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Meaningful filenames

Revision as of 20:35, 21 July 2008 by Duncan (talk | contribs) (Examples: added 'source' example)

After thinking about the limits to how we can structure our files and folder (see Portable_Filenames) the next step is developing a semantic controlled vocabulary.

GEDCOM based

Here is a proposed system contributed by DuncanLithgow.

First I want to be able to split the file name up into pieces which each have markers. This makes it easy for me to manipulate them with utilities for searching and renaming file. Especially it makes it easy for me recover broken file paths with the GRAMPS media manager.

Each marker starts with an underscore (_) and ends with two hyphens (--).

Marker Meaning Example value GRAMPS XML equivalent GEDCOM equivalent
_PLAC-- place marker london__england ? ?
_INDV-- individual marker mary_jones ? ?
_EVNT-- event marker marriage ? ?
_DATE-- date marker 2008-12-31 ? ?
_SOUR-- source marker lds_church_website ? ?
_SURN-- family name marker jones ? ?
_FIRS-- first name marker mary ? ?
_NOTE-- note marker is_that_marys_father_beside_her ? ?

In order for the file name to be parsed as meaningful text I think some we also would need

Marker Description Example Rendering
_ space indicator mary_jones mary jones
__ comma followed by space indicator jones__mary jones, mary

Examples

Image file

Filename

_EVNT--marriage_SURN--jones_FIRS--mary_angus__SURN--williams_FIRS--matthew_DATE--1923-12-02_NOTE--william_angus_to_right_of_mary.jpg

This could be parsed (by GRAMPS?) as the description:

Event: Marriage
Surname: Jones
Firstname: Mary Angus
Surname: Williams
Firstname: Matthew
Date: 2nd Jan, 1923
Note: William angus to the right of mary

or it could make the text:

Mary Angus Jones and Matthew Williams, marriage 2nd Jan 1923. (William angus to the right of mary)

Source text

File name

_SOUR--uk_census_EVNT--census_PLAC--london__england_DATE--1840-03-21_SURN--jones_FIRS--mary.pdf

This could be parsed (by GRAMPS?) as the description:

Source: Uk census
Place: London, england
Date: 21st March, 1840
Surname: Jones
Firstname: Mary

or it could make the text:

Uk census at London, england, 21st March 1840. Source for Mary Jones