To ensure that Curator applications can create and process valid names for files and directories, regardless of the file system, IPV recommends adhering to Microsoft Windows file naming conventions. These are as follows:

• Use a period to separate the base file name from the extension in the name of a directory or file
• Use a backslash () to separate the components of a path. The backslash divides the file name from the path to it, and one directory name from another directory name in a path. You cannot use a backslash in the name for the actual file or directory because it is a reserved character that separates the names into components
• Use a backslash as required as part of volume names, for example, the "C:\" in "C:\path\file" or the "\\server\share" in "\\server\share\path\file" for Universal Naming Convention (UNC) names. For more information about UNC names, see the Maximum Path Length Limitation
• Do not assume case sensitivity. For example, consider the names OSCAR, Oscar, and oscar to be the same, even though some file systems (such as a POSIX-compliant file system) may consider them as different. Note that NTFS supports POSIX semantics for case sensitivity but this is not the default behavior. For more information, see CreateFile
• Volume designators (drive letters) are similarly case-insensitive. For example, "D:\" and "d:\" refer to the same volume
• Use any character in the current code page for a name, including Unicode characters, except for the following reserved characters: 
  •  < (less than)
  •  > (greater than)
  •  : (colon)
  •  " (double quote)
  • / (forward slash)
  •  \ (backslash)
  •  | (vertical bar or pipe)
  • ? (question mark)
  • * (asterisk)
  • # (hash)
  • $ (dollar)
  • @ (at symbol)
• Integer value zero, sometimes referred to as the ASCII NUL
• Characters whose integer representations are in the range from 1 through 31, except for alternate data streams where these characters are allowed. For more information about file streams, see File Streams
• Any other character that the target file system does not allow
• Use a period as a directory component in a path to represent the current directory, for example, ".\temp.txt". For more information, see Paths.
• Use two consecutive periods (..) as a directory component in a path to represent the parent of the current directory, for example "..\temp.txt". For more information, see Paths
• Do not use the following reserved names for the name of a file: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9. Also, avoid these names followed immediately by an extension; for example, NUL.txt is not recommended. For more information, see Namespaces
• Do not end a file or directory name with a space or a period. Although the underlying file system may support such names, the Windows shell and user interface do not. However, it is acceptable to specify a period as the first character of a name. For example, ".temp"