Forum:Long image file names

This is more of a question than a cry for help, am I being retentive because I've thought about asking some users not to upload files with long complicated name like 'File:75d8caa95d9bfac7502b75c85c8fa45c.jpg'? I know it's simple to do a copy and paste of the file name. But they're really quite long file names. Does anyone think there's an optimum file name length (or am I just obsessing over nothing)? Thanks. --Tangerineduel 11:48, December 29, 2009 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately it is a hassle to look after long file names like that, but luckily you can move images to a more appropriate name (and if you're an admin,suppress the redirect). I don't believe there is a limit on length, not that I'm aware of. -- 13:39, December 29, 2009 (UTC)


 * The problem of those names is not that they are long. The problem is that such name has no meaning to the image, so do a search for the image will fail. Long names shouldn't be a problem if they are meaningful. A note about image move: only admins can move (rename) uploaded images. --Ciencia Al Poder (talk) -WikiDex 19:08, December 29, 2009 (UTC)


 * Righty (I am an admin), it so happens that one of the users who uploads these incomprehensible names has also in the past uploaded rather lengthy descriptive file name such as File:The 10th Doctor puuting in the rest of his regeneration into his hand so that his body woulded change.jpg, for example.
 * Renaming fixes the issue, but I actually wanted to explain to the user why user names should be of X length so they don't continue to do it. So I think I'll word something up about meaningful names that are easy to search for (and type). Thanks. --Tangerineduel 12:44, December 30, 2009 (UTC)

If by word something up you mean some sort of policy, that's unnecessary. Try to avoid "instruction creep." You don't need a policy to tell users that that makes things difficult to search for. All you have to do is move the image. =) - Brandon Rhea (talk) 17:28, December 30, 2009 (UTC)


 * Not a policy, just a friendly word on their talk page. --Tangerineduel 07:29, December 31, 2009 (UTC)