This feature lets you create reusable naming templates that generate consistent, meaningful names for your files automatically, as they enter your workspace and as you work on them.
Introduction
A naming convention, in this context, is a set of rules for determining how a file, document or brand asset will be named (and organised) in your brand workspace on Pencil.
Naming Conventions add consistent metadata to file names, making your files easier to find, filter and organise later.
Naming Conventions let you create reusable templates that generate consistent file names. You define a pattern once and Pencil applies it across your Files Library.
Where do naming conventions apply?
Naming conventions run across four areas of your Files Library: Assets, Work, Generations and Templates. You can set a different rule for each.
Each rule fires on the actions you choose:
Import: Files are named as they land in your workspace.
Rename: A manual rename follows your rule rather than freehand typing.
Duplicate: A copy is named so it never collides with the original.
Creating a naming convention
Go to Settings → Naming conventions tab.
Click Add new to begin.
Give your convention a descriptive name. Something like "CompanyName-Date" works well.
Build your naming pattern using the drag-and-drop configuration builder. You can include:
System properties -such as Original Name, Created Date, Creator, or Media Type.
Custom Properties — any single-selection custom properties you've already set up will also appear in the drop-down when adding properties to your Naming Convention.
Labels — any existing labels you use for organisation.
String literals - A custom string of text that you type in. This can also be used to add a custom label that gets appended to the end of asset names, for example, the name of a particular project, campaign or event that the assets are linked to.
As you build, a real-time preview shows exactly what your generated names will look like.
Before saving, choose how you want the system to handle duplicates. You can allow duplicate names, or have the system automatically append a counter using either a dash (filename-01) or underscore (filename_01). You can also mark one convention as your default for quick access during future uploads.
How to use naming conventions
When you upload files to the Assets tab of your Files Library, you'll see a dropdown in the upload modal where you can select any of your saved conventions. Choose one, and the system will generate names based on your custom settings.
To apply the same convention across all assets in a single upload, use Apply Naming convention to all at the top of the configuration panel.
To rename files that are already in your workspace, select them in your Files Library, open the three-dot menu and apply a convention to the whole batch at once.
Please note: If your template includes a custom property that's not compatible with a particular asset, the system will flag it and the Naming Convention won't run until you provide the missing value. If a label is missing, however, the name still generates, just without that element.
Hit save changes. You can now easily search or filter your assets because all of the relevant information you've defined is contained right there within the asset name.
How do you import and export naming conventions?
To share conventions across teams or workspaces, you can export your entire set as a CSV file from the Naming Conventions settings page. Click Export as CSV to download them.
To import, click Import CSV file and upload a CSV. If the file references custom properties or labels that don't exist in your current workspace, the system will offer to create them for you.