What is Pattern PXM?
Pattern PXM is a cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) SaaS platform designed to help product brands rapidly organize, convert, manage, and share all kinds of marketing content and digital assets.
This article covers file naming best practices and a simple automation-friendly naming method that helps admins rapidly organize content in the DAM system.
Why Good File Naming Matters
Clear and consistent file names are essential for DAM organization and usability. PXM enhances this by recognizing "tags" within file names, enabling automation to streamline organization. Many organizations already use naming conventions that embed key identifiers — PXM can harness this existing structure to maximize efficiency.
Benefits of good file naming include:
✅ Improved file discoverability
✅ Minimized tedious management tasks
✅ Automatic association of content with Products
✅ Establishing or confirming good naming standards for your organization
✅ Streamlined downstream rendition management
✅ Broad usability across other downstream computer systems
General Best Practices — Quick Reference
✅ DO: Use These Characters Only
Limit your filenames to the following characters:
Letters: A–Z, a–z
Numbers: 0–9
Underscore:
_Hyphen:
-Period:
.(only as the separator before the file extension)
Good example: XYZ_something_anything-else.mov
❌ DON'T: Avoid These Common Mistakes
No spaces in filenames. Spaces cause downstream system errors and get replaced with
%20on the web.
Bad example:Clip 3 Singing in the rain.movNo special characters such as
/ \ : ! @ # $ % ^ < > , [ ] { } & * ( ) + =— these have reserved meanings in operating systems and can cause errors.
Bad example:@Clip#(3).movDon't start a name with a period or hyphen. For example, avoid
-ar1825r.tifDon't end a name with a period. For example, avoid
ar1825r.tif.Avoid adding size or format descriptions to filenames — these become inaccurate once PXM generates variant renditions and alternate formats.
Bad example:XYZ_NOCompression.JPG(PXM will apply JPG compression, making the name misleading)
File Naming Best Practice Guidelines
1. Stick to safe characters: A–Z, a–z, 0–9, _, ., and -
Using only these characters provides maximum "portability" and fewer problems exchanging files between operating and storage systems. Other punctuation like / \ : ! @ # $ % ^ < > has specific meanings in various operating systems — for example, \ indicates folder levels on Windows, and : serves the same purpose on Mac.
2. Never start a filename with a period or hyphen
UNIX and POSIX systems have special rules for what is allowed as the first character of a filename. Similarly, never end a filename with a period — Windows will "ignore" it, creating confusion about the actual file extension.
Avoid: -ar1825r.tif Avoid: ar1825r.tif.
3. Always include a single period as the extension separator
PXM and other operating systems rely on the extension (e.g., .tif, .psd, .jpg) to determine how to store, present, and open the file. Always include exactly one period followed by the standard file extension.
4. Use only one period per filename, with a 3-character extension
This ensures full backwards compatibility with ISO-9660 Level 1, OpenVMS, Windows 95–98, and other legacy systems. Be especially careful with Mac OS X's built-in archive function — archiving an10256r.tif creates an10256r.tif.zip, which may be flagged as malicious by mail filtering software.
5. No periods in folder (directory) names
For example, avoid animals.wildlife as a folder name. A period in a directory name is prohibited in ISO-9660 without Joliet extensions, OpenVMS, and other legacy file systems.
6. Don't assume names are case sensitive
Do not expect a folder to hold two separate items named Lifestyle and lifestyle. Many operating systems (like Windows NTFS) are case insensitive — they preserve case when storing but ignore it when searching.
7. Don't assume names are case insensitive either
Conversely, don't expect a file saved as AN18256R.JPG to be automatically found using an18256r.jpg. UNIX/Linux systems and most websites are case sensitive.
📝 PXM Note: PXM's search index is not case sensitive but is case preserving. Uploaded master file names retain their original case, but PXM does not distinguish case during search. File extensions on variant renditions generated by PXM use standard lowercase.
8. Keep filenames under 256 characters
Many operating and network systems cannot handle total path lengths exceeding 256 characters. For reference:
ISO 9660 with Joliet extensions: 64 characters (including period + extension)
Windows XP / Mac OS X: 255 characters (including period + extension)
🏷️ Filename-Based Folder Tagging
PXM has a unique time-saving feature to help you and your team organize and upload content at scale: Filename-Based Folder Tagging.
Thanks to PXM's PIM capabilities, the system already has awareness of your collections, categories, and products. This feature lets you encode folder destinations directly in your filenames, so files are automatically sorted upon upload — no manual tagging required.
How to Enable It
When uploading files, check the "Enable Filename-based Folder Tagging" toggle in the Upload Settings panel:
Upload Settings → File Upload tab → Enable Filename-based Folder Tagging (toggle on)
How to Structure Your Filenames
Include one or more product folder name(s) in the filename as tags.
Separate each tag from other information using an underscore
_.Tag names must exactly match existing folder names in PXM for the system to make a match.
Check the "Enable Filename-based Folder Tagging" box at upload (if not set by default).
Example
Suppose you have a product Collection called 123:
123.TIF→ automatically added to the collection called 123black_123_front_in-use.TIF→ automatically added to folders black, 123, front, and in-use
The order of tags in the filename doesn't matter to the automation — but a consistent order can aid human readability.
Files Can Link to Multiple Collections/Categories/Products
You can include as many tags as needed, all separated by underscores. For example, a product folder named 12345_Blue Pencil Box would automatically receive files named:
12345.jpgblue-pencil-box.pngbluepencilbox_12345_main.jpg
When Does the Automation Run?
The automation runs in two scenarios — it doesn't matter which is created first:
When a new file is uploaded: PXM checks all existing folder names for matches. Make sure the "Enable Filename-based Folder Tagging" toggle is on in the upload menu.
When a new Product folder is created: PXM checks all existing filenames for matches. To enable this, mark
TRUEunder the "Filename-Based Folder Tagging" column on the Standard Import Template.
💡 Tip: Planning for Filename-Based Folder Automation is an important part of your organization's onboarding setup and will be assisted and tested in advance of use.