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Using underscores instead of blank spaces in file names
Hi there,
He says that using blank spaces in the naming of files can cause serious problems with some programs, and he strongly suggests to use underscores instead
of blank spaces, so EVERY file or folder we create from now on has to be in annoying underscores (ex: PROJECT_RAW_FOOTAGE )Is this really necessary? I mean, i’ve been working in post for many years, and i’ve never had any problems with spaces, and also never heard of anyone saying this to me before…
Thanks in advance for your help!
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3 Replies
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Unix operating systems natively use whitespace for separators. If you only use the Apple (OS X) GUI, it hides this from you, but if you use the command line (terminal window), you need to enclose whitespace separated names in quotes:
Example:
cp “my file” “my new file”
Some programs don’t know to quote whitespace. If you’ve never had a problem, then you don’t have any of those programs.
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I use typical post production programs like FCP Studio, After effects, Nuke, Shake, etc… Do you mean that there’s no need to use underscores
when working with those programs?Thanks for your answers!
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If you work entirely on a Mac (and never use the Terminal in OS X) you don’t need to worry about spaces. The operating system deals with it for you.
But if you ever need to use the Terminal to run a command line program you will very quickly learn that spaces are a not a good idea. This is also true with web servers and any other UNIX/LINUX OS.
It is worth getting into the habit of using _ or camel casing (oneLongWordWithCapitalLetters) to replace spaces. If you ever have to share your work with people on other platforms or deal with web servers you will make life easier for everyone and you’ll look a little more professional.
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