Design: Technical: File Management

File management must be considered from the beginning of the design.

File Naming

Keep file names very short. When possible, file names should be less than 8 characters plus a file extension. The file extension can be .htm or .html. It doesn't matter. However try to maintain consistency.

File names should be all lowercase letters. Some web servers are case sensitive. Do not include any spaces. If you want to separate words use a dash - or underscore _.

Your home page should be called index.html or index.htm.

Folders/Directories

Create a folder for your website. Keep all files in this folder. Create subdirectories or additional folders for major areas of your website. The core page for each of these sections should be named index.html.

Media Elements

Some people like to keep images, audios, and videos, in a separate folder. Others like to keep these files in the same folder as the web page. It's really up to the developer. However be sure to remain consistent. Develop a scheme and stick to it. Don't move files around or the links and images may not function properly.

Images

Images should be saved as gif or jpgs. In general, photographs look best as jpgs while clipart look best as gif files. Resize images so they are the size that you need for the screen. Photographs that are 150-300 pixels in height are a nice size. Also be sure that the image is only 72 dots per inch. That is the highest quality the computer screen can handle. Any higher is a waste of valuable space.

Navigation

All web pages should point back to the home page and any other important "first level" pages.

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