There are several reasons why an error could occur when you try to upload a file to Brightspace. One is that you used certain characters, another that the file name is too long. If you use the tips in this article, you will prevent these errors from happening and you will give your file a clear name.
The file name consists of two parts: the name you gave to the file and the extension, which is connected with a dot. Examples of names with extensions are Textfile.doc, Presentation.ppt, Sheet.xlsx, and Image.jpg. The extension will tell the computer how to read a file, so do not change this part of the name! Changing the extension can cause problems when the file needs to be read. For the other part of the file name you can get creative, but be sure to keep the following guidelines in mind.
Technical guidelines
- Use letters and numbers in combination with hyphens or underscores. For example: S123456_essay.
- Do not use space. Using space can be interpreted differently when a file is uploaded and downloaded, which can cause an error to occur.
- Do not use punctuation or special characters other than the hyphen and underscore. Symbols such as !, &, @, # and others often have a specific meaning within applications and can therefore not be used.
- Make sure your file name is not too long! 12 to 18 characters are more than enough to describe your file.
When you don't adhere to the technical guidelines the following message will appear:
More tips
- Make sure your file name is easy to read by using capital letters at the beginning of the word and after hyphens, because you cannot use spaces.
- If you use your initials, your teacher will be able to see the work is yours without it taking up too much space.
- When you want to add a date to your file name, the YYYY-MM-DD format is used most often.
- Do not use the term 'final version' or something similar in your file name; after all, you never know for sure!