> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.snowdoughnut.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Name something

> Which naming convention applies to what you're naming, where the pattern lives, and what breaks downstream if you name it after the fact.

Six conventions cover everything that gets named. Pick the row that matches what you're naming.

| What you're naming              | Convention                                                                  | Decide before              |
| :------------------------------ | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------- |
| A campaign in a platform        | [Campaign naming conventions](/campaign-naming-conventions)                 | You build it               |
| An ad set, ad group, or variant | [Ad set, ad group and variant](/ad-set-group-naming-conventions)            | You build it               |
| An individual ad                | [Ad name conventions](/ad-name-conventions)                                 | You upload it              |
| A customer profile or audience  | [Customer profile naming conventions](/customer-profile-naming-conventions) | You save it to the library |
| A file or creative asset        | [File naming conventions](/file-naming-conventions)                         | You save it                |
| A tracked event                 | [Event naming conventions](/event-naming-conventions)                       | You implement it           |
| An experiment                   | [Experiment ID](/experiment-id)                                             | It launches                |

<Warning>
  Name things at build time, not afterwards. A renamed campaign breaks the join between platform spend and analytics conversions, and historical rows keep the old name forever.
</Warning>

## The path

<Steps>
  <Step title="1. Read the overview once">
    [Naming conventions overview](/naming-conventions-overview) explains how the conventions relate and why the field values have to be closed lists. Read it once, not every time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2. Find the pattern">
    Open the convention from the table above. Each one gives the field order, the separator, and the allowed values per field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="3. Check the value exists">
    Every field draws from a closed list. If the value you need isn't on the list, that's a decision, not a typing problem. Add it to the convention document first, then use it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="4. Apply it everywhere at once">
    A campaign name has to match its UTM values, or the two datasets won't join. Build the name and the [UTM](/utm-standards) together, from the same values.
  </Step>

  <Step title="5. Don't rename">
    If a name is wrong, the cost of fixing it rises every day it collects data. Fix it immediately or leave it and note the exception.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why the closed lists matter

Naming conventions look like formatting. They're really the join key between systems: platform reporting, analytics, and the [flat file](/flat-file-template) all match on these values. An open field where anyone can type produces `paid_social`, `Paid Social`, and `paidsocial` as three different channels in the same report.

[Name jamming](/glossary#name-jamming) covers the related failure: cramming so much into a name that nobody keeps it accurate.

## Related resources

* [**Naming conventions overview**](/naming-conventions-overview) How the six conventions fit together.
* [**UTM standards**](/utm-standards) The values that have to match your campaign names.
* [**Make a campaign**](/make-a-campaign) Where naming sits in the campaign path.
* [**Glossary**](/glossary) Definitions for the field values used in patterns.