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In a mixed platform world of Macintosh, Windows, and Unix computers, you must pay attention to how you name your file.

On PCs, you usually append a three-letter file extension after the file name to tell the computer what program to launch when it is double-clicked. Programs on the PC do this automatically, but the same programs running on the Mac often do not.

Things to avoid:

1.) Don't add extraneous punctuation to the file name.
For example, don't use #. %, forward or back slashes, ampersands, and question marks or any other strange glyph. Stick mostly to letters and numbers. Dashes and underscores are OK.

    • Good: my_file.jpg

    • Bad: my/file.jpg

2.) Don't put more than one period in the file name.
Use only one period at the end of the file name just before the three-letter suffix.

    • Good: very_big_splash.jpg

    • Bad: very.big.splash.jpg

3.) Don't omit the 3-letter suffix.
Add the correct 3-letter suffix to the file name if none is created by the application program. ALL web browsers require a suffix to be able to tell a picture file from a text file, for example.

    • Good: promopic.gif

    • Bad: promopic.newone

    • Bad: promopic

4.) Avoid spaces in filenames.
High-speed Unix-based web servers dislike having spaces in the file name. Your pages and files with spaces in the name may work on a Mac or PC server, but if you ever migrate the files to a Unix server, you're in trouble. Most web designers use underscores in the file name to separate words for clarity.

    • Good: my_new_car.jpg

    • Bad: my new car.jpg

Opening PC files on a Mac:

Opening a PC-created picture file (like a jpg) on the Mac confuses beginning users. They double click the icon, and some other program on the Mac opens the file for viewing - usually Apple QuickTime. It is not loaded into Photoshop like they expected.

Macintoshes use a hidden bit of information called the Resource Fork to tell the computer what program to launch when the file icon is double-clicked. Each program that creates a file writes this information when you save. When you copy a PC file onto the Mac, the resource fork is missing. In order to open a file from a PC, you usually have to open the program first (i.e. Photoshop), then do a File, Open from within the program. Once the file is re-saved, the missing resource fork is added, and the file becomes a Mac version.

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Other Resources to Integrate:

Avoiding Special Characters

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