Engineering files folder structure 1

[ATSE]

I am looking for a better systematic way to organize all of the my electronic engineering documents related to structural concrete. That is, a good file structure.
I know - not quite the right forum for this subject, but cut me some slack.

Over the years I've collect 1,000+ engineering documents. Of course I have my own folder structure (Windows), but there's got to be a better way. Over time, I now have 35 subfolders under the main "Concrete" folder, which is a bit silly.
Example files and folders:
- Rebar couplers
- Excel spreadsheets for strain compatibility or punching shear
- Curing methods
- Design guides (full & partial, many of these from ACI, CRSI, PCA)
- Shotcrete
- Mix design
- Repair
- Instrumentation
- Seismic design guides
- Pump equipment
- Anchorage
and so on
[aside: about 70% of my documents are pdf]

So the question: what's the best way to organize this subject. Fortunately I developed a good naming convention many years ago, so I find a lot of files by search.

 

[HTURKAK]

I got similar problem.. and i have probably several thousand books, documents etc. I lost substantial time to organize acc. to subjects . I scanned to pdf my old books..

But now , i look for the doc. with search engine rather than looking to relevant folder..Luckly, i always used a detailed file name ..

 

[IDS]

You don't need detailed file names. Make sure that Windows is indexing all your folders with information to find, then the File Explorer built in search will find any files containing a search string almost instantaneously, and you can set it up to preview files with recognised extensions, so you don't even need to waste time opening pdf files.

Also I have a couple of spreadsheet macros that let you use the File Explorer search, or open a specified pdf at a specified page, all from Excel:

https://newtonexcelbach.com/2015/12/30/opening-and-searching-pdf-files-from-excel/

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/