective ways to organize your files is by category. Be concise; some software doesnt work well with long file names, For dates, use a YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD format, so dates stay in chronological order, Use sequential numbering (01, 02, etc instead of 1, 2, etc), Avoid special characters (like ~ ! Well email you 1-3 times per weekand never share your information. He is prompt with responding. We are extremely satisfied with their customer service and quick response time. On a Mac, Spotlight lets you search through your files and emails and preview them to make sure you found what you are looking for. The type of cut-off your records have will define the type of folder structure they require. a message comes in from your boss: "Can you find that project we scrapped three years ago? Because the number of reviews and drafts your file goes through can vary, repeat this folder structure as many times as necessary. Even if you are working on a quick homework assignment, think about the hundreds of similar homework assignments for which you have to mock up a folder and then finagle some files (we advise against putting everything on your desktop). Best practices for file structures There are some overarching ground rules to keep in mind before hacking away at your computer. Within the "0216 topic a" folder, the "to review/from review" folder structure comes into play. 2023 Celartem, Inc. dba Extensis. Share those guidelines with your team and post them somewhere convenient for future reference. You can then move that shortcut to another location, but your original file stays in the same place. Once you establish your structure and groups, communicate with your team about how files and folders should be named. You should contact your own tax or financial professional to discuss your situation.. (Ukraine - )? If youre not sure whether to keep them, put them in a folder titled, The easiest way is to only use one file, saved on a shared server (instead of someones local computer), so everyone can. If youre tracking spatial variations in atmospheric methane averaged over time, it may make more sense to start with location. As Donald Knuth, one of the early leaders of good programming, has said, Premature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming. Donald Ervin Knuth. This is created when you invite specific people or groups to a folder within the team space. On an iPad or iPhone, just pull down on your homescreen for a simplified Spotlight search to look through emails, notes, and apps on the goor use the search tool inside the Dropbox or Google Drive app on any phone to find synced files. Use a Shared Module: In short, when using a Shared Module: DO declare components, pipes, directives, and export them. It also includes a short list of best practices and a challenge to turn a design from the React Job Simulator into a feature-based folder structure. spits out. In both cases, a primary deliminator is used to separate the ideas, while camelCase is used to make the names easier to read. 01 - draft (to review): By default, your first draft wont have been reviewed by anyone yet. Its just as frustrating and time-consuming to find the documents you need, when you need them. The OS already put slashes in between folder names for us, but what if we have multi-word ideas or multi-idea filenames? If you only have a handful of files, you probably dont need one. You work with some sort of data: binary, text, web, images, video, machine data, You will modify the data to meet your needs, You will analyze the data and make conclusions, You will create representations of such conclusions: charts, figures, images, videos, You will share some or all of the above processes with others, whether by turning in an assignment for class, or publishing results with a conference or journal, Finding your datasets to repeat and confirm your results and methodologies, Finding your datasets so they can perform their own analysis, Using your source code to help analyze their work, or fork it for other purposes. Theyre named after the user, and users can choose to share files and folders within. A folder structure is the way folders are organized on your computer. Find the records you are most interested in and corresponding folder structures in the different sections below. Here's an example: "All 22 employees need to understand our new digital file organization, but especially the writers and graphic designers, since they create the files. The other folders relate to "best practices", which do not technically have to be used in order for your package to be working (but you should do them, and we will talk about them later). File structures are not fixed entities, but rather build a framework that communicates the function and purpose of elements within a project by separating concerns into a hierarchy of folders and using consistent, chronological, and descriptive names. This structure works really well with files that will be going through many rounds of edits. Best practice: Create teams with a larger set of members and more channels. EZSolution make my website get to the #1 spot in a Google search. They are very responsive and quick! These records can be filed by month/quarter/year straightaway because the cutoff date is already known and the full retention period can be calculated from the instant they are created or received. They are: Do not modify your raw data manually, or even better, at all. Organizing your folder structure is only half the battle. Is each file worked on by one individual, or do multiple people contribute edits to each? CommKit Content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Document your organizational structure and if it makes sense, use it as a basis for organizing your files; otherwise, use a logical naming convention for files and folders. In fact, 57 percent of U.S. office workers say one of their top three problems is quickly finding files and documents, according to a recent survey. At this point, subfolders stop being helpful and start causing workflow problems. How? Open Visual Studio, select Clone repository from the File menu in the opened window, paste the Git URI and click on the Clone button. So far, weve discussed a lot about the morphology of the file structure, but not much about the order of the ideas. It also sets a bad example for how your colleagues should organize folders, which can lead to them creating more messy folders. A to-do list? Be proactive about creating subfolders. The "Rock-Hammer Structure example": structure your app using . I saw practices wherein the top level is arranged via form-factors. If you are looking to work with a pro, call Tom or his team for help. Turn off your notifications. But in order to be effective, you have to use it all the time, every time. Dont use any abbreviations that arent common knowledge or long streams of letters and numbers without any delineation between them. Example of a floating folder with an underscore (_) before the name. When invited, users can add this to their member folder to keep it private, or to a team folder to keep others up to date. If you haven't already saved earlier versions of your files, you can restore recent previous versions of files in Dropbox, OS X, Windows and more. Plus, youre costing the business more to store and backup your personal files. They are: When writing code, it is a good design principle to separate program functionality into distinct sections, where each section addresses a separate concern (e.g. Click on the icons below for specific folder structure examples by category or click here for the mobile- and screen reader-friendly version. Your clothes are probably more organized than that, but your files might not be. I would happily recommend their services to anyone looking for IT assistance. If you make them every time new projects start, set up a Zap to watch your project management app for a new project. Subfolders help create logical groups within your larger categories. If you want to maintain your folder structure long-term, youll want to make sure everyone understands (and hopefully likes!) In fact, 57 percent of U.S. office workers say one of their top three problems is quickly finding files and documents, according to a, Talk to the leadership team at your organization so you understand their priorities. File names should be clear and to the point. Data manipulation should work like a conveyer belt: it stops at checkpoints. This ones tough. Instead, create folders which are distinct from one another, and use nesting to arrange them as needed. Not only are they knowledgeable, they are also patient with those of us who aren't real 'tecky'. In my examples above, I used mmyy because the folders were already organized by year making month the most important descriptor. Here are some other Zaps to help you get started. Filenames, on the other hand, may be one or more ideas. When you identify the need to create new folders, dont just do it for the one youll need first. Check out these 12 Hidden Dropbox Features for more ways to organize and quickly find files whenever you need them. (Don't give in to the temptation of opening a raw dataset in Excel and changing values.) A successful file structure organizes your data and code with the goal of repeatability, making it easier for you and your collaborators to revisit, revise and develop your project. Bank Records. EZComputer Solutions is an IT service provider providing computer support service in Lancaster, Harrisburg, York, Lebanon & Reading, PA, Credit Card Skimming: What You Need to Know. These examples are separated by type of cut-off, which is the trigger that starts the clock for the retention to count down. Groups allow you to quickly share folders with a department, rather than inviting members to join one at a time. Find the records you are most interested in and corresponding folder structures in the different sections below. z - archive: You can put all the files that didnt fit into the above subfolders here. Business Insights and Ideas does not constitute professional tax or financial advice. The team at EZSolution are true thought leaders in marketing and sales. Thats what your computer files are like with no organization. Being confused is never fun, especially whenyouare the cause of confusion. Here we share other viewpoints that have inspired this guide. Cons: Its harder to find projects based on other categories, such as the type of project. Defining a strong folder and file naming system creates good habits, reduces the time and effort required to manage your electronic records, and supports business continuity and compliance for the office. For me, requests like this always used to result in a moment of dread followed by a wasted day searching through old files. It will undoubtedly be easier to just pull up a MATLAB/Python script and run it without worry. Maybe you work on a couple different types of projects, and could organize based on those types (e.g., copywriters might work on advertisements, blogs, emails, and landing pages, while graphic designers may divide tasks by medium, like print or digital)? Ideally, you will be able to identify and manage the contents of your folders without having to open and review the content of each individual file, document, or email. That is, until I learned how to avoid all that stress and wasted time. Sticking to the house analogy, its reasonable to look in your kitchen and bathroom for cleaning supplies. Keep in mind, you dont have to use all of these rules. This is useful if you want a separate file to mark each stage of a process, but it does lead to more files. Cons: It can be hard to find related projects unless you include that in the file naming structure. We use a loose definition of a data scientist: Those viewing your code, who may be data scientists, researchers, or those wanting to learn, may have other intentions, such as. Very quick to respond. _v1, _v2, _v3) to avoid the chaos of _final, _finalfinal, _reallyfinal, _test_final_use_this_one. Event based: These records calculate their retention period based on an event that will happen in the future. Keep these names, but. ), put your first draft in this folder. Always have collaborators in mind, even if there is a 0% chance of getting collaborators. 5 star review. Then its easier to organize computer files from a certain time range. Select the folder path for the new folder. This rule is useful, but its not hard and fast. Implement and maintain a folder hierarchy and naming convention for files and folders on your drive. become unnecessary because you can add both "year" and "department" tags to the file, and still easily find it. Then, connect your file sync app, and have Zapier make a new folder. And it helps clarify whats being used if your working version is not the highest version in your working data, while avoding the ugly, Comments on how the experiment was performed. Do you plan important tasks by quarter? You typically don't need to worry about file extensions; they're set by the programs you use, and typically hidden by default on most computers. In a short few hours of reading I understood everything that we were currently doing wrong as well as the fact that Tom and his team at EZ Our relationship with EZ marketing started when their CEO, Tom Malesic, gave me a copy of a book he had published. Looking for more inspiration? Share Improve this answer Follow answered Feb 26, 2014 at 4:03 ETL 6,493 1 27 48 For example, in the "blog posts" folder, I saved three different posts. . However, if you've ever dealt with hassles in trying to find important assets you need for projects, then you know how disorganized files . being able to quickly reproduce your code, which adds confidence to both the collaborator and you. We have been using EZ Solution services for all of our computer, networking and software needs for over three years. Lee is very knowledgeable and goes above and beyond. Click ' Create New Folder '. Inside the "advertisements" folder, I have three tasks listed. In this example, the final folder would only contain ads ready to be posted live. For example, someone browsing for the Projects folder may miss the _Projects folder at the top of the list expecting to see it between the Marketing and Research folders. If you have time, get input from. In a short few hours of reading I understood everything that we were currently doing wrong as well as the fact that Tom and his team at EZ Solutions are subject matter experts at their craft. Establish file-naming conventions. If you need to rename a lot of files, there are apps for bulk file renaming, some of which are free. Delete files before you start filing so you dont waste time organizing them, just to delete them later. Consider later on, when youre communicating that manipulation to a collaborator. This is what a hierarchical folder structure couldlook like for them: EXAMPLE FILE PATH G:/LPR/TLR/Archives/Photographs/YouthCultureCamp/Doe.Jane.2009-03-13.tiff Shared Drive Folder Title Dept. As with a map legend, you should establish a set of expectations about where to find parts of the project, and in which order these parts fit (i.e., run) together. Start with the broadest category at the beginning of the file name, like the year or department, and then get more specific. Or, if you want new folders created every month or week, use Zapier's Schedule tool to create folders on a certain date. One folder structure best practice is to avoid having folders that compete with one another. You can also save everyone on your team time by creating a template a group of empty folders and subfolders that follow the folder structure youd like to maintain throughout all projects. It takes so long to find an outfit that youre stressed out and running late. I show you my folder structure and best practices example how I use it. Keep the file name the same, but add the initials of the editor onto the end. On a Windows PC, tags are supported on some file types, and can be added in a comma-separated list via the file properties pane. Yes! Consider what recipients first reactions will be if you email a file to them; best to keep all the identifying information right in the file name, so anyone receiving the file is clear about whats in it. This will ensure that everyone on your team is following the same folder structure best practices, and that consistency will ensure nothing gets lost. Pros: Names are less ambiguous than other categories, such as industry or product type. However, a disorganized folder structure can cause creative chaos for your whole team. In a way, imagine if your code were to be released on GitHub. Check this guide for more info on tagging in Windows. A good file plan allows you to find what you are looking for faster while making it easier to manage the lifecycle of your records. Dont clutter up your working folders with files that will never be considered "final;" throw them in the archive instead. Use a simple version sequence (e.g. A false start, in this case, might be an ad concept you started working on but later got scrapped completely. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site. I can say that we highly recommend them. The team at EZ Solutions have been maintaining our computer infrastructure which includes several businesses for years. So whether youre working on small or big projects, setting a standard structure will add consistency among all of your work and decrease the amount of time it takes to boilerplateyour code. Build out that structure for all the folders youll need. _Finalfinal, _reallyfinal, _test_final_use_this_one important for making it easier to organize your is... For me, requests like this always used to result in a moment of dread followed by a wasted searching! Your personal files event based: these records calculate their retention period based on an that! Best practices example how I use it Don & # x27 ; create new folder & x27. Followed by a wasted day searching through old files scipy, projects on... Filing so you dont have to use it all the time, it may make more sense to with. Message comes in from your boss: `` can you find that project we scrapped three.... Shortcut to another location, but your original file stays in the instead... You advice sent to publish ): by default, your folders should be and. Never fun, especially whenyouare the cause of confusion project folders Professor FilePlan review... Streams of letters and numbers without any delineation between them engagement while helping protect data! Otherwise, the final folder would only contain ads ready to be live. Going through many rounds of edits are less ambiguous than other categories, such as the of... The temptation of opening a raw dataset in Excel and changing values. organize folders, which can lead more... Viewpoints that have inspired this guide most important descriptor dont clutter up your working folders with a department, have. Answer any questions you may have and give you advice you advice in the different sections.! A folder structure is the way folders are organized on your computer multi-word ideas or multi-idea filenames allow! Month the most important descriptor the temptation of opening a raw dataset in Excel and changing.... To iron out a naming convention for all of these rules corresponding folder structures in different! Our computer infrastructure which includes several businesses for years rule is useful, it... Search tool for Mac, while Launchy is a half-finished organizational system this is useful, but your files not! At this point, subfolders stop being helpful and start causing workflow problems vary, repeat folder. 01 - draft ( to review ): by default, your first draft wont have been using EZ services... Tips: Monthly folders should be clear and to the # 1 spot in Google... You dont have to use all of these rules proven to be a great partner for staff. The need to rename a lot about the morphology of the most descriptor. And bathroom for cleaning supplies adds confidence to both the collaborator and you projects unless you that! Maintaining our computer, networking and software needs for over three years data... The morphology of the ideas the GitHub repositories for several large Python packages such the... Communicate with your team and post them somewhere convenient for future reference the. Event that will never be considered `` final ; '' throw them in the file to. Well email you 1-3 times per weekand never share your information people groups! The retention to count down with an underscore ( _ ) before the name thats your. Be an ad concept you started working on but later got scrapped completely process... Letters and numbers without any delineation between them without worry groups within your categories! A naming convention for all the time, every time and still easily find.... Find an outfit that youre stressed out and running late hierarchical folder structure as many times as necessary consider on... Should pop up easily Tom or his team for help sheet: its OK if you need.. Zaps to help you get started effective, you dont waste time organizing them, just delete! Raw dataset in Excel and changing values. dont clutter up your working folders files. Sticking to the # 1 spot in a way, imagine if your,. The user, and use nesting to arrange them as needed get the... Answer any questions you may have and give you advice that streamline the process with..., like the year or department, rather than possibly saving something in different! Are looking to work with a department, and users can choose to share files and versions pop. Happen in the YYYY-MM format so theyll appear in chronological order still easily find it their customer and. Couldlook like for them: example file PATH G: /LPR/TLR/Archives/Photographs/YouthCultureCamp/Doe.Jane.2009-03-13.tiff Shared drive folder Title.. That will never be considered `` final ; '' throw them in the future publish ) when! Invite specific people or groups to a collaborator and you 1, 2, 3,,10.! Spot in a way, imagine if your code were to be posted live happen in the instead! T give in to the temptation of opening a raw dataset in Excel and changing values. 0 chance. Folder, I used mmyy because the folders youll need people to ask first, rather possibly! But later got scrapped completely more specific after the user, and nesting! Over time, every time new projects start, set up a MATLAB/Python script and run it without worry that! Organize and quickly find files whenever you need them and send your goes... An extra level of organization and more channels somewhere convenient for future reference wherein the top is. Bulk file renaming, some of which are distinct from one another to go overboard, but not... Everyone understands ( and hopefully likes! to work with a department, and can! Answer any questions you may have and give you advice for us, but it does lead to more.. People to ask first, rather than inviting members to join one at a time Don & x27... Structure examples by category colleagues should organize folders, which can lead them. Shortcut to another location, but add the initials of the editor onto end... You started working on but later got scrapped completely & quot ;: your! You get started be hard to figure out where a file should go, until I how. Ok if you look at the GitHub repositories for several large Python packages such as industry or product type move... Attribution Non-Commercial License 3.0 unless otherwise noted: `` can you find that project we scrapped three years?... Which are distinct from one another quarter 's work might be good my website to. Each file worked on by one individual, or do multiple people contribute edits each! Category or click here for the one youll need file goes through can vary repeat! Filing so you dont have to use it Title Dept at checkpoints in my examples above, I three! That have inspired this guide above, I used mmyy folder structure best practices examples the folders youll need first structure as many as! Or multi-idea filenames your first draft in this folder structure can cause Creative chaos for your whole.... Is by category with their customer service and quick response time if have... You advice in marketing and sales and numbers without any delineation between them advertisements '' folder structure can cause chaos... The morphology of the ideas of getting collaborators need folder structure best practices examples when youre communicating that to... Define the type of cut-off your records have will define the type of cut-off your have. Large Python packages such as industry or product type your folders should be clear and to point. Kitchen and bathroom for cleaning supplies which adds confidence to both the and... Team for help organize folders, which can lead to them creating more messy folders are a few:! The YYYY-MM format so theyll appear in chronological order find this a useful of... Creative chaos for your team, and users can choose to share files folders. Nesting to arrange them as needed name to include v2 on the other hand, be... & quot ;: structure your app using thought leaders in marketing and.. You 1-3 times per weekand never share your information is very knowledgeable and goes above and beyond probably need. What your computer organize and quickly find files whenever you need to rename a lot of files, there apps... This case, might be an ad concept you started working on but later scrapped. Of principles to apply and tools to adapt to your specific needs we hope youll find a. Not be organize your files might not be that starts the clock for the retention count! Shortcut to another location, but what if we have been more folder structure best practices examples helpful in my examples above I... As both keyword tags and add an extra level of organization run it worry. Special characters is to avoid the chaos of _final, _finalfinal,,. Can cause Creative chaos for your team, and then get more specific a backup copy on flash. Or more ideas reference again, delete them structure # if you want to go overboard, what! Folders is important for making it easier to organize and quickly find files whenever you need folder structure best practices examples create new,. Can choose to share files and folders within review/from review '' folder structure comes into play folder hierarchy and convention! Team and post them somewhere convenient for future reference structure comes into play your drive helpful and causing! File renaming, some of which are distinct from one another s site folder for each 's! ( and hopefully likes! but not much about the morphology of the most important.... Archive: you can add both `` year '' and `` department '' tags the... Start with the broadest category at the beginning of the ideas there is a common pick Windows...

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