Tips for Naming Image Files

Below are a list of recommendations that you should follow when working with images and the MightyMerchant Site Manager:

1. You should always use unique filenames if you are going to use the same image in different image fields.

For instance, if you are using the same image for a category image as you are using for product image you should save a copy of the original image and name it something different for the category image filename than the product image filename.

Note: If you change the size of the original image in the process of renaming the file, make sure to not copy over the original file with the resized image.

 

Example:
cat_myimage.jpg for the category image and myimage.jpg for the product image.

daffodil.jpg	cat_daffodil.jpg	lg_daffodil.jpg
Image 1 (main product image)	Picture (category image)	Image3 (click to enlarge image)

The reason you want to do this is that often the category image dimensions are set to be different than the product image dimensions and a filename of the same exact name will overwrite the previous file upload at perhaps a different image dimension. This will cause the image to display on both pages at the same size and possibly affect the layout of your website.

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2. You should not to use the same filename for two different images.

Example:

 

pink.jpg	pink.jpg
rename to "pink_rose.jpg" prior to upload	rename to "pink_carnation.jpg" prior to upload

 

 

A rose image named “pink.jpg” and a carnation image named “pink.jpg” are obviously not the same image. If you upload the rose image first and then upload the carnation image second, the carnation image will display in both places as it will have overwrote the previous uploaded file.

 

3. Do not have “home” included as part of the filename.

Ex: home_image.jpg. 

 

4. Filenames are case-sensitive.

The web server sees “imagename.jpg” and “IMAGENAME.JPG” as two different files.

 

5. Do not make your filenames overly long.

If the file name exceeds the maximum characters, the name will be truncated and likely lose the file extension and thereby will not display on the website.

 

Example:
Use “royal_william_rose.jpg” instead of “dark_red_hybrid_tea_rose_royal_william.jpg”

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6. Do not include symbols or characters in your filenames.

Symbols to avoid are ampersands, parenthesis, commas, apostrophes, periods, pound signs, asterisks, dollar signs, just to name a few. The names should be comprised only of letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores, and end in a ".jpg" or “.gif” extension.

 

Example:
Use “pink_and_white_roses.jpg” instead of “pink & white roses.jpg”

 

7. If you are naming a file and intend to use multiple words in the filename it is “best practice” to separate the words by using an underscore.

Example:
Use “pink_rose.jpg” instead of “pink rose.jpg”