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Naming Standards 
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Etree.org Conventions for File Distributions
Files distributed via etree.org should follow a predefined structure. When filesets are consistently named and organized, they are easier for downloaders to identify. They are also easier to sort within a site's listing of shows. Please use this naming scheme along with our SeedingGuidelines when creating new filesets (aka "seeds").

There are slight differences in naming between Shorten and FLAC sets. Both are covered below.



Basic Naming Scheme for Both Shorten and FLAC Sets
Every file in a set (whether .shn, .md5, .txt, .flac, etc) and any directory for the set should have a name which starts like this: 


bbyyyy-mm-dd 
^^^^^^ ^^ ^^ 
|||||| || \\___ Day (with leading zero) 
|||||| || 
|||||| \\______ Month (with leading zero) 
|||||| 
||\\\\_________ Year (Full 4 digit year) 
|| 
\\___________ Band Abbreviation (e.g. ph = Phish, see BandAbbreviations for examples) 

Shorten and FLAC sets will differ in what comes after this part, as follows:



a) Shorten Distributions
All files in a "shn set" must be enclosed within a directory (aka folder). This makes them easy to sort and transfer as a group. The directory name should follow the Basic Naming Scheme, but with a .shnf extension appended. The "f" is for "folder", to show that you're looking at a directory rather than a .shn filetype. (The difference would be obvious at a glance in Windows, but not necessarily in other operating systems like Unix.)

Inside this directory, place the info file (.txt) for this seed, the .shn files each named by CD disc and track, and the .md5 checksums for the .shn files. See SeedingGuidelines for tips on writing a proper info file and generating .md5 files.

Below is an example of what a shn set should look like: 


ph2000-04-20.shnf <--- Directory for the set
ph2000-04-20.md5 <--- md5 checksums for all discs together 
ph2000-04-20.txt <--- Show info 
ph2000-04-20d1t01.shn \ 
ph2000-04-20d1t02.shn \ __ disc one .shnīs 
ph2000-04-20d1t03.shn / 
ph2000-04-20d1t04.shn / 
ph2000-04-20d2t01.shn \ 
ph2000-04-20d2t02.shn \ __ disc two .shnīs 
ph2000-04-20d2t03.shn / 
ph2000-04-20d2t04.shn / 
ph2000-04-20wav.md5 <--- optional md5 checksums for your original wavs 

Optional: Instead of 

ph2000-04-20.md5 <--- md5 checksums for all discs together 
you may use

ph2000-04-20d1.md5 <--- md5 checksums for disc 1 
ph2000-04-20d2.md5 <--- md5 checksums for disc 2 

Important: Place a 0 before any single-digit track number (1 to 9). Without the 0, 10 would come before 2 during file sorting. This can mess up track orders when the decompressed files are burned to audio discs.



b) FLAC Distributions
FLAC directory naming has an extra twist compared to Shorten. The FLAC codec supports both 16-bit and 24-bit content, in contrast to Shorten, which supports only 16-bit audio content. Because of these multiple bit-depths, we use the .flac16 and .flac24 naming convention to distinguish each type. 

The distinction between .flac16 and .flac24 is important! Both types will be in circulation for different needs: 


Typical downloaders will want to watch for .flac16 seeds. The 16-bit encoded FLAC files can be turned directly into traditional audio CDs, just like we do with Shorten files. 
As the lossless audio community slowly adopts and purchases 24 bit capable gear (or FLAC-capable hardware decoders), the demand for higher-quality audio recording resolutions will increase. In addition, users without 24 bit audio support will want to know to stay away from .flac24 folders because they won't be able to take advantage of the additional audio clarity that 24 bit recordings offer. 
Tapers and seeders who want to archive their original 24 bit content, in addition to the 16 bit audio that they seeded for wider distribution, can use the .flac16 and .flac24 folder extensions to archive files easily on larger storage media such as DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW. 

All files in a "flac set" must be enclosed within a directory (aka folder). This makes them easy to sort and transfer as a group. The directory name should follow the Basic Naming Scheme. Inside the .flac16 or .flac24 directory, place the info file (.txt) for this seed, the .flac files (each named by CD disc and track if appropriate), and a file containing the FlacFingerprint (ffp.txt) of every .flac file. See SeedingGuidelines for tips on writing a proper info file.

Below is an example of what a 16-bit flac set should look like, tracked for audio CDs. It's possible 24-bit flac sets* might be laid out differently, given archiving needs. 


ph2003-04-20.flac16 <--- Directory for the set
ph2003-04-20.txt <--- Show info 
ph2003-04-20ffp.txt <--- FlacFingerprint file for the wav portion of the .flac files 
ph2003-04-20d1t01.flac \ 
ph2003-04-20d1t02.flac \ __ disc one .flacīs 
ph2003-04-20d1t03.flac / 
ph2003-04-20d1t04.flac / 
ph2003-04-20d2t01.flac \ 
ph2003-04-20d2t02.flac \ __ disc two .flacīs 
ph2003-04-20d2t03.flac / 
ph2003-04-20d2t04.flac / 

*Mike Wren writes: "We still need someone to write up a seeding standard for 24bit audio (how do we track, how do we archive for DVD-A support, etc.). I'll be bugging people about this --MW"

Important: Place a 0 before any single-digit track number (1 to 9). Without the 0, 10 would come before 2 during file sorting. This can mess up track orders when the decompressed files are burned to audio discs.



File Sorting Note
Prior etree.org standards called for the use of second-level directories within filesets, such as ph2000-04-20d1.shnf, with each disc worth sorted into an individual folder. We now feel that is unnecessary. As long as each file denotes disc and track, that should be good enough. 

Likewise, prior Shorten naming standards called for each disc worth of shns to have its own .md5 file. However, if all .shn files are sorted into a single directory as suggested above, it is natural to generate a single .md5 file for the whole bunch.

You will still see many disc-sorted filesets and checksums in circulation. Either way, sorted or together, is fine. There is no need to change old directory structures or .md5 file arrangements.

See also: SeedingGuidelines

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Thanks to [People for a Clearer Phish] for developing the original standards.

