Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
(OP)
There was a thread about how to manage job related material collected over time, whether it be hard copies or computer files. I would like to get some input from others regarding organization of computer files (especially pdf's), specifically, directory naming convention and topic categories.
I have main directories for construction materials such as steel, concrete, masonry, wood; other main directories are general, codes, manuf_catalogs, articles. Then within appropriate main directories, I have subdirectories such as AISC, AWS, ACI, ICC-ER, Hilti, etc. These subdirectories are further divided into SteelTips, SMRF, Conc_anchorage, etc. Problem is, when there is an article that may belong to more than one sub-topic, I have trouble deciding where to put it.
Some general info as to preferences, tips, suggestions on how to name directories, kinds of main topics and subtopics would be helpful in adopting new ideas to make my library evolve. My computer literacy is only slightly above average (among engineers), below average if you count engineers younger than 30.
I have main directories for construction materials such as steel, concrete, masonry, wood; other main directories are general, codes, manuf_catalogs, articles. Then within appropriate main directories, I have subdirectories such as AISC, AWS, ACI, ICC-ER, Hilti, etc. These subdirectories are further divided into SteelTips, SMRF, Conc_anchorage, etc. Problem is, when there is an article that may belong to more than one sub-topic, I have trouble deciding where to put it.
Some general info as to preferences, tips, suggestions on how to name directories, kinds of main topics and subtopics would be helpful in adopting new ideas to make my library evolve. My computer literacy is only slightly above average (among engineers), below average if you count engineers younger than 30.





RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
They then have an excell sheet with the file name, Title/Description and you can obviously add columns with different attributes. You can then sort but these different attributes to find what you want.
For instance if you filed scanned or word copies of letters like this you could have to, from & date as different columns (a bit like with emails in outlook).
Of course someone might try selling you PDM/PLM for this but I'm not sure that's what you want.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
In my Engineering Log I have an exel file with: Job name, date, PO#/serial#, and then key words.
Then in excel just ctrl+F and type any key word. and it will bring up the file name.
If your really spiffy with excel, you can link the file in excel so then you can open the pdf, word, xl, .m, .dwg file directly.
Here is how
Create a link to an existing document
1. Click in the worksheet where you want to place the linked object (linked object: An object that is created in a source file and inserted into a destination file, while maintaining a connection between the two files. The linked object in the destination file can be updated when the source file is updated.).
2. On the Insert menu, click Object.
3. Click the Create from File tab.
4. In the File name box, type the name of the file, or click Browse to select from a list.
5. Select the Link to file check box.
6. To display the content, clear the Display as icon check box.
If you want to display as an icon, select the Display as icon check box.
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
I also divide up the hard drive into more diretories (this helps with the 256 char issue of accessing files).
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
I also use Google Desktop Search, it seems much faster and less of a resource hog than what MicroSoft offers.
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
-b
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
Patrick
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
- Steve
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
% echo hello > a.txt
% ln a.txt b.txt
% echo silor >> b.txt
% cat a.txt
There is only one actual file. If you list the directory contents:
% ls -l
you'll see a value of 2 after the permission bits for each link to the file. This tells you that the file (or link) isn't unique. It can be confusing if you don't know what you are doing.
- Steve
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
- Steve
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask
RE: Everything you wanted to know about organizing, but were afraid to ask