File Names, Types & Limits

Uploading Files

All files must be uploaded into the "_files" folders located at the very top of every folder. Every parent folder on the site contains one.

Why does it matter where files are uploaded to? It's not only a good practice to keep files associated with each other, it helps keep the website system as clean as possible. The cleaner it is, the better it runs and the faster it loads.

File Names

Follow these rules when naming your files:

• Can only contain letters, numbers, dashes, underscores, and a single period (to separate the extension from the file name);
• Must be all lowercase;
• Cannot contain any spaces;
• Cannot contain any special characters (other than dashes, underscores, and a single period);
• Should describe what the file is.

EXAMPLES: A photo that shows a student sitting at a desk should be named "student-sitting-at-desk.jpg" and a PDF of a committee meeting agenda should be named "committee-meeting-agenda-20180630.pdf" or something similar.

Filename Formatter

File Types

No files of any kind can be uploaded to a normal folder. Instead, all files (i.e. PDFs, images, etc.) must be uploaded to special folders (named "_files") located inside of every normal folder.

These file types are okay to upload to a "_files" folder:

• .jpg
  Used for photos and other images without a lot of text
• .jpeg
  Same as above, but named differently
• .bmp
  Not used very much at all
• .png
  Mostly used for logos and clipart; background can be transparent to blend with backgrounds
• .gif
  Mostly used for logos; background can be transparent to blend with backgrounds
• .doc
  Microsoft Word file
• .docx
  Same as above, but named differently
• .ppt
  Microsoft PowerPoint file
• .pptx
  Same as above, but named differently
• .pdf
  Adobe PDF file

NOTE: Sometimes it can be hard to determine the actual type of file you're working with because there is a good chance you can't see the file extensions (like .jpg and .pdf). To minimize confusion, we recommend updating your Windows PC settings to show the file extensions.

File Sizes & Dimensions

Files that are uploaded to a "_files" folder must follow these rules:

• Image files must be 3 MB or less and a maximum of 1200px in width (see the Style Guide for more info)
  Examples: .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, .gif
• Binary files must be 200 MB or less
  Examples: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf

System Files

You'll see a lot of files named like these:

• index.pcf
  These pages are the home/landing pages for every normal folder in the OmniUpdate system.
• _nav.html
  Inside of each normal folder is a navigation snippet that the system uses on the left side of every page (where the + is). Only System Administrators have access to these files.
• _props.pcf
  Also inside each normal folder is a properties snippet that the system uses to build the main headings and breadcrumbs of each page. Only System Administrators have access to these files.
• _read-this.txt
  These pages are located inside of each "_files" folder. They provide specific information about where you should be uploading your files.