Hello,

In order to handle projects' names between different softwares (as issue tracking, project management, ...), I wish to formalize the way I'm naming them.

I'm pretty sure that an example would be so much clearer, so please let me asking your help with a simple study case :
1/ I work in "ABC" department of a company. --> I need to have all my projects' names beginning with "ABC"
2/ I'm making a new project known as "xxx" --> I'm creating a new project called "ABC-xxx"
3/ Each time I'm creating a new "sub-project" into that project, I wish to give it a sole number. --> The new project is so called as "ABC-xxx-yyy"

Those references could be used in order to organize a hard drive, but different documents into some softwares too. The purpose of that organization is to easily make links between these "spaces".

As a pratical example: The projet "ABC-xxx-001-MyProject" that I declared into BugZilla makes a reference to folder "ABC-xxx-001-MyProject".

From several evenings, I'm searching for a software able to generate and handle documents numbering as described here. No succes.

Firstly because I'm not sure that such a software like this one already exist. And secondly because I don't what is the name a that software type.

I searched expressions like "Documents management system", "Project management system", "Document handling software" ... and so more. No more succes.

If possible, I wish to use a PHP/MySQL software. And, idealy, a software I could integrate with Bug Genie.

Writing you, I hope to find some help in your own experiencing in projects/documents management.

The alternative way would be making that software on my own ... is it mandatory?

I really thank you for your precious help.

It might help if you let us know at least some of the document management systems you have looked at and decided against.

I found a link that listed several, but I have no idea whether it contains items you have already rejected.

Hi Frank,

What I'm looking for is not exactly a DMS. I'm just looking for tool able generate filenames.

Factually, it would just be a DB handling already used filenames and increment document numbering when I click on "New Document" button.

As a concrete example : Considering that I work in R&D department and I'm in charge of developping a phone firmware.
- DB already hold a reference named : "R&D_phone_001" corrsponding to the project's FMEA.
- I want to create a new reference for the algorithm diagram. The software will create the next free reference, "R&D_phone_002"
- And so on.

The puropose of this is just to help me handling unique reference for each new file.

I'm already using Alfresco which can index filenames, contents, ... but I have to create filenames on my own, considering that I remember (or I know how to quickly find) last reference used.

I completely understand your goal and it makes a lot of sense to have some systematic naming conventions in an organization. I didn't want to link you up to something you had already discarded.

I don't know that you will find a ready-make solution to this. I'm not a big fan of doing something by company policy when it can be automated, but this might be an area for policy.

I'm not a coder, but perhaps some sort of scripting with an incremental counter could do this, if not on a global basis, perhaps on a departmental one. A search for "automate file naming system linux" turned up nothing that appeared relevant to what you are trying to accomplish.

Hi Frank,

As you certainly already guessed, English is not my mother language. May be am I wrong when I'm calling that software a "referencing" tool.

I'm not sure to understand what you said about company-policy. Were you saying that a solution such as Alfresco could do that job? Whether you did, I'm curious to know how it's able to.

Nevertheless, I started writing my own application using PHP/MySQL. That's not a big job ; just some readings/writings on a DB. And what a good oppotunity to remember me these softwares ;-) My last PHP project had been done 12 years ago.

Thank you anyway for your advice, I'll have a google search using your keywords suggestion, and then giving a feedback about my new discoveries.

(grin) By company policy, I meant the old-school means of a written policy directing employees/departments to act in a certain manner, rather than some sort of LDAP or Windows Active Directory type policy.

If you come up with a good automated way of this, I suspect that many would love to see it released under the GPL, if your employer permits.

I'm sorry I couldn't have helped more. I don't run in corporate environments these days and I am definitely not a coder.

Also, your English is just fine, quite good, in fact--better than that of many of fellow countrymen. Asking and answering questions to clarify ideas is just part of communication in any language, especially complex concepts such as the ones you presented.

Please let us know how this turns out!