Best Practices: IMF Folder Naming & Structure
Context
A single piece of content can require dozens of fixes, resulting in multiple supplemental IMF deliveries which can be difficult to track over the course of the project. This article provides tips for IMF folder naming and structures to make troubleshooting and supplemental package creation easier.
File Naming
The naming conventions in the sections below are suggestions for the folders and not the actual IMF package and its assets. We do not have any requirements for IMF naming as the IMF format relies on universal unique identifiers (UUIDs) rather than names. In addition, most IMF authoring utilities auto-generate IMF package names based on timeline settings. However, if you’re using a tool that does not create a naming convention for you, you should use a filename that works best for your own workflows and tracking or follow standard DCI conventions.
Note: In the examples below, you will notice the subfolder names include CPL ID. Because the CPL ID is not generated until the IMF package is created, this element will need to be added to the folder name once the render is complete.
Episodic Folder Naming
[Project Title]_[Season]_[Episode]_[Backlot Package ID]
> [Project Title]_[Season & Episode]_[Version]_[Date]_[CPL ID]
Features Folder Naming
[Project Title]_[Language]_[Backlot Package ID]
> [Project Title]_[Language]_[Version]_[Date]_[CPL ID]
The CPL ID can be found at the top of the Composition Playlist XML when opened in web browser or text editor. This id should be compared against the Deliveries tab of the Video Source Request Details page to confirm which packages have been uploaded to Backlot.
In the images below, you’ll notice the CPL ID in the first image, which is a screenshot of my CPL XML, is an exact match with the CPL ID on the Video Source Request Details page in Backlot. This tells me that the IMF package with CPL ID 13b4cbd2-1ce2-467d-8a85-9614d8a9ca56 was the last successful delivery made to Backlot and therefore should be used to create the next supplemental that is needed.
