User:Trig Jegman

It has been requested that this article be rewritten to be comprehensible to the human race.

A user most known for file management. See also: The talk page, Project Purge, my updates discord.

Terminology

Caps = Capitalization

FNC = File Name Change - I usually use this on any changed talk pages

RFC = Renamed for Consistency - Like files, such as character icons, should be similarly named. These are usually minor fixes.

TR = Technical Rename - removing or changing things like punctuation, unnecessary numbers, or files with weird issues in them. Files should have no punctuation other than a sparingly used hyphen.

RFA = Renamed for Accuracy - Spelling errors, wrong names, poor formatting, or lack of specified game. More-specific-to-the-image naming. This is about 85% of when the main file name is changed. These are usually major fixes.

NCR = Naming Conflict Rename - Files that are almost identically named that are renamed to avoid confusing the two. Hypothetical examples: Kirby.png vs. Kirby.PNG, or Dedede1.png vs. Dedede 1.png

RIF = Removed Image:/File: - Using <Gallery> means you don't need to use "Image:" (which shouldn't really be used anyway) or "File:". If I'm passing through a gallery, I'll try to remove any I see. It may also mean changing Image: to File: for single images.

UPI = Unused Personal Image

ECE = Edit Conflict Error

Additionally, because autofill is an evil tool from evil town, I add a symbol in each edit summary so it doesn't save forever. In 2020, it is an ampersand (&).

Notes

General/Miscellaneous

• Create more licensing tags - 02:27, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
• Analyze as many images as possible for licensing, image quality, and use - 02:27, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
• Work towards renaming .ogg to .oga and changing templates to be manual input - 02:27, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
• Create more policy pages, improve current policy pages, and try to create more lists for users about common templates, categories, and procedures etc - 02:44, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

Trig How to Rename Files

While I have done the best I can to justify my reasoning, this section is almost entirely unofficial, so take it with a pillar of salt.

Please read this as while this guide is unofficial, this link is the official naming policy on site. I will use the file File:Trig Demonstration Example File.png as an example in this demonstration.

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Giving a file a name

When naming a file, it is most important to keep three "C"s in mind: Consistency, clarity, and capitalization. Additionally, a well named file can answer the questions "What game is this" and "What is the file about" WITHOUT the need to see the file.

I personally try to have all files be named in the following format: (Game Name/Abbreviation) (Object or Action) (Specifics).extension, but it is more important to remain consistent amongst the files being dealt with over this format. For a specific example, if all the other files being dealt with are in the format "Game Abbreviation Character Icon.extension", your file should properly reflect this. In terms of what 'Specifics' means, it means what the type of image is. There are about five types of images, being Artwork, Icon, Screenshot, Sprite, and Model/Render (varies).

In regards to the extension, the most important part about the extension is that it needs to be lowercase. Additionally, jpeg files should be written as jpg, and ogg should be formatted as oga or ogv, depending on the file type. This is not a me thing , rather it is the creater of the ogg container's request.

Clarity is fairly simple: The name should make sense. Avoid using more words than necessary to convey what the image is about, and if conjecture needs to be used, try and use wording that is directly used for the intended caption or surrounding context.

Capitalization once again is about making sure all files have lowercase extensions, and proper uppercase letters for any abbreviations (use SMW over smw). Don't use all uppercase, either.

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What to avoid

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• Capitalized extensions. Pretty good reason as to why I'd bring it up this many times if it wasn't a big deal.
• Inconsistency. Files named 'M2 The cool Song of doom.oga' have weird, inconsistent capitalization; similar multiple files that change capitalization should be renamed to prevent it.
• Overabbreviating. Shortening game names can be nice, but shortening things such as area names or characters may lead to some confusion or NCRs later down the road. Eagleland is not that long of a name, and does not need to be written as EL, for example.
• Using the gif format for static images: These can be uploaded as png files, and it is better to do so.
• Having funny file names. While files about yoshi being named "ugly green frog" is a good chuckle, it also makes it very difficult to identify what the file is actually about.
• Unnecessary numbers. Sometimes it makes sense to name files numerically, such as Intro 1/Intro 2/Intro 3, but if it could be reasonably avoided, it should be.
• Punctuation. While you can use some punctuation, it should only be used if said punctuation appears in what the file is describing. Personally, if it is not a hyphen, I do not like to keep punctuation, such as exclaimation points or apostrophes. Most importantly, do NOT (ever) use periods or pound signs (#) in file names because that can affect the coding. Furthermore, do not use parentheses, quotation marks, unicode, funky letters like À; Æ; Ö, emojis (yes people have tried), or unnecessary hyphens (ex: EBB-Cool-Door-Sprite.gif).
• Too broad a name. Don't name a file after only the page you are referring to, as most of the time it may come back in a later game or in another form. 'Ness.png' or 'earthbound screenshot.jpg' are hypothetical examples of broad naming.

Renaming existing files

The way I approach renaming a file is by first having the File page open.

I then open all the pages it is both used on and pages I can edit in a new tab, but you may opt into windows or your own method instead.

Move the file to the appropriate name.

Generally speaking, all pages that start with "User:" or "Talk archive:" cannot be edited, but regular pages, pages listed with "Gallery:", and pages listed with "User talk:" (including archives) usually can be edited.

Most importantly to change is the regular pages and galleries. Locate the image and where it is used (sometimes it may be used more than once) and replace it. I generally find it helpful to use copy and pasting here. If you have the find tool, it can help minimize time spent searching. I am not an all computer wizard, but it tends to be command-F for macs and control-F for not-macs.

If you decide to preserve the user talk pages as well, open them up and do the same replacement if possible. Some user talk pages are protected, meaning the images are unable to be replaced. This is okay. This stuff happens. Not all images last forever, and that is why it is okay User pages don't need attention. If you can replace any images, edit ONLY the file name and nothing else. Indicate in the summary very clearly why a talk page or archive was edited. I use the term FNC, file name change, but as long as people understand why, it is acceptable.

Once all pages have been addressed, go to the created redirect and mark it with the {{delete}} tag. Indicate a reason for deletion (FNC would likely be understood here too). After this, check the page "What Links Here" on the left side under "Tools". This is helpful for two reasons: The first is to make sure you didn't miss anything! The second is to see if any linked but undisplayed files are used.

Files can be listed with a colon before File is written File:Trig Demonstration Example File.png or also with alternate text. If this usage can be replaced, it should be as well.

The file File:Trig Demonstration Example File.png itself links to a variety of pages to demonstrate what has been listed above.

At this point, you are done. Should you have any questions, comments, concerns, quantums, or theorems, please ask away on my talk page. Happy editing.

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Why does this matter?

Having a consistent naming structure(s) leads to easier use of the wiki! Without funky file names, people won't be confused about how to type them in, be able to search for files easier, and be able to know what each file is on a large page like a gallery without being able to see it when editing. Some people when writing could even be able to just write a filename without even having to look it up. While making file names better, it also can reach to a large amount of pages to help fix problems on those pages as well. Some less popular pages can be scanned for errors.

What Does That Mean? (FAQ)

This section is a semi-dedicated FAQ to both questions related to files and general wiki editing. Have a question? I would be happy to answer it on my talk page instead.

Why do we have different types of files?

JPG/JPEG is a lossy type of image. While compressing, the file may lose quality in order to have a better file size. They are less preferred than other file types, but that is not to say they are bad. Usually, JPGs are used for artworks or Wii U/Switch screenshots. JPG files cannot and should not be converted into other file types.

GIF is a lossless types of image, revolutionary for supporting animation and transparency. It can only display 256 colors per frame, however. These files are most recommended to be used for animated images only, as the successor file type is much more effective at displaying images. Additionally, gameplay GIFs should be avoided because too many colors at once causes dithering, a process where color values exceeding GIF's 256 are replaced with a "best guess", usually, reducing the overall quality.

PNG is essentially GIF 2 electric boogaloo. It was designed to improve on the lossless format to be both more compressed but also have more color options available to the viewer. A majority of wiki files are in this format. PNG is also transparency supportive, and is usually the smallest file type available. The main distinction between PNG and GIF is that PNG does not necessarily have animation support. There were several attempts to add it on later down the line, such as MNG (creator:png group) or APNG (mozilla), but they do not hold universal value. While the wiki supports APNG uploads, it is not heavily suggested as it is not quite available to all users and are usually large in size.

SVGs are interesting lossless files. They are universally supported, and essentially run images off text files. The two reasons that these files may be used over PNG is because they are much much smaller, and because that they can be displayed at any size without a change in quality. You want a 9000 by 9000 pixel SVG? It'll go there and look just as good as 152x152. They are only effective when it comes to line art or very simple artworks, however.

Is there a difference between JPG and JPEG?

Short answer: No. Long answer: Noooooo.

JPG and JPEG are entirely interchangeable and have absolutely no meaning over the other. That said, files should use jpg, just to have a sense of uniformity.

Why isn't this gif moving?

Chances are, it is a single frame gif. If possible, try and convert to a PNG before uploading, as they are more optimal to utilize and it generally does not affect visual quality.

I thought PNGs were supposed to be transparent

PNGs can be transparent, but they might not be. Sometimes the source uses a white background and that is ok. Transparency should not be artificially created just because an image is a PNG. Images should never be made transparent in systems like GIMP. Only official transparency should be used.

What's the deal with "inter-file periods"?

Interfile periods, periods that are in a file name that aren't for the extension, are not really great to have. While other punctuation found in a subject is usually okay, sometimes systems freak out as to when the extension starts when it comes to periods. For example, it may read a file named "Mr. T Artwork.jpg" as it should be, Mr. T Artwork, with an extension of jpg, OR it might read the file as Mr T with the extension of Artwork.jpg

There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason as to when one happens over another, but typically it messes up in galleries over anything else. It's better to be safe and avoid them entirely. If anything, it is simply easier to read.

What's the deal with hyphens?

Hyphens are a difficult middle ground when it comes to naming files. While they should be used for anything with a hyphen specifically in the name, they should NOT be used in place of spaces. The reason for this is generally because it's easier to type without a space, and the use of hyphens simply creates more opportunities for files to be almost identically named. KSSU-Moon.png and KSSU Moon.png could be two different files, and it is not the most effective to name them so similarly.

A hyphen (-), found on most keyboards, is not to be confused with a dash (—) or a minus sign (−).

For example, the following could all be be different files:

• Ninten-PSI.png
• Ninten - PSI.png
• Ninten- PSI.png
• Ninten -PSI.png

What's an NCR?

An NCR is a term I use to describe files that are almost identically named. Some examples would be:

• Capitalization. (EX: File:KEY Dream Land.png and File:KEY dream land.png)
• Extension difference. (EX: File:Lucas being cool.jpg and File:Lucas being cool.png)
• Hyphens (EX: File:Canary Village.png vs File:Canary-Village.png vs File:Canary - Village.png vs File:Canary- Village.png vs File:Canary -Village.png)

What are Smart Quotes? What are Smart Apostrophes?

Smart quotes and apostrophes are a type of quote that is not on a universal keyboard. They appear like this: (“|”|‘|’). They were essentially created to add style to the regular straight quotes (sometimes jokingly called dumb quotes) as seen here: ("|'). Since Smart Quotes do not appear on most keyboards as a standard, we try to avoid them the best we can. Some browsers/OS have automatic correction to smart quotes, especially apple products. These settings can be turned off in various settings pages.

Since some people may only be using smart quotes, pages that utilize quotations and apostrophes should have extra redirects made that utilize them.

Why do I keep seeing "Optimized" on files? What's PNG Monstrous?

Image optimization is a LOSSLESS process in which an image has its metadata removed. Metadata is more text based, hidden information attached to files. Generally some metadata could include the date of capture, the file's dimensions, or type of camera used. While maybe useful for personal use, it's not necessary to have on the wiki. Hence, the emphasis on optimizing files.

There are a number of programs available to optimize files. The most popular are PNG Monstrous (formerly PNG Monster), which is universal in download and is extremely effective. The other is ImageOptim, which is generally a mashup of a bunch of optimizers. The pro to using ImageOptim is that it has support for four file types to be optimized: PNG, JPG, GIF, and SVG, with a con of being MacOS exclusive

Before uploading a new image or revision, images are encouraged to be optimized as it helps the user load the image more effectively and saves server space.

As mentioned before, optimizing is a lossless process. Compression, which is sadly used interchangeably with optimizing, could mean either regular optimizing or the use of LOSSY compression. Lossy compression is where the image quality is reduced (by any varying amount) to make the file size smaller. LOSSY compression should not be used.

What's Gamma Brightening?

Gamma (Brightening) is a type of metadata stored on image files that change the way certain colors are displayed. Usually, it reduces the contrast amongst colors and is typically found on PNGs. While generally unwritten, the policy on gamma brightened photos is to optimize the file only if the original source does not use gamma brightening. If the source image contains gamma brightening metadata, it should not be optimized.

Why do we use OGA and OGV instead of OGG?

Way back yonder when the OGG format was introduced by Xiph.org, the only extension was .ogg; Since it became wildly much more popular in the later 2000s, they realized that the ability to have almost any type of file use OGG, they formally headlined the creation of different extensions such as OGA (Lossy Audio), OGV (Video), OGX (applications), and XFPF (weird code stuff that I don't understand). Per the creators suggestion, we should use the distinguished naming scheme.

Why can't I play this OGA/OGV file?

Unfortunately, while popular in the days of 2010, the global standard has dropped universal OGG support for reasons that have yet to really be explained. Some theorize it was because apple was trying to replace it with .mov and .m4a files, but this is conjecture. Generally, google chrome is a good browser to try and view this type of file on. If possible, it may be acceptable to re-rip as MP3 files.

I thought we weren't allowed to use MP3

Historically no, MP3 files could not be used because of a super uptight licensing system. Thankfully, this system has expired and MP3 is free to use.

How come some files have the name parts in a different order than here?

Matter of preference to the user.

I prefer distinguishing by game first, the subject of the image second, and the type of image third so that it is simple to tell on pages with multiple games involved (galleries especially), as it makes the most sense to compare files of one game to another first before comparing them to each other. Namewise, how does my Earthbound Ness Sprite stand out amongst other games? Because it's Earthbound. How does it stand out to other Earthbound files? Because it's Ness. How does it stand out to other Earthbound Ness images? Because it is a sprite.

Other people prefer to use the format Subject-Game-Type because it is generally easier to search for in categories.

Other notes

Additionally, please don't ask me about my personal life, I'd greatly appreciate it. I do make cool music for fun though

last seen doing:

• 22:52, 2 October 2020 (diff | hist) (+193)‎ m MediaWiki:Sitenotice ‎ (current)

Today's fortune: Old revisions should always be kept to a minimum