File Naming Convention
Using a consistent file naming pattern prevents duplicate processing and makes it easy to identify files at a glance.
Recommended Format
[Year]-[Month]-[Day]-[Hour]-[Min]_[Agency]_[UploadTemplate].[ext]
Example
2024-01-15-09-30_CountyA_Hearings.csv
| Segment | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
2024-01-15-09-30 | Date and time | Ensures uniqueness across exports and makes files sortable by date. |
CountyA | Agency identifier | Identifies which agency the data belongs to. |
Hearings | Upload Template name | Identifies the type of data in the file. |
.csv | File extension | Indicates the file format. |
Duplicate Prevention
eCourtDate skips a file whose name matches an earlier upload in the same agency that has not been deleted. The check is by file name, not by content, so an export that reuses the same name every day is processed once and then skipped. Including a timestamp in the filename gives each export a unique name, even when the same data type is exported several times a day. When Delete File After Upload is on, a skipped duplicate is also removed from the server.
Keyword and Blockword Filters
SFTP Profiles use two filters to control which files they pick up from a source directory, set on the profile's Settings tab as Filename Keyword and Filename Blockword. Both match anywhere in the file name and ignore case. Files whose names start with a dot are always ignored.
Filename Keyword (Include Filter)
Only files whose name contains the keyword are processed by the profile. For example, a profile with the keyword hearing matches:
2024-01-15-09-30_CountyA_Hearings.csvhearing-data-export.txt
But does not match:
2024-01-15-09-30_CountyA_Payments.csv
Filename Blockword (Exclude Filter)
Files whose name contains the blockword are skipped, even if they also match the keyword. This is useful for excluding test files, partial exports, or other unwanted data. For example, a blockword of test skips:
2024-01-15-hearing-test.csvtest-hearing-data.csv
Supported Extensions
| Extension | Format |
|---|---|
.txt | Plain text (recommended) |
.csv | Comma-separated values |
.xlsx | Microsoft Excel workbook |
See Upload Templates for details on delimiters and field mapping.
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