Create Naming Standards

Create and apply naming standards to different folders in the Files tool to control the names of their files. You can create naming standards by starting either from scratch, using the ISO 19650 template, or importing from another project. You can also copy a naming standard and use that as the basis of a new naming standard.

When creating a naming standard, you will need to resolve any conflicts between existing attributes and those in the naming standard. You will also need to ensure that each naming standard is unique. A naming standard is unique if it differs to other naming standards in terms of the number of attributes, the types of at least one attribute, or the order of the attributes.

For example for an existing naming standard with naming convention attributes: Project - Originator - Type and Related attributes: Status.

Naming convention Related attributes Uniqueness
Project - Originator - Number Status (Different attribute selection)
Project - Originator - Status Number (Different attribute order)
Project - Originator - Type Status, Revision (Different attribute selection)
Project - Originator - Type - Number Status (Different number of attributes, attribute selection)
Project - Type - Originator Status (Different attribute order)
Project . Originator . Type Status (Different delimiter doesn't make a naming standard unique)

Create a Naming Standard

Click Create naming standard.

There are several options to create a naming standard.

Note: You can create a maximum of 20 unique naming standards in a project.

From ISO 19650 Template

After you've clicked Create naming standard:

  1. Click From ISO 19650 Template to see a preview of the default naming convention and related attributes.

    Default naming convention attributes:

    • Project
    • Originator
    • Volume/System
    • Level/Location
    • Type
    • Role
    • Number

    Default related attributes:

    • Status
    • Revision
    • Classification
  2. Click Create from template

  3. Resolve any attribute conflicts if necessary. See Resolve Attribute Conflicts for details.

  4. Enter a unique name for your naming standard.

  5. Add a description if necessary.

  6. Edit the naming convention attributes, related attributes, and delimiter as required. See Edit Naming Standards for full details about editing naming standards.

  7. Click Save.

    Note: If the save button is disabled, your naming standard is the same as another naming standard. Edit the attributes to make your naming standard unique. See the previous table for more information.

From Blank

You can create a naming standard entirely from scratch. After you've clicked Create naming standard:

  1. Click From blank.

  2. Enter a Name.

  3. Add a description if necessary.

  4. In the Naming convention section, click:

    • Delimiter drop-down: Choose from hyphen, underscore, and point.
    • Select attributes: Choose attributes for the naming convention which makes up the file name.
  5. In the Related attributes section, click Select attributes and choose related attributes.

    See Edit Naming Standards for full details about editing a naming standard.

  6. Click Save.

    Note: If the save button is disabled, your naming standard is the same as another naming standard. Edit the attributes to make your naming standard unique. See the previous table for more information.

From Imported XLSX File

You can export a naming standard from one project and import it into another project. You can also download, edit, and save the naming standard template before importing and applying the edited template to a project.

See Import Naming Standard help topic for full details about importing naming standards.

Create a copy

You can create a naming standard by copying an existing naming standard and changing the attributes to make it unique.

  1. Click the More menu next to the relevant naming standard
  2. Click Create a copy.
  3. Enter a name for the naming standard, and a description if necessary.
  4. Edit, add, and remove attributes to ensure that the naming standard is unique.
  5. Click Save.

Resolve Attribute Conflicts

When you are creating or importing a naming standard, you need to resolve any conflicts between existing custom attributes and those in the naming standard. A conflict arises when:

For example, the existing project attribute Phase is retained and a copy is created as a new attribute in the naming standard named .

Once the naming standard is created, you can edit the attributes and apply the naming standard to specific folders.