Name your files like you’re back in 1998—no spaces, no dashes, just underscores.
This made me laugh because it’s painfully true. I swear, these portals are allergic to anything but underscores. One time I tried uploading “kitchen-remodel-final-final.pdf” (yes, the double final) and got hit with the dreaded error message. Ended up with “kitchen_remodel_final_final.pdf” and it worked, but only after compressing it three times because apparently a color floor plan is “too large to process.”
And don’t even get me started on the file size thing. Five megabytes is nothing when you’re dealing with high-res elevations. I’ve had to screenshot drawings just to get under the limit, which feels like sending a Polaroid to city hall.
Honestly, I’d almost prefer waiting behind the fence-height debaters. At least then I could zone out and daydream about paint swatches instead of playing file-name whack-a-mole.
Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to rename files just to get them through the city’s portal. Underscores everywhere, and don’t even think about using parentheses or special characters. I used to think “final_final” was just a running joke from architecture school, but here we are, still doing it because the system can’t handle anything else.
The file size limits are wild too. I once had to break up a single elevation into three separate PDFs just to meet the requirements—ended up feeling like I was submitting a jigsaw puzzle. Ever notice how some cities will accept a giant TIFF, but others freak out if your PDF is over 2MB? It’s like there’s no standard at all.
Curious if anyone’s figured out a good workflow for this. Do you compress everything before uploading, or just keep trimming until something sticks? I’ve tried exporting at lower DPI but then the reviewers complain the text isn’t legible... seems like a lose-lose.
Man, the file naming thing drives me nuts too. I swear, I’ve got folders full of “final_final2” and “final_for_real_this_time” just because the portal throws a fit over a dash or space. I usually end up compressing everything first, but sometimes it’s a gamble—too much compression and the plans look like they were faxed in from 1998. Has anyone actually had luck getting a reviewer to accept a ZIP file, or is that just wishful thinking? I’ve never had one say yes, but maybe some cities are more chill about it...
- Totally get it—my “final_final_REALLY” folder is out of control.
- I’ve tried the ZIP route, but our city’s portal just spits it back with a generic error. Never had a reviewer say yes.
- Anyone ever get away with using underscores instead of spaces? I heard some systems are less picky about that...
I’ve tried the ZIP route, but our city’s portal just spits it back with a generic error.
Honestly, I’ve had the opposite experience—ZIPs have worked for me, but only after I renamed every file with numbers and dashes. Underscores didn’t seem to matter either way. Maybe it’s just how each city’s system is set up? I wouldn’t trust any “magic” naming trick until you test it. Bureaucracy always finds a new way to trip you up...