# Punctuation in file names



## Farback (Feb 20, 2012)

In our office we use Microsoft XP Professional, running Excel 2002 and Windows 2002.
I am trying to establish some 'standards' for staff to adhere to when creating files and folders. One thing I have emphasised is that Full Stops (periods) should not be used in file names, except immediately before the file extension (.xls, .doc etc.). But I have one staff member who repeatedly uses Full Stops in dates i.e. '02.02.12 meeting.doc'
She tells me she has "never seen it in writing" that this should not be done.
Can anyone give me some definitive advice on this, to strengthen my argument?
Is it acceptable practice, and if not (as I suspect) then why not?


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## TMShucks (Feb 20, 2012)

A full stop is not actually illegal.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365247(v=vs.85).aspx


It is possible that it *may* cause confusion in certain circumstances but, other than that, no reason why not.  I can't quote examples off the top of my head so that leads me to think it may have been something I had a problem with in the past but not seen recently ... but then I don't tend to use full stops in file names (probably because I've had problems in the past).


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## Smitty (Feb 20, 2012)

A lot of times you'll see full stops get stripped from files when they're e-mailed, whereas underscores won't be.

HTH,


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## hrlngrv (Feb 20, 2012)

Stripping characters from filenames of attached files? Which mail clients? Or is that done by sending or receiving servers? From my own experience, Lotus Notes client and server, AOL and Gmail don't do this.

Aside from e-mail, neither Windows nor Excel should have any problem with arbitrary numbers of periods in filenames. The only technically legal filename (one Windows can handle) which Excel can't handle is .xls . Excel can handle all the filenames ..xls, ...xls, ....xls, etc. These may be quite unwise, but using . as a separator between days, months and years in formatted dates doesn't seem unreasonable.

Is the problem server/admin software which simplistically sets filename extensions as text following the first rather than last . in filenames?


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## Smitty (Feb 20, 2012)

If someone sends me an Excel workbook like this:

Test v.1.1.xls

It'll often open on my end like this:

Test v11.xls

Or 

Test v 1 1 .xls

(In Outlook 2010)


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