macOS capitalized file extensions

[bocomo]

hello all,

a student stumped me the other day with a question regarding file extensions and having them in all caps. why would one want to do this? all i could find with a web search was some problems people were having with capitalized file extensions. the reason this came up is that it is an option when saving files via image processor in photoshop. i posted here because i thought i remembered it having to do with OS compatibility or something...

thanks

 

[robbieduncan]

Creator Codes are all caps, but they are not the same as file extensions (although they play a similar role). Perhaps that was what the student was thinking of?

 

[lee1210]

I don't know off the top of my head how OS X deals with program association. I want to say that it ignores the case, but I could be wrong (i.e. i've seen .JPEG and i'm pretty sure w/o help OS X used preview to display the image). Depending on your filesystem, it may not actually store things case sensitive even if case is displayed. For example, every filesystem I've used on Windows (FAT16, FAT32, NTFS) filenames are not case-sensitive even though explorer, etc. will show case in the filenames. NTFS actually supports case-sensitivity, but Win32 does not, so almost any application in windows will be unable to deal with case-sensitive naming.

Did the student simply assert that that was the "right way" to name files? Did he cite some advantage to doing so?

-Lee

 

[bocomo]

sorry to not have posted a screen shot in the first place...

this is from a save dialog via Adobe Camera Raw

 

[Sayer]

I believe historically there have been computer systems that required all CAPS in file names and extensions so its not unheard of, just archaic these days.

 

[psingh01]

Either that is for convenience...or the programmer in charge of that dialog needs a stern talking to